Job Description

Days Off: Saturday, Sunday

Shift: Day (9:00AM-5:00PM)

Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage)

Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan

Union Representation: This position is a part of a union and is represented by SEIU Healthcare 1199NW.

About DESC:

Recognized nationally as an innovator and leader in developing solutions to homelessness, DESC is a social services organization, supportive housing operator, and licensed behavioral health treatment provider focused on meeting the needs of people experiencing long-term homelessness and living with complex behavioral health and other medical conditions. Approximately 3,000 people are actively receiving services from DESC at any given point in time. Our vision is a community where all people are shown compassion, treated with dignity, and everyone has a safe, stable, and affordable place to call home.

DESC operates five shelter/emergency housing programs, 19 permanent supportive housing facilities with over 1,750 units, several hundred additional scattered site apartments, and a range of behavioral health services including outpatient mental health and substance use disorder treatment, residential crisis stabilization, street outreach, mobile crisis response, and treatment for opioid use disorder.

About COAT:

The Community Outreach and Advocacy Team (COAT) provides holistic behavioral health treatment to highly vulnerable individuals navigating the legal system, that would otherwise fall through the cracks due to being ineligible for other traditional services. With an integrated team approach (including Mental Health Therapist, SUDP, psychiatric prescriber, psychiatric Registered Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Case Manager and Certified Peer Counselor roles), COAT provides the wraparound support needed for clients to lead safe and healthy lives in the community.

JOB DEFINITION:

The COAT Substance Use Disorder Counselor is a member of a multi-disciplinary team responsible for providing robust outreach, engagement and intensive case management services to adults with serious mental health and co-occurring substance use disorders, who are being diverted from criminal prosecution, in order to prevent re-incarceration. The program utilizes a modified Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) approach, with caseloads of 1:20. This position provides specialized services to clients who are impacted by alcohol or Substance use. Services will be provided across Seattle and nearby King County areas, including on the streets, in shelters, jails, hospitals, supportive housing sites and in other service centers as indicated. This position requires frequent coordination and collaboration with other DESC programs and outside agencies.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Perform alcohol and drug screenings, and assessments with selected clients.
• Provide individual and group SUD treatment in office and in community settings using a stage-based treatment model that is non-confrontational, considers interactions of mental illness and substance use, and has participant-determined goals. With the client’s participation, develop support and treatment plans; facilitate linkages to collaborative resources when appropriate.
• Plan, organize and facilitate treatment and support groups for clients, as appropriate.
• Act as the COAT team's subject matter expert for substance use disorders. Provide consultation to other team members regarding SUD issues, treatment, and education, including Harm Reduction best practices. Provide staff training on substance use issues, as appropriate.
• Advocate for client access to community resources and services, ensuring that client needs are met and rights maintained; consult and collaborate with community providers to ensure continuity of care.
• Develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with DESC staff, and other service and resource organizations to ensure full continuity of care for clients.
• Participate in psychiatric consultation, supervision, program and SUD team meetings and in-service trainings; participate in clinical reviews and case conferences.
• Comply with the agency's clinical accountability policies and procedures; maintain current and complete clinical records; participate in quality assurance reviews when assigned.
• Comply with data gathering/submission requirements, and with applicable program research and evaluation procedures.
• Participate in verbal de-escalation in emergent situations and be willing and able to assist other staff as needed to maintain a safe and secure environment.
• Other duties as assigned.

LIVING CONDITIONS:

Support your clients with achieving and maintaining healthy living conditions. This can include but is not limited to attending care conferences related to living conditions, outreaching and supporting clients in their residential units with tools and skills to maintain their units, coordinating with housing staff, participating in cleaning out clients’ units, and documenting barriers to maintaining healthy living conditions.

Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Licensed by the State of Washington as a Substance Use Disorder Professional (SUDP) in good standing.
• Interest or experience in working with clients who are difficult to engage and maintain in traditional mental health or substance use disorder programs.
• Interest or experience working with adults who are experiencing or who have experienced homelessness, have a mental illness and/or co-occurring substance use disorders, and who are involved in the criminal legal system.
• Have a strong understanding of recovery and resilience, the value of client partnerships and client choice, and the balance between protection from harm and personal dignity.
• Strong knowledge of relevant community resources and methods for accessing them.
• Possess strong communication and writing skills.
• Ability to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of unpleasant and/or bizarre behaviors.
• Ability to communicate and work effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Subscribe to the philosophy of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for clients.
• Ability to drive an agency or personal vehicle to conduct agency related business. A current Washington State driver's license and insurable driving record are required.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Associates degree or higher in a relevant social science.
• Bicultural or bilingual background or experience.

Strong applicants are able to demonstrate the ability to be positive in their empathetic responses to all persons; understand the value of meaningful and deep client engagement; have the potential to acquire the necessary knowledge, attitudes and skills of an effective SUD Counselor; and value a non-judgmental response to sensitive issues. Candidates should be able to accept feedback and work in a highly collaborative and potentially stressful environment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required sit for long periods of time, communicate with other persons by talking and hearing, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 40 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER:

DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants. The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification. Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.