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Merakey
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Drug and Alcohol Counselor

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$24.66 per hour

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 49m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Make a Difference Where Recovery Begins

Join our dedicated team in helping individuals build healthier, substance-free lives through compassionate, evidence-based care. This full-time, onsite position is based exclusively at our 4th Street location in Philadelphia and plays a vital role in our Drug & Alcohol treatment program.

We are seeking a clinician who is passionate about supporting recovery, engaging individuals at every stage of change, and fostering hope through meaningful therapeutic relationships. Experience working with Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)/Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) populations is strongly preferred.

In this role, you will provide high-quality clinical services, collaborate with an interdisciplinary treatment team, and help empower individuals on their journey toward lasting recovery and wellness.

Drug and Alcohol Counselor Responsibilities Include

Clinical Treatment

  • Facilitate effective group and individual therapy using strong clinical skills.
  • Assess client needs and recommend appropriate treatment services based on clinical presentation, readiness for change, and engagement level.
  • Educate, motivate, and re-engage individuals who are resistant to or disengaged from treatment.
  • Manage an assigned caseload, monitor treatment progress, and maintain accurate, compliant clinical documentation.
  • Demonstrate advanced counseling skills, including active listening, rapport building, empathy, motivational interviewing techniques, and professional boundary setting.

Case Management

  • Collaborate with case managers, peer specialists, and community providers to ensure clients have access to supportive resources and services.
  • Provide case management services as needed to support recovery and treatment goals.

Program Operations & Compliance

  • Communicate effectively with supervisors and interdisciplinary team members regarding client needs, services, and treatment updates.
  • Maintain complete, timely, and compliant client records, including incident reporting and non-billable documentation.
  • Meet productivity standards and documentation requirements established by organizational, regulatory, and payer guidelines.
  • Adhere to all agency, county, state, and federal policies related to substance use treatment, ethics, confidentiality, and professional conduct.
  • Participate in clinical supervision, continuing education, required trainings, quality improvement initiatives, and other assigned duties

Earn $24.66 per hour.

Benefits

Merakey offers generous benefits that promote well-being, financial security,

and work-life balance, including:

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, plus access to healthcare advocacy support.
  • Retirement plan -- both pre-tax and Roth (after-tax) options available for employee contributions.
  • DailyPay -- access your pay when you need it!
  • On the Goga well-being platform, featuring self-care tools and resources.
  • Access Care.com for backup childcare, elder care, and household services.
  • Confidential counseling, legal, and financial services through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
  • Tuition reimbursement and educational partnerships.
  • Employee discounts and savings programs on entertainment, travel, and lifestyle.
  • Access to Pryor Online Learning for free online personal development classes.

Learn more about our full benefits package -

merakey.org

About Merakey

Merakey is a non-profit provider of developmental, behavioral health, and education services. More than 8,000 employees provide support to nearly 40,000 individuals and families throughout 12 states across the country each year.

Click here to watch a video about Merakey.

Merakey strictly follows a zero-tolerance policy for abuse.

Merakey is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer! We deeply value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ethnic background, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, or disability status.

Moreover, we are committed to creating teams that reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and encourage applicants from underrepresented backgrounds to apply.

Merakey welcomes all Veterans to apply!

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, psychology, addictions studies, social work or related field with specialty or concentration in counseling
  • Actively working towards a credential through PCB (i. e., CAAC, CADC, CAADC, CCS), or be actively working toward licensure or certification. **Licensure or certification will need to be achieved within two to three (2 - 3) years of hire, depending on requirements.

Key Responsibilities

The counselor will facilitate group and individual therapy sessions while managing a caseload and collaborating with an interdisciplinary team. They are responsible for assessing client needs, maintaining compliant clinical documentation, and providing case management services to support recovery goals.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Clinical therapyGroup therapyTreatment planningCrisis interventionInterdisciplinary collaboration

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Addiction Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 28% are remote, 26% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

Addiction Medicine pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.6% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Pennsylvania is 97.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$51k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $53k in an average-cost state. 61.7% of Pennsylvania clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

35 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution35 jobs · 29 employers

14
<$70k
7
$70k-90k
10
$90k-110k
4
$110k-130k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks31 jobs · 29 employers

401k / retirement match
97% this job
Sign-on bonus
42%
CME allowance
35% this job
Loan repayment
13%
PSLF eligible
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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

LifeStance Health · Madison, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#2

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)

Gotham Enterprises · Boulder City, Nevada

$115k-$120k
#3

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

$115k-$120k
#4

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC, LCSW, LMFT) - Ballantyne Office

$80k-$115k
+ 33 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 1.5
Below most Addiction Medicine (Counseling) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,288 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Philadelphia

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$204k
Typical market rent
$1,768/mo
Residents’ average commute
32 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
102.6
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.

BEA 2024 · Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Merakey logo

About Merakey

Non-profit Organizations
Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
Healthcare advocacy support
Retirement plan (pre-tax and Roth options)
DailyPay
On the Goga well-being platform
Care.com backup childcare, elder care, and household services
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Tuition reimbursement