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Corr Health
Lakewood, Colorado

Licensed Addiction Counselor / in Brighton

CounselorNo weekendsNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$35-$39/hr

The week · per this posting · Monday – FridayWeekdays only

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, benefits and time off.

Posted 47m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Schedule: Monday - Friday, day shift

Position Overview

The Licensed Addiction Counselor position provides substance use disorder services to the inmate population, to include formal and informal behavioral health evaluations, diagnostic assessments, and clinical interventions.

Essential Duties

  • Completes intake assessments
  • Serves as consultant for unit staff regarding assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning
  • Supports inmates on medication assisted treatment (MAT)
  • Monitors inmate treatment and documentation to assure compliance with standards and to assure continuity of care
  • Establishes a clinical program that includes weekly individual sessions and groups
  • Provides clinical direction to non-clinical staff in behavioral healthcare and treatment of inmates
  • Assures continuity of care for inmates by making appropriate referrals and providing necessary information and documentation for receiving facilities, or agencies
  • Provides crisis intervention
  • Documents electronically in an accurate and timely manner to provide comprehensive inmate behavioral health records
  • Provides direct behavioral health care to inmates
  • Communicates directly with inmates regarding their behavioral health care such as consequences of maladaptive behavior and desired and undesirable effects of prescribed behavioral health medication
  • Listens to inmate concerns and provides counseling and direction
  • Communicates to advise, counsel, inform and/or guide staff within the clinical unit, the facility, clinical and administrative supervisors and outside agencies to ensure continuity
  • Responsible for maintaining standards of the program or work unit through compliance with all applicable professional, departmental, organizational and unit standards
  • Attends and participates in monthly staff meetings and in-service training as scheduled
  • Assume additional duties as assigned

Minimum Education/Experience Requirements

  • Master's level education: MA Clinical Psych, MA Counseling, MA Social Work, or related field
  • Active Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) credential; in good standing with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA)
  • Proficient in behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, motivational interviewing, etc.
  • Experience in patient assessment and care
  • Minimum of two (2) years of experience working with alcohol and/or drug addicted individuals and/or in the field of substance abuse counseling
  • Experience providing addiction treatment to a diverse incarcerated population and highly resistive clients, in an inpatient and outpatient setting, preferred

Additional Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Competencies

  • Clear and effective verbal and written communication with all coworkers, supervisors, jail administration, and patients
  • Excellent verbal and written comprehension
  • Excellent deductive reasoning and problem-solving abilities
  • Excellent organizational skills; independent worker and self-starter
  • Ability to use a computer and use/learn a variety of software, including site-specific computer programs
  • Must demonstrate ability to appropriately and safely use standard medical equipment
  • Ability to respect the dignity and confidentiality of inmates
  • Demonstrated proficiency in excellent customer service

Employment Requirements

  • Must maintain all certifications, educational requirements, licensing, etc. for this position
  • Must have current CPR/BLS certification
  • Must have current TB test (taken within one year)
  • Must adhere to all facility policies and procedures as well as the policies and procedures listed in the Employee Handbook
  • Willing to assist coworkers in the job duties and work overtime if required; may act as a resource to other coworkers
  • Maintains confidentiality, dignity, and security of health records and protected health information in compliance with HIPAA requirements

Security Requirements

  • Must undergo security training and orientation on facility safety policies and procedures

Physical/Mental Requirements

This position routinely requires (but is not limited to) the following:

  • Ability to both remain stationary and move/traverse throughout the facility, including up and down flights of stairs
  • Ability to position oneself in different spaces
  • Ability to convey and discern information in a conversation, frequently communicate with patients; must be able to exchange accurate information.
  • Ability to identify and detect objects and assess situations from a variety of distances
  • Ability to stay calm in stressful and demanding situations
  • Frequently transports objects up to 50 pounds

Work Environment

Work is performed inside a correctional facility. Employees are exposed to some level of risk and/or harm by inmates including exposure to blood borne pathogens. Employee is expected to work in accordance with all security rules and regulations to minimize the risk of danger and/or harm to themselves or other employees.

Correctional Nurse / Correctional Healthcare / Correctional Nursing / Corrections / County Corrections / Corrections Nurse / Corrections Healthcare / Correctional Medicine / Forensic Nursing / Jail Nursing

Other

Employee must comply with all current and future State, Federal, and Local laws and regulations, court orders, Administrative Directives and standards and policies and procedures of the site where assigned, including those of professional organizations such as ACA, NCCHC, etc. Employee must treat every other member of the CorrHealth team, all correctional personnel, all inmates and third parties in the facility with the proper dignity and respect. Actions or communications that are inappropriate or degrading will not be tolerated.

Must be able to pass a background check and pre-employment drug test (as applicable).

Key Responsibilities

The Licensed Addiction Counselor provides substance use disorder services to inmates, including behavioral health evaluations, diagnostic assessments, and clinical interventions. They are responsible for establishing clinical programs, monitoring treatment compliance, and ensuring continuity of care through referrals and documentation.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in a relevant field and possess an active Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) credential in Colorado. A minimum of two years of experience in substance abuse counseling, specifically with addicted individuals, is required.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Electronic documentationAddiction counselingClinical program managementHIPAA compliance

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 70% are remote, 28% have no call, 76% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Colorado is 103.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$77k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $75k in an average-cost state. 60.9% of Colorado clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Licensed Addiction Counselor / in Brighton at Corr Health a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Substance Use / Addiction Counselor — ranked against 1,008 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements, no night shifts.

Top Counselor Jobs

38 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution38 jobs · 15 employers

11
<$80k
12
$80k-95k
6
$95k-110k
7
$110k-125k
2
$125k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs · 15 employers

401k / retirement match
90%
Sign-on bonus
67%
CME allowance
17%
PSLF eligible
13%
Loan repayment
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW/LPCC/LMFT

LifeStance Health · Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

$74k-$126k
#2

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT, LPC, LCSW)

LifeStance Health · Milwaukee, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#3

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)

$115k-$120k
#4

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
+ 36 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 6.4
Better work-life than 70% of Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,008 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
  • No nights

Living in Lakewood

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$557k
Typical market rent
$1,800/mo
Residents’ average commute
26 min
State income tax
Up to 4.4%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.