State of Maryland

The PSCS Alcohol and Drug (A/D) Professional Counselor Provisional is the entry level of work, at the non-licensed Master’s Degree level, counseling clients with substance use disorders by using intervention, treatment and rehabilitation in the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (PSCS).  Employees in this classification do not supervise other PSCS Alcohol and Drug Counselors.  

Employees in this classification receive close supervision from a PSCS 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 State addictions programs located in State institutions, facilities and offices including jails, detention centers, prisons, 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 classification specification.  

The PSCS Alcohol and Drug Professional Counselor Provisional and PSCS Alcohol and Drug Professional Counselor are differentiated on the basis of license and supervisory control exercised by the supervisor over these employees.  The PSCS Alcohol and Drug Professional Counselor Provisional is non-licensed and learns to perform duties under close supervision.  The PSCS Alcohol and Drug Professional Counselor is licensed and performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision.

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

Learns to advocate for client services, collaborate with other disciplines involved in providing client treatment and coordinate all treatment activities with services provided to the client by other resources;   

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

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, and community groups;

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

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

Performs other related duties.    

Knowledge of the philosophies, practices, policies and outcomes of the most generally accepted and scientifically supported models of treatment, recovery, relapse prevention, and continuing care for addiction and other substance-related problems;

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;

Knowledge of federal, State, local and agency policies and procedures governing the delivery of treatment services;

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

Ability to learn to apply research findings and outcome data to improve clinical practice;

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

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 make effective presentations to a variety of audiences;

Ability to learn to accurately document client-related information;

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

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

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

Ability to learn to establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship with clients with substance use disorders and their families and significant others;

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

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

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

Education:  A Master’s or Doctorate degree in a health or human services counseling field from an accredited college or university 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 placed in this classification 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 Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor within one year of meeting the experience requirements for Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor.  

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.

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 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 Professional. As provided by 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.              

Employees in this classification are eligible to receive overtime compensation.  An employee who works more than the normal workweek is entitled to be compensated for that overtime as provided by State Personnel and Pensions Article, Section 8-305.