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Aware
Missoula, Montana

Licensed Addiction Counselor - Early Childhood Services

CounselorIncludes callIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$70k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Licensed Addicition Counselor - $70,000.00 per yearAWARE - Missoula, MT - Full-Time

If you are passionate about providing high-quality care to individuals in your community, we invite you to join our team at AWARE.

AWARE is looking for the right person to join the team as a licensed addiction counselor.

The support we provide helps the adults, children, and families we serve become active and vital members of their community while focusing on personal growth. We are a compassionate and fully engaged team that is dedicated to providing the best possible care to our clients. Our strength lies in our culture of care, and we are looking for individuals who share our commitment to providing unconditional care to those in need.

We are committed to providing a supportive and inclusive work environment where all team members feel valued and respected. We offer competitive compensation and benefits packages, as well as opportunities for professional growth and development. If you are looking for a rewarding career, we encourage you to apply to join our team at AWARE.

Responsibilities

AWARE’s Morning Song Recovery Center Licensed Addictions Counselor (LAC) is part of a multidisciplinary team responsible for planning and coordinating care and services to meet individual needs of pregnant and parenting women and their children, ages birth - five, residing in a treatment facility.

The LAC position provides clinical addiction therapy, assessment and treatment planning for mothers and their children, ensuring safe, evidence based and family centered care. The LAC provides intervention suggestions to other members of the support team and performs as the lead member of an inter-disciplinary team.

Participate as a member of the Individual Treatment Team.

Conduct evaluations and assessments to identify substance use issues and co-occurring mental health conditions.

Provide individual, group and family counseling using evidence-based modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Collaborate with supervisor, support staff, health care providers, and community professionals to plan and coordinate treatment.

Address the needs of both mother and child(ren) including child development, parenting, safety, daily care and reunification or permanency planning when applicable.

Support family members with community resources for services to assist in meeting treatment goals and recovery, following through to ensure service efficacy.

  • Provide aftercare recovery services, as indicated.
  • Assist in providing crisis coordination for individuals on the caseload who are in a personal, social, or medical crisis requiring assistance within 24 hours.
  • Develop and implement individualized treatment plans, including goals for both mother and child(ren).
  • Provide required billable hours of SUD services per month.
  • Complete and maintain client treatment plans in accordance with SUD Policy.
  • Monitor, evaluate, and record progress of the person served with respect to treatment goals.

Maintain accurate, timely and confidential records, including progress notes, treatment plans and discharge summaries.

Prepare reports, applications, and supporting documentation as requested by the supervisor within the timelines established by that supervisor.

Attend workshops, conferences, and meetings and may participate in committees as agreed upon with the supervisor, presents information to other staff, as requested.

Recognize and utilize AWARE’s Core Values, Unconditional Care Philosophy, and wrap around philosophy focused on family engagement.

Attend and participate in mandatory training, in-services, staff meetings, and committees as assigned and noted in AWARE’s Employee Handbook.

Must demonstrate – on a consistent basis – the willingness and ability to productively utilize work time in order to meet the needs of the individuals being served as directed, with the understanding that specific fiscal goals (billing, case load number maintenance, weekly) must be met on a monthly basis.

Record notes, billing, assessments, referrals, and other data entry assignments via AWARE’s Electronic Healthcare Record System and ICP requirement, Therapy Program, Plan of Care - - being sensitive to age, gender, disability, sexual orientation/identity, racial, bi-sexual, transgendered, and ethnic differences of individual served.

This position responds, as a clinical professional, to all calls originated from AWARE's rotating on-call Emergency/Crisis Response, System. These calls may occur during "off" hours, including evening/early morning hours, during weekends and possibly on holidays.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

Health Insurance, FSA, HSA, 401k, Employee Assistance Program, Tuition Advancement, Professional Development.

Requirements

Talents, skills, and abilities:

Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Early childhood development – knowledge of children’s developmental stages, effects of trauma, challenging behavior strategies, family dynamics.

Therapy and Counseling — Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.

Family and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing family and personal services. This includes family needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of family satisfaction.

Strong oral and written communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, cultural competence and ability to work flexible hours.

  • An advanced degree (MS, MA, PhD) in Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, or related field.
  • Requires one (1) year direct work experience and a current LAC License or Professional Candidate License.

Demonstrated experience in mental health or substance disorder services with a family-based or maternal child population preferred.

As a condition of continued employment, AWARE's LAC must maintain the specific professional license and/or professional certification as required by state, federal governing boards, and other such certification boards.

Must have, or be willing to obtain, a valid Montana Driver’s License. Must have an acceptable driving record; as well as an acceptable criminal and protective services background check.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Addiction CounselingClinical AssessmentCrisis InterventionCase ManagementMental Health AssessmentEvidence-based PracticeInterdisciplinary CollaborationSubstance Use Disorder Services

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 49 active Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 55% are remote, 37% have no call, 63% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Montana is 94.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$70k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $74k in an average-cost state. 59.2% of Montana clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

26 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution26 jobs · 14 employers

5
<$70k
4
$70k-85k
11
$85k-100k
5
$100k-115k
1
$117k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks24 jobs · 14 employers

401k / retirement match
100% this job
Sign-on bonus
67%
Loan repayment
17%
CME allowance
17%
PSLF eligible
8%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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LifeStance Health · Lawrence, Kansas

$81k-$117k
#2

Licensed Clinical Therapist (LCSW, LPC, LMFT)

LifeStance Health · Glendale, Wisconsin

$84k-$113k
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Licensed Clinical Therapist (LCSW) (LPC) (LMFT)

$85k-$112k
#4

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC, LMFT, LCSW)

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+ 24 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 4.2
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.

  • Includes call
  • Includes weekends

Living in Missoula

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$556k≈ 7.9× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,537/mo≈ 26% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
16 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
96.4
State income tax
Up to 6.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Missoula, MT metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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