Addiction Counselor – Center for Behavioral Emergency & Addiction Research

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’ resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.

We are hiring immediately for an Addiction Counselor to join the UTHealth Houston Center for Behavioral Emergency & Addiction Research in Houston, TX 77030.  This is a great opportunity for an experienced Licensed Clinical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) to join our team! Ideal candidate will have at least two years of experience in a mental health setting and bilingual Spanish is preferred.

Once you join us you won’t want to leave. It’s because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:  

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees  
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year) 
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue! 
• Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service) 
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan! 

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees’ wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as… 

• Free financial and legal counseling 
• Free mental health counseling services 
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs 
• Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc. 
• Resources for child and elder care 
• Plus many more! 

Position Summary:

Assesses needs, plans treatment, and provides education, and therapeutic services for patients identified as having co-occurring mental health and substance abuse issues.

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Assesses and identifies treatment modalities for patients identified as high-risk for addiction that are enrolled into the HEROES research study. 
• Provides professional drug counseling for opioid addiction and opioid use disorder
• Provides education and support groups for patients with dual psychiatric and substance abuse issues.
• Coordinates individual and family interventions with the treatment team.
• Provides recommendations for aftercare planning in coordination with the treatment team
• Participates in developing project reports, manuscripts, and presentations on program results surrounding drug addiction in Houston

Certification/Skills:

• Current Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor (LCDC) licensure. Prefer somebody with a current Texas Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) certification
• Bilingual Spanish, preferred

Minimum Education:

• Associate’s degree in psychology or related field; graduate degree preferred. Equivalent, related experience may be substituted for the education requirement.

Minimum Experience:

• Two years of experience providing addiction counseling services; experience within a mental health setting preferred.

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds frequently and/or a negligible amount constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This job class may contain positions that are security sensitive and thereby subject to the provisions of Texas Education Code § 51.215

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.