State of Maryland

The Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor Advanced is the advanced level of licensed work at Maryland Department of Health (MDH) designated Court Involved (CI) Facilities, providing counseling services as an expert in a specialty area such as family counseling, co-occurring disorders, or in a defined treatment or population area, to clients with substance use disorders, by using assessment, evaluation, intervention, treatment and rehabilitation. Employees in this classification function as experts in a specialty area and may provide instruction, guidance and consultation to lower-level Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors, and other staff.  Employees in this classification do not supervise other positions.

Employees in this classification receive general supervision from a program administrator. Employees in this classification may be required to work evenings and weekends. The work is performed in State behavioral health programs located in State institutions, facilities and offices including inpatient and outpatient facilities, jails, detention centers, prisons, halfway house facilities and community-based programs.

Positions in this classification are evaluated by 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 Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor Advanced is differentiated from the Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor, in that the Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor Advanced performs an advanced level of work in a specialty area while the Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor performs the full range of duties and responsibilities under general supervision. The Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor Advanced is differentiated from the Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor Supervisor in that the Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor Supervisor has supervisory responsibility for lower-level Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors.

Provides counseling and case management services to clients with substance use disorders as an expert in a specialty area such as family counseling services or services to clients with co-occurring disorders, or in a defined treatment or population area, may act as an instructor and consultant to lower-level alcohol and drug counselors and other staff;

Advocates for client services, collaborates with other disciplines involved in providing client treatment and coordinates all treatment activities with services provided to the client by other resources;

Evaluates client progress in implementing the treatment plan, and makes appropriate changes to ensure progress;

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

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

Develops client treatment plans and strategies to obtain the desired treatment outcomes;

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

Identifies and responds to clients in crises;

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

Documents client information in accordance with accepted principles of client record management;

Provides group counseling to clients with substance use disorders;

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

Performs other related duties.

Knowledge of one or more specialty areas in alcohol and drug counseling, intervention, treatment and rehabilitation;

Knowledge of the philosophy, 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, 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;

Knowledge of a variety of current and emerging helping strategies for reducing the negative effects of substance use, abuse and dependence;

Skill in tailoring helping strategies and treatment modalities to the client's stage of dependence, change or recovery;

Skill in providing treatment services appropriate to the personal and cultural identity of the client;

Skill in adapting clinical practice to the range of treatment settings and modalities;

Skill in applying crisis management skills to client crises;

Skill in applying setting-specific policies and procedures to clinical practice;

Ability to document client-related information accurately;

Ability to make effective presentations to a variety of audiences;

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

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

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

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

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

Education:   Determined by the Maryland State Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists under the requirements for Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LCADC).

Experience: Two years of experience providing licensed professional counseling to clients with substance use disorders by using assessment, evaluation, intervention, treatment and rehabilitation.

Note: Candidates may substitute U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Drug and Alcohol Counseling or Health Care Administration classifications or Mental/Behavioral Health and Drug and Alcohol Counseling or Health Services Administration specialty codes in the health-related field of work on a year-for-year basis for the required experience.   

1. In accordance with Health Occupations Title 17 and Code of Maryland Regulations 10.58.07, candidates placed in this classification must be licensed by the Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists as a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

2. 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 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 classes. 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.

July 1 2021 12:00AM