Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor

Job Details: Level: Experienced, Job Location: Dilkon Medical Center - Dilkon, AZ, Position Type: Full-Time, Education Level: Masters Degree, Salary Range: Undisclosed, Travel Percentage: Occasionally, Job Shift: Day, Under general supervision of the Chief of Mental Health Program/Psychiatrist, the Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor (LISAC) provides professional counseling services to clients who have addictions to alcohol and/or other substances. The LISAC will provide prevention and intervention services for eligible Native American beneficiaries. The LISAC will coordinate services with existing tribal, state, county and private service providers focused on Alcoholism and Chemical Dependency; and will work with the courts on issues that interface with law enforcement and the judicial system. Upholds the principles of WIHCC’s Vision, Mission, and Value Statements. Maintains confidentiality of all privileged information at all times.

This list of duties and responsibilities is illustrative only of the tasks performed by this position and is not all-inclusive.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Maintains regular attendance and punctuality.
Exercises professional judgment and flexible use of crisis intervention, casework and therapeutic skills in diagnosis and treatment of patients and their families.
Provides direct services to clients with the diagnosis of alcohol or other substance use disorders; works with the patient and patient’s family in providing counseling and therapeutic interventions to ameliorate the substance use disorder and improve patient function. 
Coordinates services with existing Tribal, State, County and private programs; Provides liaison and consultation to law enforcement and the judicial system regarding individual patients and their legal issues and dispositions. 
Works with schools in prevention and treatment issues regarding adolescents.
Works with Navajo Nation DBHS to assure appropriate referral to residential treatment programs; works with DMC and WIHCC provider staffs to obtain required medical assessment and clearance for admission to residential programs.
Plans aftercare treatment services with the client and the family.
Evaluates patients for co-occurring mental health conditions and refers to appropriate mental health providers for ongoing management.
Evaluates patients for possible medical pharmacologic treatments for substance abuse – e.g. naltrexone, acamprosate, buprenorphine – and refers to prescribing providers as necessary. 
Coordinates and leads domestic violence group for domestic violence offenders.
Works as a member of the Winslow Indian Health Care Center’s Child Protection Team on Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect issues.
Participates in the Mental Health program’s 24/7 on-call crisis and emergency coverage on a rotational basis.  
Serves as consultant for other WIHCC staff, including clinic nursing, community health nursing, and other disciplines regarding clinical issues and policies.
Documents patient care appropriately in the WIHCC electronic health record, and in keeping with national standards as mandated by CMS and accreditation requirements. Documentation for completed patient encounters shall be sufficient to support appropriate billing for services by WIHCC.   
Performs reliably in terms of attendance and accountability.
Participates regularly in departmental staff meetings and activities, including peer review, quality assurance, and performance improvement activities.
Upholds all principles of confidentiality and patient care to the fullest extent. 
Adheres to all professional and ethical behavior standards of the healthcare industry.
Adheres to WIHCCs Personnel Policies and Procedures, departmental policies, rules, and regulations.
Interacts in an honest, trustworthy and dependable manner with patients, employees, visitors, and vendors. 
Possesses cultural awareness and sensitivity. 
Maintains compliance with all Human Resources requirements. 
Performs other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications: Minimum Qualifications: 

A Master’s degree in a behavioral science is required. Licensure by the Arizona State Board of Behavioral Health Examiners as a Licensed Independent Substance Abuse Counselor; or must have equivalent licensure from another U.S state or territory. Bilingual skills in English and Navajo language preferred. Must maintain a valid unrestricted and insurable driver’s license. Must successfully pass a background investigation and maintain suitable requirements for a Child Care position. This position is considered as a Child Care position, which requires a satisfactory background check investigation and is subject to the requirements of the Indian Child Protection and Family Violence Prevention Act, as amended (henceforth referred as the ICPFVP Act).

Knowledge, Skills, Ability

Knowledge of the principles and practices of alcohol/substance abuse counseling and treatment, as well as application of these skills and techniques to patients with a broad array of other mental health conditions.
Knowledge of and sensitivity to cultural and language differences.  
Knowledge of excellent interpersonal skills in handling interactions with hospital staff, other agencies, groups, and patients and families.
Knowledge of strong work ethics in the workplace.
Knowledge of basic application of confidentiality.
Knowledge of duties and responsibilities of the position.
Knowledge of basic computer skills, e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint.
Ability to provide excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to be dependable in attendance and job performance.
Ability to meet attendance, and other reliability requirements of the job.
Ability to work as a team member and develop productive and cooperative working relationships with health care providers within the facility as well as healthcare providers in hospitals and nursing homes, private practitioners and law enforcement agencies throughout the community.
Ability to accept and learn from feedback.
Ability to provide exemplary customer service at all times.
Ability to interact positively with others and possess great interpersonal skills.
Ability to multitask and perform well under pressure.
Ability to have self-confidence.
Ability to be a great team player.
Ability to accept and learn from supervisor/peer critique.
Ability to be flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of the organization.

Physical Demands:

While performing the essential functions of this position, the employee is regularly required to walk, sit, use hands and fingers, handle, or feel objects and equipment, reach with hands and arms, and communicate effectively by talking and hearing. The employee frequently must stand, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl and may occasionally use taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move objects weighing up to 50 pounds.   

Work Environment:

Work is performed in a health care setting, patient’s home, institutions, agencies and school facilities with a moderate noise level. Work environment may involve exposure to physical risks, such as blood borne pathogens and operating dangerous equipment or working with chemicals. Evening and/or weekend work may be required. Extended hours and irregular shifts may be required. Difference in cultural influences, language barriers, and fatigue factors incurred in traveling long distances in all types of road conditions and weather in the daily activities increase the mental demands and complexity of the work. Dealing with patient’s interpersonal problems that stem from multiplicity of causes adds extensive period of high emotional demand.

As required by P.L. 93-638, absolute preference will be given to qualified Navajo applicants.  If there is no qualified Navajo applicant, preference will be given to qualified American Indian applicants.