Occ. Code 8339100

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 1, GRADE 16

8339100

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 2, GRADE 18

8339200

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 3, GRADE 21

8339300

 

New York State Department of Civil Service

Classification Standard

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF CLASS SERIES

Addictions Counselors are professional members of a multidisciplinary clinical treatment team providing a therapy program tailored to the individual needs of addiction patients in an addiction treatment center (ATC). They play a central role in the design and delivery of a comprehensive individualized treatment program through consultation with team members, individual and group counseling of patients, discharge planning, community involvement, and case management services. Because an ATC is typically a small facility, employing approximately 25 to 100 staff, Addictions Counselors are responsible for augmenting services provided by other treatment team members in order to provide the full range of intensive treatment services to each patient in a short time. Addictions Counselors are classified in the NYS Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 1: first level professional addictions counseling staff; independently provides a full range of addictions counseling services in cases that do not present the most complex conditions, however, may also provide these services under close supervision for the more complicated cases; typically non-supervisory.

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 2: journey level professional addictions counselors; independently provides a full range of services to patients with complex conditions requiring supervisory direction only on the most difficult or unusual cases; may supervise staff in some assignments.

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 3: serves as lead staff in providing services to a specialized population; serves as treatment team leader and supervises several professional staff or directs a major initiative of facility.

 

RELATED CLASSES

Addictions Counselor Assistants work as a member of the multidisciplinary clinical treatment team to provide therapy programs to meet the needs of individuals. They serve as secondary therapists for groups of patients in an ATC. All positions are in the non-competitive jurisdictional class.

ILLUSTRATIVE DUTIES

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 1: under the supervision of an Addictions Counselor 2 or other clinical professionals, serves as a primary therapist for an assigned group of patients in one or more of the component units of an ATC; counsels patients, families, and significant others, in order to assist them in recognizing and accepting their addiction and its social, medical, economic and psychological causes and consequences; establishes empathetic and therapeutic relationships, educates, elicits feelings, promotes self-understanding and motivation of patients recovering from chemical dependency; encourages patients to make a commitment to sobriety and to becoming a contributing member of society; completes admission interview with prospective patient; authenticates pre-admission data, assuring specific criteria for inpatient treatment is met; provides a written summary, including rationale for admission or rejection; provides crisis intervention by telephone or personal contact; provides information about the disease concept of chemical dependency, familiarizing patients with the progressive nature of the disease and the signs and symptoms characteristic of early, middle and late stages; provides information about recognized self-help groups including Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon and Alateen, NA; various services available for post-discharge continuing care, prepares patients and significant others for relapse prevention; integrates in the counseling process a variety of special concerns appropriate to individual patients or groups; serves as a role model for sobriety and observes the ethical standards applicable to addiction counselors; takes a lead role in the orientation and training of new staff and a leadership role in any joint project utilizing paraprofessional, support or volunteer staff; fosters public knowledge and understanding of the disease of alcoholism and the services offered by the ATC; meets with community agencies to encourage a greater understanding of addiction to encourage appropriate referrals and use of resources.

When serving as a PRIMARY THERAPIST:

When serving as a MEMBER OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY TREATMENT TEAM:

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 2: under the supervision of an Addictions Counselor 3 or other clinical professional, the Addictions Counselor 2, in addition to duties listed above, may supervise lower level staff or students/volunteers at the treatment center. In addition, the Addictions Counselor 2 serves as a primary therapist to patients presenting with multiple health/social/addiction issues.

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 3: under the direction of the Supervisor, ATC Clinical Services, would serve as the primary therapist for the most complex cases, supervises lower level counseling staff and have primary responsibility for a major clinical component of the ATC. Areas of responsibility may include any of the following responsibilities:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 1

Incumbents must be a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) in New York State.

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 2

Incumbents must be a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) in New York State and have the equivalent of one year of full-time professional post CASAC addictions counseling experience.

ADDICTIONS COUNSELOR 3

Incumbents must be a qualified employee of OASAS and have one year permanent service as an Addictions Counselor 2 OR a Bachelor’s Degree and a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC) and have one year of permanent competitive service as a: Community Mental Health Nurse, Nurse Administrator 1 (Psychiatric), Nurse 3 (Psychiatric), Nurse Practitioner, Physician’s Assistant, Senior Occupational Therapist, Social Worker 1, Social Worker 1 (Spanish Language), Social Worker 1 (Deaf & Hearing Impaired), Social Worker 2 and Social Worker 2 (Spanish Language).

Requirements for Continued Employment

Current registration as a CASAC is necessary for continued employment in these titles. Loss of CASAC registration will result in termination of employment.

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 of 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.

Date: 1/02