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Confidential Employer
Indianapolis, Indiana

Substance Abuse Counselor

CounselorFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the pay range, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

The Recovery Village – Indianapolis is Hiring

Come Join Our Team! Saving Lives is What We Do!

We’re building a top-tier clinical team of Substance Abuse Counselors who are passionate about supporting individuals on their journey to recovery.

  • Schedules
  • Preferred candidates are available to work Friday- Monday
  • Fri- Mon | 8:30 AM – 6:30 PM

Advanced Recovery Systems is an integrated behavioral healthcare management company dedicated to the treatment of addiction, substance abuse, and mental health issues. We put behavioral health front and center, providing assistance to people with substance abuse issues, addictions and mental health concerns.

With facilities in various regions of the U.S., we have been furthering this mission since our inception, applying our advanced approach to patient care.

Every facility in the Advanced Recovery Systems network strives to provide the highest quality of care, using evidence-based therapeutic models that really work. Our goal is to help men and women live healthy, happy lives without the burden of substance abuse or mental illness.

The Substance Abuse Counselor is responsible for performing patient care activities as directed by the Clinical Director. The primary duties include group therapy by providing comprehensives group therapy, creating evidence based group curriculum, developing group curriculum, participating in treatment plans to ensure service delivery. Position will collaborate with the Treatment Team to formulate the Master Treatment Plan and assist in coordinating discharge planning.

Core Job Duties

Develops and provides daily group therapy to assigned patients following substance abuse and co-occurring program curriculum provided by Clinical Director.

  • Assists in ensuring group attendance/compliance by providing engaging and meaningful group content.
  • Uses substance abuse and co-occurring therapeutic interventions and de-escalation techniques to assist patients with accomplishing all treatment plans goals and objectives and successfully complete treatment.
  • Assesses patient for substance use disorders, risk to self or others and co-occurring mental health disorders.
  • Provides support for aftercare planning in collaboration with multidisciplinary team.
  • Demonstrates sufficient comprehension of Substance Use Disorders and Co-Occurring Mental Health Disorders.

Consistently identifies areas for improvement within the department by studying data and developing, implementing, and documenting plans for improvement and outcomes.

Other Required Tasks

Maintains positive relationships with all staff.

Participates in multidisciplinary treatment plan reviews.

Maintains healthy boundaries with patients and staff.

Asks for and accepts feedback from supervisors.

Provides a safe and therapeutic environment to all staff and patients.

Communicates significant patient developments to supervisor.

Participates in Quality Improvement activities and contributes to the success of the organization.

Pursues professional development through participation in education and training programs.

Contributes positively to the morale of other staff members.

Complete all required documentation as needed, ensuring compliance with all company policies and procedures, state regulations, Joint Commission standards and Medical Needs Criteria. This includes the following documents:

  • Comprehensive Problem List
  • Integrated Master Treatment Plan and Updates
  • Group therapy session notes
  • Discharge Summary

Other duties as assigned.

Education

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Behavioral Health Field preferred.
  • High School Diploma required.

Experience

Minimum one (1) year of work experience in behavioral health field preferred.

Licensure/Certification Desired

  • State SUD certification required if education is equivalent to High School or Bachelor’s level.
  • CPR-AED and First Aid certification required.

Knowledge and Training Required

  • Demonstrates Proficiency in Communication & Written skills.
  • Knowledge of State & Federal Statutes Regarding Patient Confidentiality laws.
  • Knowledge of licensing and accreditation standards.

Understanding addiction placement, continuing care, and discharge criteria, including American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) criteria.

Advanced Recovery Systems, a national integrated behavior healthcare management company dedicated to the treatment of addiction, substance abuse, and mental health issues.

The Company complies with state and federal nondiscrimination laws and policies that prohibit discrimination based on age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, or sex. It is unlawful to retaliate against individuals or groups based on the basis of their participation in a complaint of discrimination or on the basis of their opposition to discriminatory practices/EEO.

  • We are proud to be a drug-free workplace.
  • We offer great benefits including 401(k), paid time off plan, medical, dental, vision, and much more.

Key Responsibilities

The Substance Abuse Counselor is responsible for developing and facilitating group therapy sessions and collaborating with the treatment team to create master treatment plans. They also assess patients for substance use and mental health disorders while coordinating effective discharge and aftercare planning.

Requirements

Candidates must have at least a high school diploma, with a bachelor's or master's degree in a behavioral health field preferred. A state SUD certification is required if the education level is below a master's degree, along with CPR-AED and First Aid certifications.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Substance abuse counselingTreatment planningCrisis interventionClinical documentationPatient assessmentAddiction treatmentMental health supportCommunication skillsMultidisciplinary collaboration

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Substance Abuse Counselor at Confidential Employer a 6.1 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 35% of all Addiction Medicine counselor listings evaluated on our platform.

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% are remote, 26% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Indiana is 93.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 60.4% of Indiana clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

42 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution41 jobs · 34 employers

16
<$80k
6
$80k-100k
5
$100k-120k
14
$120k-140k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks31 jobs

401k / retirement match
87% this job
CME allowance
52%
Sign-on bonus
42%
Loan repayment
19%
Relocation assistance
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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#2

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Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 6.1
Better work-life than 50% of Addiction Medicine (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,285 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site

Living in Indianapolis city (balance)

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$229k
Typical market rent
$1,389/mo
Residents’ average commute
25 min
State income tax
Up to 3.1%
Sources & methodology

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

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

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About Confidential Employer

Mental Health Care
Fort Lauderdale, FL
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

401(k)
Paid time off
Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance