Counselor, Clinical Nurse Specialist, Nursing

Ventura, CA 93003, USA

Pinnacle Treatment Centers is a leading provider of comprehensive addiction treatment services, committed to transforming lives through compassionate care.

As a Counselor, you will play a crucial role in the recovery journey of our patients through compassionate care and innovative treatment methods.

• Provides orientation to new patients to the programs’ rules, policies, procedures, and patients' rights.
• Conduct Intakes, Discharge Planning, Initial Assessments, and Initial Treatment Plans professionally and within time guidelines as required by applicable federal and state regulation, CARF guidelines and Pinnacle Policies.
• Involve patients in the assessment, treatment planning, and intervention aspects of treatment, which provides the patient with a sense of entitlement to their own recovery.
• Administer the biopsychosocial assessment, evaluating all areas of patients' lives, including addictions, medical and mental health history, socioeconomics, legal, etc. at intake and on an ongoing basis.
• Recognize and utilize patients’ Strengths, Needs, Ability, and Preferences (SNAP) to develop and implement individualized Treatment Plans that effectively help patients to meet their short & long‑term goals. Determine the clinical necessity of counseling services based on the clinical assessment and evaluation of the patients.
• Monitor closely, and document any change of circumstances with the patients, especially as it relates to matters that may affect their recovery, identifying and addressing relapse indicators to promote relapse prevention interventions in an early stage.
• Comply with and implement the Medical Q.A (Quality Assurance) and Clinical Risk Management Policies, including:
  • Evaluate the patients for any high‑risk conditions (e.g., liver failure, pregnancy, overdose, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.), which may endanger the patient (suicidal) or other parties (homicidal).
  • Administer the BAM‑R, C‑SSRS, GAD‑7, and PHQ‑9 screening tools to determine the severity of the patient’s mental/emotional status.
  • Evaluate the risk factors concerning each such case, considering the appropriateness of, and professionalism in treating such individuals in an OTP in comparison to treatment in a residential facility or other treatment modalities.
  • Review and ask about other practitioners' involvement in the treatment of these high‑risk conditions. Recommend immediate referral to such a specialist in case of need. Request the patient sign a waiver for release of information which will allow communication with the other practitioner in case of need (e.g., deterioration of the patient’s condition).
  • Flag high‑risk patients to the Medical Directors, Physician Extenders, and Regional Clinical Leadership (RCL) and highlight the conditions concerned.
  • Refer such patients to the Medical Directors, Physician Extenders or RCLs based on the urgency, utilizing the informal Referral Policy or the scheduled Treatment Team/Case Conference session.
  • Review physician notes, following the Medical Directors or Physician Extenders’ session with the patient, verifying that they noted and addressed the high‑risk factor, or otherwise bring it immediately to the attention of the supervising counselor, as well as the clinic manager, until the matter’s proper and professional handling by the physician or physician extender.
  • Advise, in writing, other staff members (including the clinic manager, supervising counselor, dispensing nurse and front office) of high‑risk patients and their condition. Maintain and circulate minutes from treatment team/case conference sessions to the other staff members.
• Provide professional counseling and referral services by:
  • Addressing patients’ clinical and special needs by maintaining referrals to specialized (“second tier”) services rendered by physicians, physician extenders and counselors within Aegis, as well as referrals to Keys to Recovery (or other twelve‑step) support groups, and other community resources (e.g., agencies and practitioners outside of Aegis), acting as a liaison to these agencies, as necessary.
  • Providing individual and group counseling as clinically…