Substance Abuse Counselor I

Under supervision, performs group and individual counseling services in a San Joaquin County Substance Abuse Program; and does related or other work as required in accordance with Rule 3, Section 3 of the Civil Service Rules.

This is the first level in the Substance Abuse Counselor series. Incumbents assist in providing group and individual counseling to clients experiencing problems related to substance abuse. Incumbents are under close supervision as they are learning to apply principles of substance abuse counseling in various San Joaquin County Substance Abuse Programs. This class is distinguished from the Substance Abuse Counselor II in that the Substance Abuse Counselor II may work independently and \possesses a current Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Counselor certificate issued by a certifying organization approved by the State of California. Typically, upon receipt of an AOD counselor certificate, Substance Abuse Counselor I incumbents advance to Substance Abuse Counselor II.

• Conducts intake interviews; obtains client background information; may complete financial information; collects fees; orients clients on program requirements. 
• Learns to conduct individual and group counseling sessions; discusses individual and family behavioral, social and psychological issues; learns to conduct educational group sessions dealing with legal issues and the effects of alcohol and other drugs. 
• Maintains records of assigned clients; documents progress notes, doctors’ appointments, court appearances, and other pertinent information; prepares routine reports and correspondence. Learns to assist clients to establish plans to address social, cultural, familial and personal factors contributing to substance abuse.
• Learns to identify community resources to refer clients to appropriate resources. May transport clients to various community resources.
• Learns to lead group discussions and education classes; works with groups to provide a supportive environment to encourage clients to remain substance free. 
• Conducts field work to identify clients and high-risk individuals; provides information about community resources and treatment programs available; provides follow-up counseling regarding risks associated with substance abuse; participates in development of programs for high-risk clients including prevention and educational activities with youth in community settings. 
• May verbally explain various written material and instructions for non-English speaking clients and families; assists staff in working with clients of other cultures.
• Learns to provide financial and money management counseling and assistance to clients; reviews client financial resources; may assist clients in filing for benefits and State Disability; may assist clients with budgeting and managing income; coordinates efforts with various social service agencies to ensure proper receipt and accounting of income and expenses. 
• May be assigned to rotating shifts.

Education: Successful completion of 30 semester or 45 quarter units from an accredited college or university which included 12 semester or 15 quarter units in psychology, sociology, counseling, chemical dependency or a closely related field.

Laws, regulations, policies, and procedures relevant to a substance abuse program, including client confidentiality and Counselor’s Code of Conduct; basic principles and techniques of individual and group counseling; physiological, and sociological aspects of alcohol and other drug abuse and dependency; needs, problems, attitudes and behavior patterns of substance abuse clients; principles of public relations; reporting and record-keeping techniques; basic language mechanics; general office procedures; basic computer and modern office automation technology and computer software programs relevant to department operations; community resources and agencies.

Understand and apply regulations, policies, and procedures relevant to a substance abuse program; learn to facilitate individual and group counseling sessions; maintain client confidentiality; learn to analyze and evaluate situations accurately; learn to reason logically and draw valid conclusions; operate computers and related software; establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, co-workers, community agencies and the public; maintain records and write reports; communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

Mobility- frequent sitting for long periods; operate a data entry device; some walking; occasional standing, pushing, pulling, bending, squatting, climbing; driving; Lifting- frequent lifting of 5 pounds or less; occasional lifting of 5-30 pounds; Visual- constant need for good, overall vision and reading/close-up work; frequent need for color perception and use of hand/eye coordination; occasional use of depth perception and peripheral vision; Dexterity- Frequent holding, reaching, repetitive motion, writing. Hearing/Talking- frequent need to hear normal speech, talk/hear on the telephone and talk in person; Emotional/Psychological- frequent public contact, exposure to emotionally charged situations and distraught clients; deal with emergency situations; constant concentration; occasional exposure to trauma, grief, or death; Special Requirements- may require working weekends/nights; working alone; Environmental- occasional exposure to varied weather conditions.

San Joaquin County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, upon request, will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Adopted: 12/12/01
Renumbered: 07/03
Amended: 12/13/06
Amended: 10/13/21

San Joaquin County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer and is committed to providing equal employment to all without regard to age, ancestry, color, creed, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation or belief, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.  For more information go to www.sjgov.org/department/hr/eeo.

Accommodations for those covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA):

San Joaquin County complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and, upon request, will consider reasonable accommodations to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Employees hired into this classification are members of a bargaining unit which is represented by SEIU Local 1021. 

Health Insurance:  San Joaquin County provides employees with a choice of three health plans:  a Kaiser Plan, a Select Plan, and a Premier Plan.  Employees pay a portion of the cost of the premium. Dependent coverage is also available. 

Dental Insurance:  The County provides employees with a choice of two dental plans:  Delta Dental and United Health Care-Select Managed Care Direct Compensation Plan.  There is no cost for employee only coverage in either plan; dependent coverage is available at the employee’s expense.

Vision Insurance:  The County provides vision coverage through Vision Service Plan (VSP).  There is no cost for employee only coverage; dependent coverage is available at the employee’s expense.

For more detailed information on the County’s benefits program, visit our website at www.sjgov.org under Human Resources/Employee Benefits. 

Life Insurance:  The County provides eligible employees with life insurance coverage as follows: 

 1 but less than 3 years of continuous service:                   $1,000
3 but less than 5 years of continuous service:                   $3,000
5 but less than 10 years of continuous service:                 $5,000
10 years of continuous service or more:                           $10,000 

Employee may purchase additional term life insurance at the group rate.

