SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNSELOR / EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS HOMELESSNESS

Full Job Description

TYPE OF RECRUITMENT:
OPEN COMPETITIVE - EMERGENCY

FILING DATES:

First Day of Filing: April 9, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. (Pacific Time)

This examination will remain open until the needs of the service are met and is subject to closure without prior notice

EXAM NUMBER:

b5884J-EA

The LA County Board of Supervisors recently declared a local state of emergency for homelessness, and the County is working to revise and expand our response to help all who are affected. We are looking for qualified and passionate individuals to help us in the mission of addressing issues like housing, mental health, and substance use. If you are looking for a new career that will directly benefit the population of LA County, this may be the opportunity for you.

The Department of Mental Health is seeking qualified candidates to fill emergency Substance Abuse Counselor vacancies related to the homelessness crisis.

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%.

Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment to Substance Abuse Counselor.

Requirements

Conducts interviews of clients/patients and/or their family members to obtain family, social, medical, work,and mental health histories.

Participates with the treatment team in developing, implementing, and evaluating treatment or therapy approaches for patients/clients, family members, and significant others in all phases of comprehensive substance abuse and/or mental health treatment programs.

Counsels patients/clients to prevent relapses by assisting them in recognizing causal factors of substance abuse/mental illness and in developing appropriate coping behaviors.

Counsels patients/clients regarding community resources or treatment services available to help prevent or cope with relapses.

Assists senior-level counselors in complex areas of social and psychological adjustment counseling.

Maintains a close system of follow-up for previously discharged persons by means of personal visits, telephone calls, and other means of communication; completes records on follow-up activities.

Participates in educational activities in formal academic settings and in treatment or rehabilitation centers to improve knowledge of substance abuse and mental health related areas.

Develops and promotes interest in the substance abuse and/or mental health fields by speaking before community groups or coordinating speakers or resource persons.

Monitors and documents client/patient progress in substance abuse/mental health recovery.

Assists in the supervision of aids or trainees and in the recruitment, selection, and training of such program staff members, as needed.

Assist with on-call duties, as needed.

Qualifications

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

One year of experience in a substance abuse program with experience providing physical assessment of patients, counseling of individuals, families and groups, and documentation.

-OR-

One year of training at the level of Substance Abuse Counselor Aid* in a substance abuse counselor training program.

-OR-

Completion of 60 semester units or equivalent quarter units in an accredited college or university with specialization in substance abuse counseling, social work, psychology, sociology, or human services.

You MUST meet one of the above requirement(s) within three (3) months of filing in order to be appointed to fill any vacancies related to this recruitment.

*Substance Abuse Counselor Aid is defined as participates as a trainee in a substance abuse or mental health services program designed for the prevention of substance abuse and the treatment of rehabilitation patients and mental health clients with substance abuse problems.

Candidates may file for this examination if they are within three months of meeting the experience requirements by the last day of filing. However, the names of such candidates will be withheld until the required experience is fully met.

LICENSE:
A valid California Class C Driver License or the ability to utilize an alternative method of transportation when needed to carry out job-related essential functions.

PHYSICAL CLASS:
Physical Class II – Light: This class includes administrative and clerical positions requiring light physical effort that may include occasional light lifting to a 10 pound limit and some bending, stooping, or squatting. Considerable ambulation may be involved.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS INFORMATION:
*ACCREDITATION: Accredited institutions are those listed in the publications of regional, national or international accrediting agencies which are accepted by the Department of Human Resources. Publications such as American Universities and Colleges and International Handbook of Universities are acceptable references. Also acceptable, if appropriate, are degrees that have been evaluated and deemed to be equivalent to degrees from United States accredited institutions by an academic credential evaluation agency recognized by The National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE).

Transcript: *In order to receive credit for any college or university course, or any type of college or university degree, such as Bachelor's or higher, you must include a legible copy of the official diploma or official transcripts from the accredited institution which shows the area of specialization with your application at the time of filing or within 15 calendar days of filing.

Official Transcript is defined as a transcript that bears the college seal and states "official and/or copy" issued by the school's Registrar Office. A printout of the transcript from the school's website is NOT considered official and; therefore, will NOT be accepted and may result in your application being incomplete or rejected.

Additional Information

EXAMINATION CONTENT:

Under the emergency order, applicants who meet the requirements may be hired for an initial period of up to 90 days, with an opportunity for permanent County employment.

Before the end of your initial work period, you will be assessed on your work performance. This assessment will be weighted 100%. Those who successfully pass the assessment will be considered for permanent appointment.

APPLICATION AND FILING INFORMATIONApplicants are required to complete and submit an online Los Angeles County Employment Application AND Supplemental Questionnaire in order to be considered for this examination.

Paper applications, resumes, or any unsolicited documents will not be accepted in lieu of completing the online application and Supplemental Questionnaire.

We must receive your application before 5:00 pm, PT, on the last day of filing. Application filing may be suspended at any time without advance notice.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING ONLINE

Applications must be filed online only.

Many important notifications will be sent electronically to the email address provided on the application, so it is important that you provide a valid email address.

Please add najordan@dmh.lacounty.gov as well as noreply@governmentjobs.com and info@governmentjob.com to your email address and list of approved senders to prevent email notification from being filtered as span/junk/clutter mail.

You have the ability to opt out of emails from LA County. If you unsubscribe, you will not receive any email notification for any examination for which you apply with Los Angeles County.

Regardless of whether you choose to unsubscribe, you can always check for notifications by logging into governmentjobs.com and viewing your profile inbox, which saves a copy of all emailed notices.

Plan to submit your online application well in advance before the deadline as you may be required to verify your email address.

This only needs to be done once per email address, and if you already have a job seeker account on govermmentjobs.com/careers/lacounty,gov you can verify at any time by logging in and following the prompts.

This is to enhance the security of your online application and to ensure you do not enter an incorrect email address.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Prime Variance Reports (PVRs), also known as Master Time Records, are not accepted, or required as part of the application process; this includes the selection interview and the background-check.

SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER LANGUAGE
Please include your Social Security Number for record control purposes. Federal law requires that all employed persons have a Social Security Number.

COMPUTER AND INTERNET ACCESS AT LIBRARIES
For candidates who may not have regular access to a computer or the internet, applications can be completed on computers at public libraries throughout Los Angeles County.

FAIR CHANCE EMPLOYERThe County of Los Angeles is a Fair Chance employer.

Except for a very limited number of positions, you will not be asked to provide information about a conviction history unless you receive a contingent offer of employment.

The County will make an individualized assessment of whether your conviction history has a direct or adverse relationship with the specific duties of the job, and consider potential mitigating factors, including, but not limited to, evidence and extent of rehabilitation, recency of the offense(s), and age at the time of the offense(s).

If asked to provide information about a conviction history, any convictions or court records which are exempted by a valid court order do not have to be disclosed.

NO SHARING USER ID AND PASSWORD
All applicants must file their applications online using their own user ID and password. Using a family member or friend's user ID and password may erase a candidate's original application record.

DEPARTMENT CONTACT:
HR Examinations Unit: (213) 972-7034
HR Examinations Unit Email: exams@dmh.lacounty.gov
Analyst Contact Phone: Nicholas Jordan, (323) 705-3925
Analyst Contact Email: najordan@dmh.lacounty.gov

ADA COORDINATOR PHONE: (213) 972-7034
TELETYPE PHONE: (800) 735-2922
CALIFORNIA RELAY SERVICES PHONES: (800) 735-2922