El Futuro logo
El Futuro
Durham, North Carolina · Hybrid

Bilingual Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC)

CounselorIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

starts at $58K

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

Weekend work is also flagged as required; confirm which days and how often.

Ask the employer about call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 4mo ago

Job Description

Substance Use Counselor

Would you like to join a growing, compassionate team of people who share a vision for a brighter future? El Futuro is a leading provider of behavioral mental health treatment in North Carolina, specializing in services for Spanish-speaking individuals. Our mission is to nurture stronger familias to live out their dreams.

El Futuro is currently hiring a full-time, bilingual Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) to provide direct, outpatient substance use treatment to individuals (adolescents and adults) to facilitate their recovery.

The position includes conducting comprehensive substance use assessments, assigning diagnoses, developing treatment plans, and delivering high quality, evidence-based individual and group treatment to clients.

A clinician who is dually licensed and has training in treating both mental health and substance use symptoms is preferred.

This position has option to work remotely and must reside and be licensed in North Carolina, with ability to work in-person (Durham or Siler City clinic) at minimum once a week. Must be willing to conduct groups in the evenings as needed, typically from 6:00pm to 8:00pm and available to assist with community prevention events held on weekends.

The full-time annual salary for this position starts at $58,000.00. El Futuro provides employer paid medical, dental, vision, life, short-term disability, and long-term disability; 403B matching; generous PTO and paid holidays; paid parental leave; and stipend and paid time off for professional development.

Essential Functions

The Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor performs a wide range of functions including, but not limited to the following:

  • Conduct comprehensive substance use assessments, assign diagnoses, deliver treatment plans
  • Facilitate Substance Use Groups as needed (once or twice per week)
  • Plan relevant content and adapt to the needs of participants attending
  • Track attendance and progress of clients
  • Write timely notes for client’s participation in groups
  • Assist with monitoring and facilitation of El Futuro’s Substance Use program
  • Conduct Individual therapy
  • Support community events related to substance use prevention, education and harm reduction

General Responsibilities for EL Futuro Staff

Participate in meetings and organizational related activities as directed by the supervisor, which may include All Staff Meeting, Individual Supervision, participation on a committee, or other activities.

Play an active role in the continued development of El Futuro’s work via participation in fundraising and other agency-wide activities.

Engage in learning opportunities through “La Mesita”, El Futuro’s training platform and network of bilingual providers in North Carolina, or through other appropriate career development opportunities.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Required

  • LCAS or CADC valid license to treat substance use disorders in the state of North Carolina.
  • Bilingual fluency in spoken and written Spanish and English.

Preferred

  • Master’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or related field.
  • Dual-diagnosis training and dual licensure preferred (with valid North Carolina Mental Health License, such as LCSW, LCMHC, LCAS, LMFT, LPA or Ph.D. in psychology)
  • Minimum two years of work experience as substance use counselor.
  • Minimum one year of experience providing Substance Use Group Treatment.

Minimum of 2 years of experience in case management, care coordination or similar work, preferably in a mental health or healthcare setting working with the Latine community.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

  • Strong communication skills and comfort interacting with a diverse array of people
  • Ability to maintain professional boundaries and protect client confidentiality when working in close collaboration with other agencies in the field
  • Familiarity with State regulations of North Carolina, regarding DWI process
  • Demonstrated ability to work effectively with diverse populations, including individuals with mental health and substance use disorders
  • Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities while affording attention to detail and organization
  • Flexibility, creativity, and adaptability to meet the changing needs of clients and El Futuro

Proficiency in Microsoft Office, electronic health record systems, and project management systems (El Futuro uses IMS and monday.com)

Commitment to the mission and values of El Futuro and the ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team

Working Conditions

Environment: Work is usually performed remotely, utilizing Zoom or Teams, with occasional in-person in a clinical/office environment based on the program needs

Assigned Office Site: Durham Clinic and Siler City Clinic.

Work Week: Usually works a standard work week, Monday through Friday, with occasional evenings working until 8:00pm; Friday 9:00am to 11:00am is required time for organization-wide and team meetings

Extra Time: May be required to work occasional weekends for special events or attend staff meetings outside the regular schedule

To apply, submit your cover letter and resume.

El Futuro is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in its employment decisions on the basis of any protected category. We believe we are most impactful when people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and identities come together with common purpose. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.

Key Responsibilities

Provide direct outpatient substance use treatment to adolescents and adults through comprehensive assessments, diagnoses, and evidence-based individual and group therapy. Facilitate substance use groups and support community prevention and harm reduction events.

Requirements

Requires a valid LCAS or CADC license in North Carolina and bilingual fluency in Spanish and English. A Master's degree and dual licensure in mental health are preferred, along with experience in substance use counseling and case management.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Substance Use AssessmentTreatment PlanningBilingual Spanish-EnglishCrisis InterventionDual Diagnosis TreatmentElectronic Health RecordsPatient Confidentiality

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 48% are remote, 38% have no call, 66% require no weekends — this position is remote.

The cost-of-living index for North Carolina is 94.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$58k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $62k in an average-cost state. 59.2% of North Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Bilingual Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC) at El Futuro a 6.9 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Substance Use / Addiction Counselor — ranked against 1,008 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include remote work flexibility.

Top Counselor Jobs

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Salary Distribution32 jobs · 26 employers

14
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$75k-90k
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3
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4
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Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks26 jobs

401k / retirement match
92% this job
Sign-on bonus
42%
CME allowance
23%
Loan repayment
4% this job
Relocation assistance
4%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 6.9
Better work-life than 80% of Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings

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

  • Hybrid
  • Includes weekends
  • Remote
El Futuro logo

About El Futuro

Mental Health Care
DURHAM, NC
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Short-Term Disability
Long-Term Disability
403B Matching
Generous PTO