Behavioral Health Counselor Chemical Dependency
Compensation
Pay not disclosed
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- Employment & setting
- Full-Time
- Call expectations
- Not specified
- Weekends
- Not specified
Job Description
Employment Type
Full time
Shift
Day Shift
Description
- MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center
- Full-Time Day Shift (80 Hours Biweekly)
- BA degree in social work, human services, counseling, psychology, or related field required.
Position Purpose
Provides therapeutic counseling to behavioral health population. Adheres to MercyOne’s performance expectations and performs all defined services and other related duties in accordance with the mission, vision and values of MercyOne.
Essential Functions
- Conducts assessments.
- Interviews patient one-on-one to assess patient needs.
- Formulates treatment plan with documentation of individualized patient issues.
- Completes social histories.
Gathers data from patients and families/concerned persons related to patient’s past and present symptoms and behaviors.
- Dictates social history for patient’s chart.
- Gathers information from resources including past inpatient charts and contacts in physician’s offices.
- Provides therapy based on identified patient needs.
- Conducts one-on-one interviews with patient using various therapy techniques.
- Conducts daily group sessions based on patient’s treatment plan.
- Documents patient’s participation and response to therapy, and any identified issues.
- Plans for discharge and after-care.
- Meets one-on-one with patients and families to individualize discharge plan and after-care.
- Communicates recommended follow-up treatment to interdisciplinary treatment team.
- Uses knowledge of referral agencies to facilitate continued treatment or placement.
- Involves families in all aspects of treatment.
- Communicates one-on-one with family members/concerned persons.
- Maintains open communication within confidentiality guidelines.
- Educates family on the disease concept.
- Involves family/concerned others in discharge planning.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in social work, human services, counseling, psychology, or other related field.
Must be CADC certified within 1 year of employment if working in Chemical dependency. BLS. Mandatory Reporter.
Non-Violent Crisis Intervention Training (NVCI) within 6 months of hire. Minimum of 3 years experience with individual and group therapy preferred. High language, basic math, high reasoning ability.
- Ability to work with diverse groups of people, basic understanding of and ability to reference DSM-IV.
- Ability to work with aggressive customers.
Our Commitment
Rooted in our Mission and Core Values, we honor the dignity of every person and recognize the unique perspectives, experiences, and talents each colleague brings. By finding common ground and embracing our differences, we grow stronger together and deliver more compassionate, person-centered care. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.
Key Responsibilities
Provides therapeutic counseling to behavioral health patients by conducting assessments and formulating individualized treatment plans. Facilitates one-on-one and group therapy sessions while coordinating discharge and after-care planning with families and interdisciplinary teams.
Requirements
Requires a bachelor's degree in social work, human services, counseling, psychology, or a related field. Candidates must obtain CADC certification within one year of employment and possess BLS and Mandatory Reporter certifications.
Qualifications
- Education
- Bachelor degree
- Experience
- 2+ years of experience
Key Skills
Chemical Dependency Counseling — Counselor Career Context
Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 38% are remote, 24% have no call, 74% require no weekends.
Counselor pay on WeekdayDoc is up 5.7% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).
The cost-of-living index for Iowa is 87.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 59.8% of Iowa clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
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