State of Maryland

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE      BARGAINING UNIT: E     OVERTIME ELIGIBLE  

The Alcohol and Drug (A/D) Associate Counselor Provisional is the entry level of work at Maryland Department of Health (MDH) designated Court Involved (CI) Facilities, at the noncertified Bachelor’s Degree level, counseling clients with substance use disorders by using intervention, treatment and rehabilitation.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other Alcohol and Drug Counselors.  

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from an Alcohol and Drug Professional Counselor Supervisor or other supervisor approved by the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists.  Employees in this classification may be required to work evenings and weekends.  The work is performed in addictions programs located in State institutions and facilities, such as inpatient and outpatient facilities, halfway house facilities and community-based programs.

Positions in this classification are evaluated using the classification job evaluation methodology.  The use of this method involves comparing the assigned duties and responsibilities of a position to the job criteria found in the Nature of Work and Examples of Work sections of the class specification.  

Learns to provide counseling and case management services to clients with substance use disorders with moderately complex problems as defined by standard treatment criteria;

Learns to provide group counseling to clients with substance use disorders;

Learns to coordinate all treatment activities with services provided to the client by other resources;

Learns to evaluate client progress in implementing the treatment plan and to make appropriate changes to ensure progress;

Learns to screen clients with substance use disorders and to determine the most appropriate initial course of action with regard to substance treatment;

Learns to assess clients with substance use disorders to gather and interpret information necessary for planning treatment and evaluating client progress;

Learns to develop client treatment plans and strategies to obtain the desired treatment outcomes;

Learns to make referrals to facilitate the client's use of available support systems and community resources in response to needs identified in clinical evaluation;

Learns to identify and respond to clients in crises;

Learns to provide life skills education relevant to the recovery process to clients with substance use disorders, their families, significant others and community groups;

Learns to document client information in accordance with accepted principles of client record management;

Learns accepted ethical and behavioral standards of conduct and participates in continuing professional development;

Knowledge of the established diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders, treatment modalities and placement criteria within the continuum of care;

Knowledge of models and theories of addiction and other problems related to substance use;

Knowledge of the social and cultural context within which addiction and substance abuse exist;

Knowledge of the effects of psychoactive substances on the user and their families and significant others;

Knowledge of ethical and behavioral standards of conduct in the helping relationship;

Knowledge of principles of learning and a variety of educational techniques;

Knowledge of medical and pharmacological resources in the treatment of substance use disorders;

Knowledge of methods of measuring treatment outcome;

Ability to learn to ascribe the role of family, social networks, self-help groups and community systems in the treatment and recovery process;

Ability to learn a variety of helping strategies for reducing the negative effects of substance use, abuse and dependence;

Ability to learn to tailor helping strategies and treatment modalities to the client's stage of dependence, change, or recovery;

Ability to learn to adapt clinical practice to the range of treatment settings and modalities;

Ability to learn to apply crisis management skills to client crises;

Ability to learn to provide treatment services appropriate to the personal and cultural identity of the client;

Ability to learn to establish and maintain working relationships with other professionals and agencies;

Ability to learn to apply setting-specific policies and procedures to clinical practice;

Ability to learn to identify the support systems and community resources available to clients, their families and their significant others;       

Ability to learn the federal, State, local and agency policies and procedures governing the delivery of treatment services;

Ability to learn to make constructive therapeutic responses when the client's behavior is inconsistent with stated recovery goals;

Ability to learn to make effective presentations to a variety of audiences;

Education:   A Bachelor’s degree in a health or human services counseling field from an accredited educational institution approved by the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists or completion of a program of studies judged by the Board to be substantially equivalent in subject matter and training.  

Experience: None.

1. In accordance with Health Occupations Title 17 and Code of Maryland Regulations 10.58.07, candidates must apply for and receive a letter of authorization to practice as a trainee from the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists within 90 days of their date of hire.

2. Employees must successfully obtain certification or licensure from the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists as a Certified Associate Counselor-Alcohol and Drug within one year of meeting the experience requirements for Certified Associate Counselor-Alcohol and Drug.

3. Employees in this classification may be assigned duties which require the operation of a motor vehicle. Employees assigned such duties will be required to possess a motor vehicle operator’s license valid in the State of Maryland.

Employees in this classification are subject to substance abuse testing in accordance with Code of Maryland Regulations 17.04.09, Testing for Illegal Use of Drugs.

Class specifications are broad descriptions covering groups of positions used by various State departments and agencies.  Position descriptions maintained by the using department or agency specifically address the essential job functions of each position.

This is a Professional Service classification in the State Personnel Management System.  All positions in this classification are Professional Service positions.  Some positions in Professional Service classifications may be designated as Special Appointment in accordance with the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 6-405, Annotated Code of Maryland.  

This classification is assigned to bargaining unit E, Health Care Professionals classes.  As provided by the State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 3-102, special appointment, temporary, contractual, supervisory, managerial and confidential employees are excluded from collective bargaining.  Additionally, certain executive branch agencies are exempt from collective bargaining and all positions in those agencies are excluded from collective bargaining.