REVISED TENTATIVE

Occ. Code 8113500

ALCOHOL & SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM ASSISTANT, GRADE 14                       

New York State Department of Civil Service

Classification Standard

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASS

Positions in this title provide assistance in identifying individuals with drug and alcohol problems, provide substance abuse education, and assist in group and individual counseling sessions for correctional facility inmates. 

These positions are only classified in the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS).

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

Under the supervision of an Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator (Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment), positions screen for program eligibility, participate in substance abuse treatment, and monitor progress of participating inmates. 

RELATED CLASSES

Secure Care Treatment Aides 1 treat and care for mentally ill or developmentally disabled persons who are highly assaultive, suicidal, and/or dangerous to themselves and others.  Positions provide a safe, secure, and stable environment where patients are stabilized and can receive treatment.

Offender Rehabilitation Coordinators (Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment) provide on-going counseling and treatment services to inmates with problems of alcohol and/or substance abuse.  Positions assess inmate needs and problems; develop and implement appropriate person-centered treatment plan for each assigned inmate; continually evaluate the level and quality of participation and progression towards reasonably applied goals for each inmate; and provide any other necessary services to ensure successful treatment. 

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES

Assist in identifying inmates believed to benefit from participation in substance abuse treatment.

• Conduct individual screening interviews and record findings, impressions, and recommendations.

• Report any condition found as a result of administration of the screening process (medical, psychological, family emergencies, etc.) which requires immediate attention to the Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator (Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment), Supervising Offender Rehabilitation Coordinator, or other applicable staff.

May familiarize and educate correctional staff and visitors to facility substance abuse treatment programs.

·       Participate with colleagues in developing new educational presentations on substance use disorders.

·       Coordinate presentations of substance use disorder educational material to facility staff.

Educate inmate clients to understand the nature of substance use disorders and explain the recovery process.

• Assist in developing a library of videos, audio tapes and printed material supportive of the participant and treatment goals.

·       Secure the assistance of individuals whose expertise can be used to support the participant and treatment goals.

• Facilitate substance abuse treatment activities and modify program parameters based on the participants progress towards acceptance of program goals.

Provide individual and group counseling to inmate clients.

• Conduct orientation for newly admitted substance abuse treatment participants.

• Interview program participants to discuss individual needs and expectations.

• Interview inmate clients to prepare them for group participation and relay to them the program expectations and etiquette.

• Conduct group meetings, and if needed, individual discussions of material presented in the educational component.  Assist participants in relating the material with their own experience and in recognizing their substance use disorder(s).

• Conduct group discussions in areas of concern to participants regarding their behavior, encouraging the sharing of individual experiences on a confidential basis.

• Determine the appropriate remedy and/or sanction when group participants break program standards such as breach of confidentiality, lack of required participation, inconsistent attendance, or the violation of any treatment standards.

Establish and maintain a treatment record and prepare all necessary reports.

• Establish a record for every substance abuse program treatment participant.  Complete Admission and Comprehensive Evaluations.

• Record specific treatment events and develop Substance Abuse Treatment Plans, Evaluation of Progress Notes, and Continuing Recovery Plans.

• Record the nature and outcome, if significant, of every client contact.

• Develop gender-responsive records required for female substance abuse treatment participants.

May assist with developing a network of community resources to assist inmates at the conclusion of their substance abuse treatment.

• Assist with developing a database of community resources available to assist inmates following release.

• Establish individual contacts as resources through telephone, correspondence and/or personal contact.

• Distribute information on community resources to interested inmates and staff.

• Responsible for ensuring feedback with community agencies and contacts to monitor effectiveness and appropriateness of referrals.

• Develop a continuing recovery plan for all discharged participants, identifying recommended pre-release and post-release interventions.

Upon request, and in compliance with laws and standards of participant confidentiality, provide information to agencies involved with post confinement programming and services.

Participate, as necessary, in Treatment Plan Review Committee meetings.

Provide support to Offender Rehabilitation Coordinators (Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment), when necessary.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Open Competitive:  Current New York State Certification as a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) or three years of qualifying experience*.  An associates degree in psychology, counseling, sociology, social science, social work, alcoholism, substance abuse, criminal justice, correctional studies, addictions studies, human services, community health or a related field may be substituted for two years of this experience.  

*Qualifying Experience is defined as professional or paraprofessional experience in a recognized program whose primary mission is alcohol and/or substance abuse treatment (hospital, correctional facility, school, community based prevention/intervention program or other addiction recovery program). This experience must include all of the following functions: group or individual counseling, intake/assessment, treatment planning, case work, consultation, and the development of a substance use disorder diagnostic impression. Counseling or casework experience must have focused primarily on the establishment of an ongoing, one-to-one relationship to establish and maintain recovery and prevent relapse. Group experience must have focused primarily on responsibility for conducting group sessions designed to provide the participants with services for alcohol/substance abuse problems.

Revised: 7/17

NOTE:   Classification Standards illustrate the nature, extent and scope of duties and responsibilities of the classes they describe.  Standards cannot and do not include all the work that might be appropriately performed by a class.  The minimum qualifications above are those which were required for appointment at the time the Classification Standard was written.  Please contact the Division of Staffing Services for current information on minimum qualification requirements for appointment or examination.