Substance Use Treatment Specialist

Please utilize the resources, tools, and training opportunities for Substance Use Treatment Specialists offered here.

Role and Summary of Duty

The Substance Use Disorder Specialist on an ACT team must:

  • Have a minimum of one year of training OR clinical experience in substance abuse treatment (individual treatment, group treatment, substance abuse assessment)
  • