Counselor III (WRC) #53638

Position Close Date: 05/20/24

***Applicants must upload a resume and cover letter to their application in order to be considered for this opportunity.***

The Counselor III provides substance use disorder and mental health services to residents at Volunteers of America Women's Residential Center. They work on a multidisciplinary clinical team which includes an intake counselor, a case manager, mindfulness consultant, an LMP, and a variety of other support and milieu staff. Counselors work closely with all staff members to ensure high-quality resident care and to nourish a positive, growth-oriented community for both residents and staff. Counselors enjoy a supportive work environment where there are routine opportunities for supervision, training, and team collaboration.

In addition to VOA's excellent benefits package, the WRC Counselor III is currently provided with:

• Supervision toward LCSW/LPC licensure
• Supervision toward CADC certification
• Weekly staff yoga
• Weekly staff resiliency group
• Staff retreats
• Remote work options

Agency/Program Description

Volunteers of America Oregon is a nonprofit providing a range of therapeutic, trauma-informed, and supportive services to empower populations to implement changes and thrive.

What makes treatment at the WRC unique?

• We believe in a multifaceted, mindfulness-based approach to care.
• We provide a different approach to residential treatment that supports resident autonomy and centers their voices in policy making.
• We implement empirically proven models of treatment for addiction and trauma recovery and have a history of hosting research projects on-site.
• We honor our residents as individuals with a wide range of strengths and challenges by providing them with access to a holistic array of treatment services including individual and group therapy, meditation practice, medication management, case management, recreational activities, self-help meetings, yoga, chiropractic care, parenting support, transitional housing and more.
• We foster sustained recovery success for residents through offering regularly scheduled recreational and community engagement activities that connect women to the wider Portland recovery community and enable them to build strong sober social support networks.
• Our program structure incorporates opportunities for our residents to practice recovery skills through social outings once they have stabilized in treatment.

Work, internship, recovery, and volunteer experience are all valued. Experience with one or more of the following populations is beneficial, though not required, for performing the essential duties of the job:

• Addictive behaviors and recovery
• Healing from personal, cultural, and historical trauma
• Mental Health and wellness
• People involved in the legal system
• Pregnant and parenting people
• Gender-responsive services
• At-risk populations
• BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S*+ populations
• Building community in a residential setting
• Feedback Informed Treatment
• Collaborative policy development
• Empirically proven modalities including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Mindfulness-based relapse prevention (MBRP)

Education, Training & Experience:

• Master's degree in psychology, social work or behavioral science field is required.
• Ability to register with MHACBO as a Qualified Mental Health Professional (QMHP-R) or ability to obtain and maintain active status with an eligible state licensing board.
• Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor certification preferred.
• Experience with individual and group therapy.

Competencies:

• Ability to perform comprehensive mental health assessments with diagnosis.
• Understanding of treatment and discharge planning, documentation.
• Ability to engage clients in a therapeutic relationship.
• Familiarity with Motivational Interview/Stages of Change, CBT, Mindfulness.
• Maintain charts in accordance with Oregon Administrative Rules.
• Maintain client confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and 42-CFR rules.
• Provide services in accordance with professional ethical guidelines.
• Familiarity with or ability to learn Feedback Informed Treatment.

Additional Eligibility Requirements:

• Ability to pass a DHS criminal background check.
• Reliable form of transportation.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with clients in assessment, diagnosis, treatment, behavioral intervention and discharge planning.
• Provide weekly individual counseling sessions to clients.
• Use evidence-based curriculum to facilitate a variety of therapeutic and psycho-educational groups for clients.
• Maintain charts in accordance with Oregon Administrative Rules Residential Substance Use Disorders and Outpatient Behavioral Health Treatment.
• Engage in collaborative relationships with collateral community providers including, but not limited to probation officers, child welfare workers, mental health providers, and primary care physicians.
• Collaborate with clients to evaluate treatment progress on a regular basis and provide monthly reports detailing progress to client's probation officer.
• Support the program and agency's Advisory Committee, Client Proposal, Peer Concern and Grievance processes.
• Maintain healthy professional boundaries with clients and co-workers.
• Ensure services are gender specific and culturally competent.

Environmental Conditions: Work is performed in a residential treatment center. Must be prepared to handle client crises and/or emergencies.

Schedule: This is a full-time position; 40 hrs. per week. Extended hours may be necessary as needed to cover staffing during center hours.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the incumbent(s) of this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and activities required for this position.

Volunteers of America Oregon is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability or any other category protected by federal, state or local law.