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Milestone Recovery
Portland, Maine

Lead Counselor, Detox - LADC, CCS ($5000 Sign-on)

Addiction CounselorNo weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$29-$32/hr

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

Ask the employer about call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 52m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Our Mission is to provide compassionate care and services to empower individuals experiencing substance use disorders, mental illnesses, and homelessness to attain an enhanced quality of life regardless of ability to pay.

Position Profile: The Lead position provides a full range of direct treatment services. Other duties include screening and intake, psychosocial assessment and disposition, treatment planning, referrals, as well as development and implementation of direct care services provided by the counseling department. The Counseling Lead will also be responsible for certain training activities for entry level and new staff members.

Qualifications Required: Has an active state license as a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC). Must be a Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS). Has a valid Driver’s License. Experience within the field of chronic substance use is a plus.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

Make appropriate referrals for clients to other agencies and persons, including vocational, educational, social, occupational and recreational needs.

  • Run groups for detox clients.
  • Assess, develop, and implement all aspects of client care provided by the counseling department.
  • Complete and maintain necessary records and reports in an accurate and confidential manner.
  • Provide transportation and accompany patients to other community providers as applicable.
  • Demonstrate compassionate and clinically appropriate care for clients.
  • Provide services consistent with applicable codes of ethics and industry standards.
  • Be a willing and active member of an interdisciplinary treatment team.
  • Provide clinical supervision to other counselors and peers and sign off on appropriate paperwork.
  • Interview candidates for open roles and make hiring decisions.
  • Train and onboard new team members.
  • Lead year-round performance management with team members, including goal-setting, feedback, coaching, and annual reviews to support staff growth and accountability.
  • Work in partnership with MMWU Director to address any disciplinary issues with team.
  • Manage scheduling for team; decision maker for PTO, holiday, and training time requests.
  • Perform other related duties as assigned.

Physical demands and work environment: Freedom of movement on a regular basis. Operating basic office equipment in a normal office environment. Ability to lift up to 50lbs. May spend extended periods operating a desktop computer, requiring hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity; physical activity requires walking, bending, standing and lifting.

Compensation: 29.00 - 32.00 per hour

Sign-on Bonus: $5000 total ($1000 paid out after one week of successful employment, $2000 after three months of successful employment and $2000 after six months of successful employment for external candidates)

Schedule: Monday - Friday

Benefits

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position. Milestone offers 4 weeks accrued PTO per year and 8 paid floating holidays.

Key Responsibilities

Provide direct counseling and detox services, including screening, intake, psychosocial assessment, treatment planning, group facilitation, referrals, and accurate confidential documentation. Lead the counseling team through clinical supervision, hiring, training, scheduling, and performance management, while coordinating care with community providers and the interdisciplinary team.

Requirements

An active state Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC) license, Certified Clinical Supervisor (CCS) credential, and valid driver’s license are required. Experience with chronic substance use is a plus; the role also requires the ability to provide clinical supervision and perform direct client care.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

Substance Use Disorder CounselingDetox CounselingClient IntakeGroup CounselingReferral CoordinationStaff TrainingStaff OnboardingInterdisciplinary TeamworkConfidential Recordkeeping

Addiction Counseling — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 68% are remote, 30% have no call, 76% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Maine is 97.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$63k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $65k in an average-cost state. 62.0% of Maine clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

How many Counselor jobs are remote?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.0 / 10 · above average in addiction counselingranked against 115 Addiction Counseling listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$60k–$67kCounselor median $57k (middle half $50k–$64k)438 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$65k in purchasing powerMaine index 97.1 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Counselor listings in Maine25 active13,603 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 68% remote · 30% no call · 76% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Counselor pay trend+2.8% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (115 Addiction Counseling listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Lead Counselor, Detox - LADC, CCS ($5000 Sign-on) at Milestone Recovery a 6.0 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Addiction Counseling — ranked against 115 active Addiction Counseling listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements.

Top Counselor Jobs

38 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

38 jobs · 20 employers
11
<$85k
9
$85k-100k
1
$102k
15
$115k-130k
2
$130k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

31 jobs · 20 employers
401k / retirement match
94%
Sign-on bonus
29% this job
CME allowance
23%
Loan repayment
6%
PSLF eligible
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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InterDent Service · Salem, Oregon

From $155k
#2

Outpatient Therapist - Hybrid Work Schedule

Mindpath Health · San Diego, California

$101k-$130k
#3

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW/LPCC/LMFT

$74k-$126k
#4

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

$92k-$125k
+ 36 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 5.1this job 6.0
Better work-life than 70% of Addiction Counseling listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 115 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
  • On-site
Milestone Recovery logo

About Milestone Recovery

Hospitals and Health Care
Portland, ME
11-50 employees

Benefits & Perks

4 Weeks Accrued PTO per Year
8 Paid Floating Holidays
$5,000 Sign-On Bonus
Full-Time Benefits-Eligible

Living in Portland

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$563k
Typical market rent
$2,399/mo
Residents’ average commute
19 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
101.9
State income tax
Up to 7.2%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Portland-South Portland, ME metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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