Substance Use Specialist (Young Adult ACT)

Organization Overview: The Goddard Riverside Community Center (Goddard Riverside) and the Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center (Isaacs Center) are well-established Manhattan community-based agencies that support services to approximately 30,000 New Yorkers. We are two of New York City’s leading human services organizations meeting the needs of children, youth and families, homeless individuals, and older adults through-out Manhattan and New York City. We work every day for a fair and just society where all people have the opportunity to make choices that lead to better lives for themselves and their families. The Isaacs Center focuses primarily on the needs of children and low-income families, out-of-school and out-of-work youth, and aging New Yorkers. We operate at community centers located in the neighborhoods of East Harlem and Yorkville, and seek to deliver programs that are impactful, innovative, and intergenerational.

Program Description: The Young Adult Assertive Community Treatment Team (YACT) is a unique and nontraditional licensed outpatient psychiatric clinic specifically for individuals between the age of 18-25, who have demonstrated a high service need with multiple hospitalizations, emergency room visits and difficulty maintaining stability in the community. YACT is derived from the nationally recognized Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model and an evidence-based practice. The YACT Team serves clients who when referred are residents of Manhattan.

Position Summary: The Substance Use Specialist is responsible for providing counseling, case management services and daily support regarding substance abuse and co-occurring issues. The Substance Use Specialist is an active member of the multidisciplinary ACT treatment team with a specialization in co-occurring disorders.

Schedule: Monday-Friday (9:00am - 5:00pm)

Salary Range: $55,489 - $65,000

Candidates must have the required qualifications to be considered for the position. The salary offer will be based on the candidate’s number of years experience in the exact or comparable position and additional preferred qualifications will be taken into account.

Role, Responsibilities, and Essential Duties

1) Substance Abuse Services

• Plan, lead and document activities for Co-Occurring Disorder (COD).
• Attend OMH and other training programs on Substance abuse services. 
• Research substance abuse services and serve as liaison to treatment programs.
• Serve as a consultant to the ACT team on Substance Use and Harm reduction services

2) Provide case management services

• Carry a caseload of ACT clients
• Perform client assessments and formulate treatment goals
• Facilitate client participation in entitlement programs, psychiatric services, medications management, rehabilitation and other activities
• Refer clients to community health services
• Accompany clients to appointments as needed
• Communicate regularly with clients’ families about their needs and progress
• Serve as liaison to other service providers
• Maintain up-to-date client case records according to program guidelines
• Visit clients in residential facilities, hospitals, on the street and in other locations
• Rotate on-call service after outside work hours

3) Participate as an ACT team member

• Attend staff meetings, case conferences, and training programs to upgrade skills and knowledge
• Attend supervision meetings to review client progress and case management strategies
• Work collaboratively with ACT team staff in a team case management model

4) Other duties as required

Qualifications/Educational Requirements

• Master's degree in social work or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)
• CASAC preferred

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities

• Experience working with individuals with serious mental illness and those with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders
• Experience conducting substance use assessment and identification of Substance Use Disorders (SUD), including tobacco, alcohol, and opioid use disorders preferred
• Understanding of principles and practices of harm reduction model preferred
• Training and/or experience in integrated mental health and substance use services preferred
• Experience understanding various evidence-based models and theories pertaining to trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, stage-wise approach to treatment of substance use and serious mental illness preferred

Computer Skills Needed: To perform this job successfully, an individual should be:

• Able to work in the Microsoft Office Suite, should especially be proficient in Word and Outlook
• Able to use or learn to use AWARDS database
• Able to use or learn other electronic databases, programs, and funder-related software as needed such as CAIRS, NYCMED and NIMRS

Physical Requirements

• Walking; Climbing stairs occasionally

Work Environment

• Field & Office work

We are committed to building an inclusive workplace community grounded in respect for differences. We support hiring a broadly diverse team of qualified individuals who will contribute to our organizations.

Goddard Riverside and Isaacs Center provide equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of duties and responsibilities that will be required of this position and title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description. This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.