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Mental Health Systems
San Marcos, California

Certified SUD Counselor (Substance Abuse Counselor)

Addiction CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$25-$30/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 5m ago · Verified live

Job Description

At TURN our mission is Improving Lives. Our organization embraces the tenets of client-centered care, and our core values People, Culture and Growth are at the forefront of everything we do. We hire exceptional individuals seeking meaningful opportunities in a purpose-driven environment.

Job Summary

The Substance Abuse Counselor provides drug and alcohol counseling to adult clients authorized to receive substance abuse treatment under a non-residential substance abuse or mental health program.

Counselors interact with clients on a day-to-day basis providing individual and group counseling, as well as engaging in rehabilitation activities.

The Substance Abuse Counselor provides clients with orientation, training, substance abuse recovery skills and information, and leadership necessary to provide clients with the ability to recover from substance abuse addiction. The Substance Abuse Counselor may be assigned additional counseling duties.

Responsibilities

  • Reasonable accommodation may be made for individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
  • Maintain a caseload as prescribed by the Program Manager. Provide a variety of interventions including individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, collateral services, and other relevant sobriety-related services to clients.
  • Document, review, and chart client progress; Complete all required paperwork, on time.
  • Attend treatment meetings and provides input to treatment plan. Prepares treatment and discharge plans and discharge summaries.
  • Designate new target goals for clients consistent with overall treatment goals.
  • Initiate appropriate and timely interventions.
  • Integrate the clinical concept with sound theoretical and practical applications of rehabilitative and individual group and milieu counseling principles.
  • Provide input to develop and improve program servicing and delivery.
  • Assist other staff in dealing with problematic client behavior.
  • Schedule daily activity and recreational activities and short-term special groups.
  • Act as co-leader in assigned groups.
  • Other relevant duties as assigned.
  • Comply with all TURN and program rules, policies and procedures including HIPPA standards.

Qualifications

Must Meet One of the Following

  • Certification through a recognized alcohol and drug certification entity plus two years of experience working with alcohol and drug related issues/addictions, preferred, OR,
  • Actively working toward a recognized alcohol and drug certification and two years of experience working with alcohol and drug related issues/addictions, OR,
  • B.A./B.S. degree in human service field and one year of experience working with alcohol and drug related issues/addictions
  • Working knowledge of California’s Title 9 DUI program as a provider, required.
  • Ability to produce legible, clear, and concise written documentation
  • Knowledge of Microsoft Office and EHR software
  • Ability to set priorities, problem solve, and react appropriately to emergency situations
  • Ability to work independently and effectively collaborate with a team
  • Cultural Competency understanding required.
  • Bilingual Spanish speaking preferred.

Physical Requirements

These physical demands represent what must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. As mentioned above, reasonable accommodation may be made for qualified disabilities.

Seeing Hearing Speaking

Stooping/Bending Working in cramped spaces Moving around facility

Moving between offices/clients Driving Climbing

Lifting/carrying heavy items Pushing/pulling/dragging items Standing for long periods

Working outside/underground Using hands/fingers Sitting for long periods

I Can Perform the Above Functions

Without accommodation With accommodation. If so, please specify:

Other Duties

This job description isn’t a comprehensive list of activities, duties or responsibilities required for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

TURN is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability (mental and physical), gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, race, religious creed, and sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Substance abuse counselingTreatment planningCase managementIndividual counselingHIPAA complianceDischarge planningProblem solvingTeam collaboration

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 64% are remote, 18% have no call, 58% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$57k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $52k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

How many Substance Use / Addiction Counselor jobs are remote?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$52k–$62kSubstance Use / Addiction Counselor median $61k (middle half $55k–$75k)29 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$52k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings in California1,044 active13,524 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 64% remote · 18% no call · 58% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Counselor listings: 11% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 10% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Addiction Medicine listings467 in the last 30 days269 the 30 days before (+74%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Counselor Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

50 jobs · 41 employers
19
<$95k
13
$95k-110k
10
$110k-125k
5
$125k-140k
3
$140k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

39 jobs
401k / retirement match
95%
Sign-on bonus
56%
CME allowance
54%
Loan repayment
15%
PSLF eligible
8%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Employee Assistance Program - Clinical Counselor (must reside in California)

CVS Health · California

$67k-$143k
#2

Licensed Mental Health Therapist

LifeStance Health · Lake Oswego, Oregon

$123k-$141k
#3

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

$123k-$141k
#4

Behavioral Health Provider (ASW/LCSW or AMFT/LMFT) - Napa

$88k-$138k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 3.0
Better work-life than 30% of Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings

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

Living in San Marcos

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$865k
Typical market rent
$3,311/mo
Residents’ average commute
27 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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