CF
Center for Alternative
New York, New York · Hybrid

Substance Use Counselor

CounselorIncludes callNo weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$57K

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

Ask the employer about nights and shift pattern.

Posted 6mo ago

Job Description

Job Title: Substance Use Counselor

Job Summary

CASES is a New York City agency at the forefront of the intersection between behavioral health and involvement in the criminal justice system.

Our mission is to increase public safety through innovative services that reduce crime and incarceration, improve behavioral health, promote recovery and rehabilitation, and create community success opportunities.

The Behavioral Health division consists of a continuum of services for justice-involved individuals with serious mental illness.

The Nathaniel Clinic is an OMH-licensed Article 31 clinic that provides outpatient mental health services to adolescents and adults, focusing on providing care to those involved in the criminal legal system.

Substance Use Counselor play an integral role in the recovery process, and the services they provide have shown to promote positive health and recovery outcomes. The SUS is part of a multidisciplinary team working collaboratively with therapists, psychiatrists/PNPs, and nurses.

The SUS will perform initial substance use assessments, complete SBIRTS, provide individual and group counseling, contribute to person-centered, trauma informed treatment planning, provide crisis intervention, and assist participants in developing relapse prevention plans.

Shift Hours: This position is full-time Monday – Friday from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with flexibility to wok one to two days from 11am - 7pm.

Salary: The salary for the SUS role is $57,000.00 per year.

Location Address: 2090 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd, New York, NY 10027. Our office is easily accessible by public transportation.

Workplace Flexibility: Hybrid - Positions for which staff can work from a remote (home or another suitable space) one day per week or more (in a typical week) as by leadership. Occasional travel required.

What You Will Be Doing

  • Provide substance use treatment including individual, family and group counseling.
  • Perform Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT).
  • Provide services that are person/family-centered, strengths-based, recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and culturally competent.
  • Identify the treatment needs of and with participants, based on severity of substance use, stage of change, and immediate needs as well as recommended treatment objectives.
  • Engage participants with urgent and crisis substance use needs to offer support and resolve crisis
  • Assess treatment needs, and provide substance use expertise for person-centered evaluation and treatment planning.
  • Establish the degree of risk for substance use and harmful behaviors and provide interventions and support to promote progress towards recovery.
  • Provide relapse prevention, psychoeducation, and harm reduction using motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
  • Run evidence-based substance use treatment and Relapse Prevention groups.
  • Act as an advocate and liaison for participants in securing access to MAT, emergency detox, rehabilitation care, and other community supports that promote integrated substance use or dual disorder treatment.
  • Dispense Naloxone response kits as an approved NYS dispenser.
  • Outreach and network with DCO partners providing crisis stabilization, inpatient/residential detox and rehabilitative treatment centers.
  • Contribute to ongoing organizational commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracist practices in delivery of services and work.
  • Provide culturally competent services in accordance with CASES policies and practice.
  • Help ensure we maintain a safe working environment by reporting any hazards or unsafe conditions, e. g., liquid spill in hallway, to the appropriate facilities staff member or supervisor.
  • Any other duties as required by senior clinical leadership.

What We Are Looking For

  • Must have active CASAC (Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor) certification status in good standing
  • High school diploma or equivalent.
  • At least 18 months of work experience providing substance use services to individuals with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorder and criminal justice involvement.
  • Individuals with previous criminal justice experience are encouraged to apply.
  • Individuals with lived experience are encouraged to apply.

Preferred Skills

  • Fluency in Spanish.

Employee Benefits

CASES cares about employee wellbeing, and we offer a comprehensive benefits package to support you and your family, including:

  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Vision
  • Vacation and Paid Time Off – starting at 25 days-off annually, plus an additional summer self-care day
  • 12 Paid Holidays per year
  • Retirement 403b Competitive matching up to 6%
  • Employee Referral Program
  • Visit cases.org to learn more about benefits offered by the CASES

Although we would love to learn about the skills of every candidate, only selected candidates that are selected will receive a response. We encourage you to apply for any position(s) you feel you are qualified for.

CASES is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment with CASES is based solely on qualifications and competence for a particular position without regard to race, color, ethnic or national origin, age, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or marital, military, or citizenship status. We also actively recruit individuals with prior involvement in the criminal legal system.

This position is full-time Monday – Friday from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM with flexibility to wok one to two days from 11am - 7pm.

35 hours per week excluding breaks.

Key Responsibilities

The Substance Use Counselor will perform initial substance use assessments, provide individual and group counseling, and contribute to person-centered, trauma-informed treatment planning for justice-involved individuals. Key duties include crisis intervention, developing relapse prevention plans, running evidence-based groups, and acting as a liaison for accessing necessary care like MAT or detox.

Requirements

Candidates must possess active CASAC certification in good standing and a high school diploma or equivalent. A minimum of 18 months of experience providing substance use services to individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorder, and/or criminal justice involvement is required.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Individual CounselingNaloxone DispensingNetworkingCulturally Competent Service Delivery

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 42% are remote, 30% have no call, 60% require no weekends — this position is remote.

The cost-of-living index for New York is 107.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$57k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $53k in an average-cost state. 64.6% of New York clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

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Annual compensation range

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401k / retirement match
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Sign-on bonus
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CME allowance
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PSLF eligible
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Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 5.1
Better work-life than 40% 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
  • Hybrid
  • Includes call
  • Remote
CF

About Center for Alternative

Individual and Family Services
Brooklyn, NY
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Vacation and Paid Time Off (25 days/year)
12 Paid Holidays
Retirement 403b with Competitive Matching up to 6%
Employee Referral Program