Aurora San Diego logo
Aurora San Diego
San Diego, California

Substance Use Disorder Counselor (Full Time)

Addiction CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$50k-$62k

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

As a Substance Use Disorder Counselor for Aurora Behavioral Healthcare San Diego, you will provide quality direct and indirect patient care to individuals with substance use or other diagnosed issues.

*Pay Range: $24/hr. to $30/hr.

Responsibilities

  • Assesses patients' stage and extent of substance use and comorbid mental health issues
  • Develops and implements a plan of treatment, in conjunction with members of multi-disciplinary team
  • Conducts didactic and other appropriate patient groups for both substance use and duel diagnosed issues
  • Communicates with referral sources and other appropriate parties regarding patients' progress
  • Coordinates and implements patients' discharge
  • Attends and participates in department and other program or clinical and administrative meetings
  • Supports maintenance and development of clinical program or services
  • Provides backup services to Needs Assessment and Referral Department
  • Participates in activities, which enhance professional growth and development

Skills

  • Providing individual and group therapy
  • Excellent organizational, problem-solving, and time management skills
  • Ability to provide treatment planning and related documentation and record-keeping

Skills in public speaking; thorough awareness for, and compliance with, standards of ethical care and confidentiality;

Ability to maintain therapeutic relationship with patients who are various stages of emotional stability and recovery; self-control in volatile or hostile situations, such as when verbally or physically threatened or aggressively confronted

High School Diploma or Equivalent

  • BLS (Basic Life Support ) Certification for Healthcare Providers following the American Heart Association guidelines
  • CADC, SUDCC Certification OR Current RADT, SUDRC
  • Experience working with adults and adolescents with substance use and co-occurring disorders
  • 401K Retirement Plan
  • Health Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Pet Insurance
  • Healthcare Spending Account & Dependent Care Spending Account
  • Life Insurance (Supplemental Life, Term, and Universal plans are also available.)
  • PTO Plan
  • Holiday Premium Pay
  • PTO Cash Out option
  • Sick Pay
  • Short and Long-Term Disability (with additional buy-in opportunities)
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • ID Theft Protection
  • Employee Appreciation Events
  • Employee Discount Opportunities

Requirements

Candidates must hold a high school diploma or equivalent and possess a valid CADC, SUDCC, RADT, or SUDRC certification. Additionally, applicants are required to have Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and experience working with adults and adolescents with co-occurring disorders.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Individual therapyOrganizational skillsClinical assessmentCrisis interventionConfidentiality complianceTherapeutic relationship maintenanceSubstance use counseling

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 52% are remote, 36% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$56k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $51k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

How many Substance Use / Addiction Counselor jobs are remote?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$50k–$62kSubstance Use / Addiction Counselor median $65k (middle half $53k–$73k)19 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$51k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings in California1,071 active13,727 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 52% remote · 36% no call · 70% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Counselor listings: 11% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 9% offer loan repayment1,071 active listings, Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Counselor Jobs

35 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

35 jobs · 25 employers
7
<$85k
8
$85k-100k
8
$100k-115k
12
$115k-130k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

26 jobs · 25 employers
401k / retirement match
92% this job
Sign-on bonus
46%
CME allowance
31%
Loan repayment
15%
PSLF eligible
12%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

MCRT Licensed Team Lead LCSW LMFT LPCC - Mental Health 396

Telecare · San Diego, California

$103k-$128k
#2

Clinical Director - LMFT, LCSW, LPCC

Seneca Family of Agencies · Salinas, California

$112k-$126k
#3

Licensed Therapist-IBH - Comprehensive Care Center

$104k-$123k
#4

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
+ 33 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 1.5
Below most Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings for work-life

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

Aurora San Diego logo

About Aurora San Diego

Mental Health Care
San Diego, California
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

401K Retirement Plan
Health Insurance
Vision Insurance
Dental Insurance
Pet Insurance
Healthcare Spending Account
Dependent Care Spending Account
Life Insurance

Living in San Diego

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.00M≈ 20.0× annual pay
Typical market rent
$3,004/mo≈ 72% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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