Substance Abuse Counselor

About the Position: This position is in the Directorate for Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation Program(SARP) Department, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP), Virginia. This position is physically located on the NMCP campus. Work is performed in a multi-story SARP outpatient clinic, residential treatment facility, and inpatient mental health unit. The main SARP facility does not have an elevator. This is a Direct Hire Solicitation

Major duties

• Provides initial patient interview, screening, biopsychosocial assessment, and individual and group counseling to patients (i.e., military members and family members with substance use and co-occurring disorders) following specified guidance.
• Performs educational workshops, presentations, treatment coordination and appropriate clerical documentation in accordance with American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) .
• Assess patients for substance abuse disorders and other mental disorders according to the latest version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
• Evaluates and makes professional judgments and decisions for situations that require immediate crisis intervention under the supervision of the Senior Counselor and Licensed Independent Provider (LIP).
• Facilitates therapy, leads psychoeducational substance abuse and dependency issues groups, performs assessments, and makes treatment recommendations.
• Assists in the training and supervision of addiction counselor interns and students. The incumbent is responsible for attending all required clinical supervision sessions.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document. Basic Requirement for Substance Abuse Counselor A. Degree: Bachelor's degree (or higher degree) in behavioral or social science, or related disciplines appropriate to the position, such as social work, psychology or substance abuse. OR B. Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. OR C. Experience: Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field. In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes assisting healthcare providers with behavioral health treatment options for patients such as assisting with conducting interviews with patients to evaluate for substance abuse or other behavioral health disorders; assisting with maintaining patient treatment plan records to track patient's treatment progress; and assisting with the development of treatment plans to address psychosocial needs of patients. This specialized experience is equivalent to the GS-07 grade level in the Federal service.

Education

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.