State of Connecticut Executive Branch

In the Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services or Veterans' Affairs this class is accountable for receiving training in providing counseling services to clients.

Works under the close supervision of an Addiction Counselor Supervisor; works more independently with acquired experience.

• Receives training in agency substance abuse counseling procedures, programs, personnel policies, program guidelines and legal reporting requirements; 
• Receives training in and is given progressively complex assignments involving utilization of interviewing techniques required to assess client information; 
• Assesses strengths, weakness and treatment needs; 
• Provides basic counseling services to a limited number of alcohol and drug dependent clients; 
• Participates in screening clients to determine eligibility for programs; 
• Prepares initial treatment plans as components of a small assigned caseload; 
• Motivates clients to increase their ability to understand and cope with problems, frustration and anxiety; 
• Assists with crisis intervention services in response to emotional and/or physical distress; 
• Assists in maintaining treatment files; 
• Performs greater number of specific and complex counselor duties and maintains a larger caseload as skills are acquired during training program; 
• Performs related duties as required.

• Knowledge of
  • addictions, recovery and/or relapse prevention; 
  • sociological and psychological concepts; 
  • individual and group behavior; 
  • reciprocal relationships between individuals and their social, economic and cultural environment; 
• Skills
  • interpersonal skills; 
  • oral and written communication skills; 
• Ability to
  • relate to different cultural and economic backgrounds; 
  • organize time, set priorities and manage workload.

Three (3) years of experience in paraprofessional casework and/or counseling with some work with clients with behavioral healthcare issues.

NOTE: For state employees this experience is interpreted at the level of a Mental Health Assistant 1 or Veterans Residential Facility Worker.

College training in human behavior may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of three (3) years.

Incumbents in this class will be eligible for promotion without further competitive examination upon completion of the three (3) year period of training and certification or licensure from the Connecticut Department of Public Health as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

Incumbents in this class may be required to perform moderate amounts of lifting or restraining of patients and exposed to communicable and/or infectious diseases and risk of injury from assaultive and/or abusive patients.

This class is intended to permit the Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services and Veterans' Affairs to recruit and train employees for the class of Certified Addiction Counselor. An employee may be appointed to this class for a period not to exceed three (3) years. No exceptions or extensions beyond the three (3) years will be granted.

The replaces the existing specification for the class of Certified Addiction Counselor Trainee (40 Hour) in Salary Group FX 18 approved effective March 23, 2012. (Revised to modernize format and add Acknowledgement section) Final No. 23-204