Substance Use Counselor - Level 5
Listed compensation
$31-$38/hr
The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday
Ask the employer about call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.
Job Description
Outpatient MAT Opioid Treatment Program (OTP)
LOOKING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WHILE EXPANDING IN YOUR CAREER? JOIN OUR TEAM!
Free Clinical Supervision + Unlimited CEU Access
- Seeking: Substance Use Disorder Counselor
- Level 5 – Preferred Bilingual (Spanish/English)
- Full Time Hours (36-40): Monday - Friday, 6 AM - 2 PM
Hybrid Schedule
The candidate should expect and be willing to accommodate the hours if needed, or upon expanding programs.
Hybrid/Remote option is available for qualified candidates and must consistently meet productivity standards. Qualified candidate must satisfactorily complete the post-hire on site initial training and orientation and demonstrate consistent outcomes and sound judgment.
Our Benefits
- Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
- Competitive 401(k) plan
- Paid vacation and sick time
- Employer-paid clinical supervision (free to employees)
- STAR LRP Student Loan Forgiveness
- Free and unlimited access to 500+ accredited Continuing Education Units (CEUs)
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering continued support to employee lifestyle and well-being
- Early morning hours offering a great work/life balance
- Opportunity for growth that is second to none in the industry
Our Team
Lowell Comprehensive Treatment Center (CTC), located in Lowell, MA, is part of Acadia Healthcare's Comprehensive Treatment Centers, the leading provider of medication-assisted treatment in the nation. Our counseling team provides compassionate, high-quality counseling and therapy to patients that are seeking recovery from Opioid Use Disorder.
Key Responsibilities
As a Substance Use Counselor, you will be essential in guiding patients through their treatment journey and fostering recovery from Opioid Use Disorder (OUD). This role will focus on community engagement, conducting mobile outreach in collaboration with hospitals, emergency departments, and health centers. It will also involve partnering with local providers and government officials, as well as:
- Leading individual and group counseling sessions with compassion and professionalism.
- Designing, managing, and documenting treatment plans tailored to patient needs.
- Facilitating group or family therapy sessions as required.
- Keeping thorough, clear, and timely documentation on patient care, progress, and any incidents.
- Conducting initial and ongoing patient assessments.
- Determining the necessity of referrals to additional programs or external resources.
- Coordinating aftercare plans to support long-term recovery.
- Providing immediate crisis intervention services when needed.
- Managing patient cases to ensure personalized, high-quality care.
- Serving as a liaison between patients and referral sources.
Compensation for roles at Lowell CTC varies depending on a wide array of factors including but not limited to the specific location, role, skill set, and level of experience. Lowell CTC provides a reasonable hourly range of compensation for roles that may be hired in Massachusetts as set forth below. Role Location: Massachusetts
Calculated Salary Range for the role: $31.00 - $38.00 per hour
Eligible positions may qualify for student loan forgiveness through HRSA, depending on clinic site eligibility. Check your eligibility here: HRSA Eligibility
Qualifications
Required Education:
Master's Degree in Behavioral Health Field from an accredited college or university, and possess a valid MA independent licensure as one or more of the following: LADCI, LICSW, LCSW, LMHC, LMFT.
Your Skills & Experience
The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 4 to 6 years of experience in a counseling role, demonstrating proficiency in the 12 Core Functions of the Counselor, across one or more levels of care including Outpatient, Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), Psychiatric Mobile or Crisis Response Services, Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) teams, Clinical Utilization Review, or Multidisciplinary Inpatient/Residential treatment settings. Supervised, post-Masters counseling practicums completed through accredited educational institutions will be considered toward meeting a portion of the required experience.
The successful candidate will possess strong clinical assessment skills, a solid understanding of Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and harm reduction principles, and the ability to work effectively within a multidisciplinary team environment. The candidate should demonstrate a strong foundation in counseling theories, particularly Person-Centered, and evidence-based practices, with the ability to apply these concepts in the development and implementation of individualized treatment plans.
Bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish is strongly preferred but not required, with demonstrated excellence in both verbal and written communication.
The candidate must be highly organized, detail-oriented, and capable of thriving in a fast-paced, multitasking environment. They should demonstrate flexibility in managing competing priorities while balancing individual responsibilities and team objectives.
The ideal candidate maintains a professional appearance and conduct at all times and approaches individuals with substance use and co-occurring disorders from a perspective grounded in scientific evidence, compassion, and respect. They should consistently demonstrate a positive, nonjudgmental, and recovery-oriented approach while fostering meaningful therapeutic relationships with clients and colleagues.
Qualifications
- Education
- Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
- Experience
- 5+ years of experience
Key Skills
Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context
Of the 50 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 66% are remote, 44% have no call, 56% require no weekends — this position is remote.
The cost-of-living index for Massachusetts is 105.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$72k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $68k in an average-cost state. 63.2% of Massachusetts clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
| Measure | This job | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Work-life score | 6.6 / 10 · top 25% in substance use / addiction counselor | ranked against 1,008 Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listingslisting-based score, 0–10 |
| Listed pay | $64k–$79k | Substance Use / Addiction Counselor median $68k (middle half $63k–$71k)19 comparable listings, Nov 2026 |
| Cost-of-living adjusted pay | ~$68k in purchasing power | Massachusetts index 105.8 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) |
| Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings in Massachusetts | 525 active | 13,472 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| Work setting | remote | peers: 66% remote · 44% no call · 56% no weekends50 benchmarked listings |
| Sign-on & loan repayment | loan repayment | Massachusetts Counselor listings: 11% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 16% offer loan repayment525 active listings, Nov 2026 |
| New Addiction Medicine listings | 461 in the last 30 days | 253 the 30 days before (+82%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
Work-Life Balance Analysis
WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Substance Use Counselor - Level 5 at Lowell Comprehensive Treatment Center a 6.6 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Substance Use / Addiction Counselor — ranked against 1,008 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements, remote work flexibility.
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