125 Flexible Benefits Plan:  This is a voluntary program that allows employees to use pre-tax dollars to pay for health-related expenses that are not paid by a medical, dental or vision plan (Health Flexible Spending Account $2550 annual limit with a $500 carry over); and dependent care costs (Dependent Care Assistance Plan $5000 annual limit). 

Retirement Plan:  Employees of the County are covered by the County Retirement Law of 1937.  Please visit the San Joaquin County Employees’ Retirement Association (SJCERA) at www.sjcera.org for more information.  NOTE:  If you are receiving a retirement allowance from another California county covered by the County Employees’ Retirement Act of 1937 or from any governmental agency covered by the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS), you are advised to contact the Retirement Officer of the Retirement Plan from which you retired to determine what effect employment in San Joaquin County would have on your retirement allowance.

Deferred Compensation:  The County maintains a deferred compensation plan under Section 457 of the IRS code. You may annually contribute $18,000 or 100% of your includible compensation, whichever is less.  Individuals age 50 or older may contribute to their plan, up to $24,000. The Roth IRA (after tax) is also now available.

Vacation:  Maximum earned vacation is 10 days each year up to 3 years; 15 days after 3 years; 20 days after 10 years; and 23 days after 20 years.

Holidays:  Effective July 1, 2017, all civil service status employees earn 14 paid holidays each year.  Please see the appopriate MOU for details regarding holidays, accruals, use, and cashability of accrued time.

Sick Leave:  12 working days of sick leave annually with unlimited accumulation.  Sick leave incentive:  An employee is eligible to receive eight hours administrative leave if the leave balance equals at least one- half of the cumulative amount that the employee is eligible to accrue.  The employee must also be on payroll during the entire calendar year.

Bereavement Leave:  3 days of paid leave for the death of an immediate family member, 2 additional days of accrued leave for death of employee’s spouse, domestic partner, parent or child.

Merit Salary Increase:  New employees will receive the starting salary, which is the first step of the salary range.  After employees serve 52 weeks (2080 hours) on each step of the range, they are eligible for a merit increase to the next step.

Job Sharing:  Employees may agree to job-share a position, subject to approval by a Department Head and the Director of Human Resources.

Educational Reimbursement Program:  Eligible employees may be reimbursed for career-related course work up to a maximum of $850 per fiscal year.  Eligible employees enrolled in an approved four (4) year College or University academic program may be reimbursed up to $800 per semester for a maximum of $1600 per fiscal year.

Parking Supplemental Downtown Stockton:  The County contributes up to $17 per pay period for employees who pay for parking and are assigned to work in the Downtown Core Area.

School Activities:  Employees may take up to 40 hours per year, but not more than eight (8) hours per month, to participate in their children’s school activities.

Applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will go through the following examination process:

• Written Exam: The civil service written exam is a multiple choice format.  If the written exam is administered alone, it will be 100% of the overall score.  Candidates must achieve a minimum rating of 70% in order to be placed on the eligible list. 

• Oral Exam:   The oral exam is a structured interview process that will assess the candidate’s education, training, and experience and may include a practical exercise.   The oral exam selection process is not a hiring interview.   A panel of up to four people will determine the candidate’s score and rank for placement on the eligible list.  Top candidates from the eligible list are referred for hiring interviews.  If the oral exam is administered alone, it will be 100% of the overall score.  Candidates must achieve a minimum rating of 70% in order to be placed on the eligible list. 

• Written & Oral Exam:  If both a written exam and an oral exam is administered, the written exam is weighted at 60% and the oral exam is weighted at 40% unless otherwise indicated on the announcement.  Candidates must achieve a minimum rating of 70% on each examination in order to be placed on the eligible list.

• Rate-out:  A rate-out is an examination that involves a paper rating of the candidate’s application using the following criteria: education, training, and experience. Candidates will not be scheduled for the rate-out process. 

Note:  The rating of 70 referred to may be the same or other than an arithmetic 70% of the total possible points.

Online Written Exams:  Written exams may be administered online. Candidates will be notified of the examination date and will be responsible to complete the written exam within a given period of time (typically within five calendar days). Candidates are required to read the Online Exam Guide for Test Takers prior to taking an online written exam.

Apply Online:       

www.sjgov.org/department/hr

By mail or in person:  

San Joaquin County Human Resources

44 N. San Joaquin Street Suite 330

Stockton, CA 95202                                  

 

Office hours:               
Monday – Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; excluding holidays.

Phone:  (209) 468-3370 

 

Job Line:

For current employment opportunities please call our 24-hour job line at (209) 468-3377. 

When a final filing date is indicated, applications must be filed with the Human Resources Division before 5:00 p.m. or postmarked by the final filing date. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of an application. Applications sent through county inter-office mail, which are not received by the final filing date, will not be accepted. (The County assumes no responsibility for mailed applications which are not received by the Human Resources Division).  

San Joaquin County Substance Abuse Policy: San Joaquin County has adopted a Substance Abuse Policy in compliance with the Federal Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988. This policy is enforced by all San Joaquin County Departments and applies to all San Joaquin County employees.

Equal Opportunity Employer:  San Joaquin County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer and is committed to providing equal employment to all without regard to age, ancestry, color, creed, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation or belief, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation.  For more information go to www.sjgov.org/department/hr/eeo.