Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse logo
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse
Santa Barbara, California

Adult Treatment Counselor

CounselorNo weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$22-$25/hr

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

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

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Benefits

  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Vision insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Adult Treatment Counselor – Project Recovery

The Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse (CADA) is hiring a Treatment Counselor to join a team of Counselors for Project Recovery outpatient treatment services program. Be a part of a robust team of Alcohol and Drug Counselors assisting individuals in our community and make a real impact!

Education

  • College degree in helping profession (Counseling, Psychology, Sociology, etc.) and MFCC or CAC preferred.

Licenses

  • Registration or Certification with an AOD certifying organization recognized by DHCS in good standing.

Experience

  • Minimum one-year experience in the field of alcohol/drug counseling required.
  • Specific knowledge of individual and group counseling principles and techniques, and of substance abuse assessment and case planning.
  • Knowledge of resources for treatment, recovery, and rehabilitation in the area.
  • Knowledge of DMC ODS Standard of care.
  • Ability to write appropriate professional letters and reports, to communicate verbally with professionals and with clients from diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.
  • Ability to recognize own professional limitations so that appropriate referrals can be made.
  • High standards of professional ethics.
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Software and Databases

Responsibilities

  • Assist clients in treatment/discharge planning and assessment.
  • Attend weekly staff meeting.
  • Conduct individual and group substance abuse counseling, education, and relapse prevention sessions.
  • Complete client ASAM assessments and follow ups.
  • Timely and appropriate Client File Documentation, Case Notes, and File Examination, within DMC ODS Guidelines.
  • Complete required annual trainings for Santa Barbara County Dept. of Behavioral Wellness.
  • Maintaining files and case notes properly documenting client's progress and attendance. Case notes must use DMC ODS waiver language and definitions.
  • Keep abreast of the current literature and research in the field of alcoholism and drug addiction/abuse and the DMC ODDS waiver including all DHCS requirements pertaining substance abuse treatment.
  • Assuring that all clinic administrative records are properly maintained and routed.
  • Uphold a professional image of the Santa Barbara Council on Alcoholism and

Drug Abuse always.

  • Perform additional related duties as assigned by the Program Manager

This is a full-time position, non-exempt position that includes medical/vision/dental benefits, vacation, sick, and holiday pay. This position is 40 hours per week with a schedule of Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm. This is an in-person position, and a successful candidate would be required onsite in Santa Barbara.

Compensation is dependent of the level of prior experience and qualifications, with a salary range of $22-$25 for Registered Counselors and a rate increase potential for bilingual (Spanish/English) and Certified Counselors.

In compliance with the California Department of Health Care Services, staff require an up-to-date Tuberculosis test during the duration of employment.

If you need assistance to accommodate a disability, you may request an accommodation at any time. Please contact HR via email at hr@cadasb.org or via phone at (805) 722-1313 with any questions.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a college degree in a helping profession and possess a valid AOD certification or registration. A minimum of one year of experience in alcohol or drug counseling is required.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Treatment planningIndividual counselingCommunicationReporting

Addiction Counseling — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Addiction Counseling listings this role was benchmarked against, 68% are remote, 34% have no call, 54% require no weekends.

In California, the Addiction Counseling weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$62k (16 salary observations; 24 listings), vs ~$63k nationally (99 salary observations; 244 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-02-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$49k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $44k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Addiction Counseling pay on WeekdayDoc is up 13.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Adult Treatment Counselor at Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Addiction Counseling — ranked against 110 active Addiction Counseling listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements.

Top Counselor Jobs

41 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution41 jobs · 24 employers

8
<$90k
14
$90k-105k
8
$105k-120k
11
$120k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks33 jobs · 24 employers

401k / retirement match
97%
Sign-on bonus
39%
CME allowance
30%
Loan repayment
15%
PSLF eligible
9%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Clinical Director - LMFT, LCSW, LPCC

Seneca Family of Agencies · Salinas, California

$112k-$126k
#2

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

LifeStance Health · Milwaukee, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#3

Licensed Therapist-IBH - Comprehensive Care Center

$104k-$123k
#4

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

$115k-$120k
+ 39 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 5.1this job 6.4
Better work-life than 80% of Addiction Counseling listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 110 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
  • On-site

Living in Santa Barbara

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.91M
Typical market rent
$3,692/mo
Residents’ average commute
17 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.8
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse logo

About Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse

Non-profit Organizations
Santa Barbara, California
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health insurance
Vision insurance
Dental insurance
Paid time off
Vacation pay
Sick pay
Holiday pay