Substance Abuse Counselor

CounselorNo weekendsFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Schedule: Mon-Fir 4:30am-12:30pm

Community Medical Services (CMS) is hiring a Substance Abuse Counselor to assist patients recovering from addictions to opioids and other illicit substances. Whether facilitating individual or group sessions, or assisting patients with treatment plans and coping strategies, your work will help foster a safe place for anyone looking to start their recovery journey with us.

As part of our mission to help individuals recover from substance use disorders, you’ll thrive in a supportive, engaging, and fulfilling work environment where your contributions are valued.

Along the way, we’ll invest in your well-being through a benefits package for full-time employees that includes:

  • Subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Health savings account
  • Short and long-term disability insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Paid sick, vacation, and holiday time
  • 401K retirement plan with match
  • Tuition and CME reimbursement up to 100%
  • Employee assistance program to support your mental health and wellness
  • Ongoing professional development

We’re Looking for Someone Who

  • Is excited to work in an outpatient setting, much like a doctor’s office or behavioral health clinic.
  • Enjoys a consistent schedule.
  • Is open to working with multi-cultural and low socio-economic individuals.
  • To thrive in this role, you must be able to:
  • Maintain and manage a caseload in compliance with regulatory standards and ratios.
  • Conduct individual sessions, facilitate group counseling and didactic educational presentations.

Complete comprehensive behavioral health assessments and individualized treatment plans, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and unique client needs.

Evaluate the effectiveness of treatment through the ongoing assessment of the client and his/her natural supports that may result in modification to the service plan.

Coordinate care with other recovery and community-based service providers, engage in case management activity by sending referrals, completing documentation necessary to secure services, maintain chart compliance, etc.

  • Include family and natural supports in the client’s treatment, per the client’s preference.
  • Maintain and apply knowledge of new developments in the field of substance use as required by specific state licensure.
  • Maintain a collegian relationship with other substance use professionals, programs, and associations.
  • Maintain a thorough and comprehensive client record.
  • Serve as the point of contact for coordination and communication with other systems where clinical knowledge of the case is crucial.
  • Assist in screening and coordinating primary care services for clients.

Requirements

Qualifications

  • Must be 21 years of age
  • High school diploma or GED plus 2 years of qualifying education, behavioral health experience, or a combination of both
  • Associate degree plus 2 years full-time behavioral health work experience
  • Bachelor's degree plus 1 year full-time behavioral health work experience
  • Master's or Bachelor's degree in a behavioral health-related field

Knowledge of behavioral management, de-escalation methods, crisis intervention, and defusing techniques to prevent violent behavior harmful to self or others and the ability to apply these techniques to a client population in various levels of crisis

Academic and working knowledge of DSM-5, community resources, clinical methods and procedures and application of the same

About Community Medical Services

Community Medical Services (CMS) is a CARF-accredited addiction treatment program providing services in the form of outpatient medication-assisted treatment and one-on-one and group counseling to those seeking help with their opioid use disorder. Headquartered in Arizona with more than 70 treatment clinics in 14 states, CMS is dedicated to meeting the challenges presented by the growing opioid epidemic in communities where treatment is lacking.

Our Commitment

We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Other Conditions

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Key Responsibilities

The counselor will facilitate individual and group sessions while managing a caseload in compliance with regulatory standards. They are responsible for conducting behavioral health assessments, creating individualized treatment plans, and coordinating care with community service providers.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Substance abuse counselingBehavioral health assessmentTreatment planningIndividual counselingDe-escalation techniquesReferral coordinationPatient screeningRegulatory compliance

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Arizona is 100.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 60.3% of Arizona clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Community Medical Services holds silver-tier status on WeekdayDoc's Top Employers work-life index, composite score 71/100, 32 active listings.

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Substance Abuse Counselor at Community Medical Services a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Substance Use / Addiction Counselor — ranked against 1,008 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements.

Top Substance Use / Addiction Counselor Jobs

6 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution6 jobs · 5 employers

2
<$55k
1
$68k
1
$70k
2
$85k-100k

Annual compensation range

Work-Life Balance Distribution6 jobs · 5 employers

0
1-2
0
3-4
1
5-6
5
7-8
0
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

#1

Substance Use Counselor

St. Anthony Foundation · San Francisco, California

$60k-$90k
#2

SUD Counselor - COAT

DESC · Seattle, Washington

$39.08-$43.15/hr
#3

Arizona | Addiction Counselor | Telehealth

$55k-$70k
#4

Substance Use Counselor

$29-$32.5/hr
+ 4 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 6.4
Better work-life than 70% 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

Living in Tucson

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$322k
Typical market rent
$1,425/mo
Residents’ average commute
22 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
96.9
State income tax
Up to 2.5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Tucson, AZ metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Community Medical Services logo

About Community Medical Services

Medical Practices
Scottsdale, Arizona
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Subsidized medical, dental, and vision insurance
Health savings account
Short and long-term disability insurance
Life insurance
Paid sick, vacation, and holiday time
401K retirement plan with match
Tuition and CME reimbursement up to 100%
Employee assistance program