VitalCore Health Strategies logo
VitalCore Health Strategies
Norfolk, Massachusetts

Substance Addiction Counselor

CounselorNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$65k-$70k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Join the VitalCore Health Strategies Team! We’re people who are fueled by passion, not by profit.

VitalCore Health Strategies (VCHS), an industry leader in Correctional Health Care, has an opening for a Full-Time Substance Addiction Counselor at MCI-Framingham in Framingham, MA and MCI-Norfolk in Norfolk, MA! This position requires travel between Framingham, MA and Norfolk, MA.

You will be given the opportunity to utilize your training, skills and experience in a face-to-face setting with people from a variety of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. Being able to see the impact you are making with these individuals, when they are at their lowest, least hopeful points.

You will be working as part of a Multi-Disciplinary Team comprised of Medical, Psychiatry, Ancillary, Security, Legal, community providers and psychiatric hospitals. The best part of this – It is done in real-time with real people!

Substance Addiction Counselor Package to Include But Not Limited To

  • Holiday Pay: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day
  • Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Short Term/Long Term Disability
  • Identity Theft Protection
  • Animal/Pet Insurance
  • Employee Assistance Program and Discount Center
  • 401K
  • PTO
  • Annual Incentive Bonus

Substance Addiction Counselor Position Summary

The Substance Addiction Counselor will work as part of a multidisciplinary team with all other disciplines on the Behavioral Health Unit to provide a proactive and collaborative approach in serving the patient population.

The Substance Addiction Counselor is responsible for delivering quality treatment to justice involved individuals with varying levels of substance use/abuse issues, and who are using a variety of addictive substances.

The Counselor will collaborate with all disciplines to attain effectiveness in serving the patient population.

Substance Addiction Counselor Minimum Requirements

  • Graduation from a Bachelor's level program or higher
  • Minimum of 2 years employment in a clinician/counselor/social work capacity in a public or private agency or equivalent preferred.
  • Must have a substance use certification (i. e. CADC, CAADC, LADC)
  • Must receive a satisfactory background investigation report

Substance Addiction Counselor Essential Functions

  • Professionals will provide crisis stabilization, complete intakes and on-going evaluations, and provide consultation to in-house and community services.
  • Assesses individual’s level of functioning, strengths and weaknesses related to primary substance use diagnosis
  • Orients individual to treatment process/program goal
  • Delivers and reinforces evidence-based treatment/curricula.
  • Develops treatment and discharge plans in conjunction with Qualified Behavioral Health Professionals
  • Performs individual and group therapeutic interventions as appropriate.
  • Delivers and scores/interprets pre and post-tests, to include post-program surveys, as indicated.
  • Maintains confidentiality
  • Possesses excellent communication skill
  • Provides the timely and necessary preparation of documentation, records and reports.
  • Educates individuals on the effects of substance use on their physical, social and emotional lives.
  • Participate in monthly behavioral health calls, work collaborative with the medical team to best determine overall treatment for each individual.
  • Works with other professionals to collaborate on treatment or management of the patient to include discharge into, aftercare program/community
  • The Substance Addiction Counselor performs risk assessment of clients; coordination of care with interdisciplinary team including medical staff, community providers, psychiatric hospitals and corrections; and discharge planning.
  • The Substance Addiction Counselor assists in planning and implementing the goals and objectives of programs and projects.
  • The Substance Addiction Counselor provides the necessary preparation of documentation, necessary records and reports.
  • The Substance Addiction Counselor utilizes clinical skills such as prioritizing treatment needs; crisis management; brief clinical interventions including CBT and Motivational Interviewing.
  • Excellent and timely documentation skills required.
  • The ideal candidate is able to make independent clinical decisions, while utilizing assistance and supervisory intervention, as needed.

VitalCore Health Strategies is an equal opportunity employer and committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace in which all employees have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the success of the business and are valued for their skills, experience, and unique perspectives.

Keywords: LPC, LSW, Correctional Facility, Behavioral Health, Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Social Worker, LCSW, LCPC, LMSW, LPC, substance use disorder, SUD, mental health

Full-Time

Day Shift

Key Responsibilities

The Substance Addiction Counselor provides proactive, collaborative treatment to justice-involved individuals within a multidisciplinary behavioral health unit. Responsibilities include conducting intakes, performing crisis stabilization, delivering evidence-based interventions, and coordinating care with medical and community providers.

Requirements

Candidates must hold at least a bachelor's degree and possess a substance use certification such as CADC, CAADC, or LADC. A minimum of 2 years of experience in a clinical, counseling, or social work capacity is preferred.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Substance Addiction CounselingIntake AssessmentTreatment PlanningIndividual TherapyGroup TherapyClinical Decision MakingInterdisciplinary CollaborationCommunication Skills

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 50% are remote, 26% have no call, 62% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Massachusetts is 105.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$68k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $64k in an average-cost state. 63.2% of Massachusetts clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

38 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution38 jobs · 25 employers

14
<$80k
7
$80k-100k
7
$100k-120k
10
$120k-140k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks35 jobs · 25 employers

401k / retirement match
91% this job
CME allowance
29%
Sign-on bonus
26%
Loan repayment
11%
PSLF eligible
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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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 nights

Living in Norfolk

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$698k≈ 10.7× annual pay
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.3
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026).

BEA 2024 · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

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About VitalCore Health Strategies

Hospitals and Health Care
Topeka, Kansas
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Holiday Pay
Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Short Term/Long Term Disability
Identity Theft Protection
Animal/Pet Insurance
Employee Assistance Program and Discount Center
401K