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Milestone Recovery
Portland, Maine

Substance Use Counselor, Residential Treatment Program ($5000 Sign-on)

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$25-$28/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Our Mission is to provide compassionate care and services to empower individuals experiencing substance use disorders, mental illnesses, and homelessness to attain an enhanced quality of life regardless of ability to pay.

Position Profile: An individual in this position provides a full range of direct treatment services consistent with the 12-Core Functions of addiction treatment as well as the belief in harm reduction all within a licensed addiction treatment agency under the supervision of the Clinical Team Lead.

Other duties include screening and intake, psychosocial assessment, treatment planning, referrals, individual counseling, and providing direct care service. Residential Treatment Program Counselors may be tasked with certain training activities for entry level and new staff members for which they are qualified.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

  • Assesses, develops, and implements all aspects of client care provided by the counseling department.
  • Makes appropriate referrals for clients to other agencies to help clients meet their vocational, educational, social, occupational, and recreational needs.
  • Provides multiple treatment groups daily.
  • Completes and maintains necessary records and reports in an accurate and confidential manner.
  • Provide transportation and accompany patients to other community providers as applicable
  • Demonstrates compassionate and clinically appropriate care for clients.
  • Provides services consistent with applicable codes of ethics and industry standards.
  • Is a willing and active member of an interdisciplinary treatment team.
  • Performs other related duties as assigned.

Physical demands and work environment: Freedom of movement on a regular basis. Operating basic office equipment in a normal office environment. May spend extended periods operating a desktop computer, requiring hand-eye coordination and finger dexterity; physical activity requires walking, bending, standing and lifting.

Compensation

Compensation for this position ranges from $25.00-$28.00 per hour, based on experience.

Sign-on Bonus: $5000 total ($1000 paid out after one week of successful employment, $2000 after three months of successful employment and $2000 after six months of successful employment)

Benefits

This is a full-time, benefits-eligible position. Milestone offers 4 weeks accrued PTO per year and 8 paid holidays.

Milestone does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, or receipt of public assistance in the admission or access to or treatment in its programs or activities.

Requirements

Minimum of a High School Diploma or GED equivalent. Has an active state license as a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) or Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LADC). Has a valid Driver’s License. Experience within the field of chronic substance use is a plus.

Key Responsibilities

The counselor provides direct treatment services, including psychosocial assessments, treatment planning, and daily group counseling sessions. They also manage client records, coordinate referrals, and provide transportation for patients to community providers.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Substance use counselingCrisis interventionCase managementGroup facilitationDocumentationInterdisciplinary collaborationPatient advocacy

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 40 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 70% are remote, 38% have no call, 78% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Maine is 97.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$55k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $57k in an average-cost state. 62.0% of Maine clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

28 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution28 jobs · 9 employers

3
<$75k
8
$75k-90k
6
$90k-105k
5
$105k-120k
6
$120k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks26 jobs · 9 employers

401k / retirement match
100%
Sign-on bonus
69% this job
CME allowance
8%
Loan repayment
4%
PSLF eligible
4%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW/LPCC/LMFT

LifeStance Health · Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

$74k-$126k
#2

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT, LPC, LCSW)

LifeStance Health · Milwaukee, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#3

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

$115k-$120k
#4

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)

$115k-$120k
+ 26 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 3.0
Better work-life than 30% of Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings

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

Living in Portland

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$569k
Typical market rent
$2,419/mo
Residents’ average commute
19 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
101.9
State income tax
Up to 7.2%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Portland-South Portland, ME metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Milestone Recovery logo

About Milestone Recovery

Hospitals and Health Care
Portland, ME
11-50 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
4 weeks PTO
8 Paid Holidays
$5,000 Sign-On Bonus