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Comunilife
New York, New York

HRA Chelsea Buildings Substance Abuse Counselor

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$60K - $65K

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

  • Job Location: New York, NY 10001
  • Position Type: Full Time
  • Education Level: 2 Year Degree
  • Salary Range: $60,000.00 - $65,000.00 Salary
  • Travel Percentage: None
  • Job Shift: Day
  • Job Category: Nonprofit - Social Services

Comunilife Inc. is looking for an experienced Substance Abuse Counselor for its Manhattan residential program Chelsea North and Chelsea South Bulidings. The Substance Abuse Counselor will assess clients’ needs, create patient-centered treatment plans, and provide individual, group, and family counseling.

Responsibilities include assessments, coordination of services, psychoeducation, referrals, and appropriate documentation. This position is eligible for Comunilife's generous benefits and paid time off package.

Essential Duties: Provide individual and substance use disorder counseling and referral services to the clients of the Woodhull Residence Provide recovery-oriented psychoeducation and support services Document all services provided in a timely manner in accordance with Comunilife, funder, and regulatory requirements Maintain any/all required credentials and keep current with appropriate evidence-based and other clinical practices Work collaboratively in an inter-disciplinary team to ensure comprehensive, client-centered services are delivered and documented Qualifications

Education and Experience Requirement(s): High School Diploma or Associates degree and Credentialed Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) with five (5) years of substance abuse counseling experience; Bachelor’s degree with CASAC-T and 2 years of experience. Knowledge and hands-on experience in providing direct services related to the treatment and recovery of persons with substance abuse, serious mental illness, and homelessness Excellent oral and written communication skills; proficiency with MS Office and Google product suites Ability to perform and manage in a team approach; excellent interpersonal skills Ability to handle complex challenges and balance multiple demands on time and attention Ability and willingness to perform all duties as workload necessitates Comunilife is an EEO employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Key Responsibilities

The counselor will assess client needs, create patient-centered treatment plans, and provide individual, group, and family counseling. Responsibilities also include coordinating services, providing psychoeducation, and maintaining detailed clinical documentation.

Requirements

Requires a CASAC credential with either a high school diploma/associate degree and 5 years of experience, or a bachelor's degree with CASAC-T and 2 years of experience. Candidates must have hands-on experience treating substance abuse, serious mental illness, and homelessness.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

Treatment PlanningIndividual CounselingGroup CounselingCase DocumentationCrisis InterventionInterdisciplinary Collaboration

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 42% are remote, 42% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for New York is 107.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$63k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $58k in an average-cost state. 64.6% of New York clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates HRA Chelsea Buildings Substance Abuse Counselor at Comunilife 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.

Top Counselor Jobs

38 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution38 jobs · 26 employers

9
<$75k
13
$75k-90k
5
$90k-105k
5
$105k-120k
6
$120k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks27 jobs · 26 employers

401k / retirement match
93%
Sign-on bonus
26%
CME allowance
26%
PSLF eligible
22%
Loan repayment
11%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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Gotham Enterprises · Hampton, Virginia

$115k-$120k
#2

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)

Gotham Enterprises · Bethesda, Maryland

$115k-$120k
#3

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
#4

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

$115k-$120k
+ 36 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 6.6
Better work-life than 80% of Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings

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

  • On-site

Living in New York

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$876k≈ 14.6× annual pay
Typical market rent
$4,154/mo≈ 83% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
40 min
State income tax
Up to 10.9%
Sources & methodology

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

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.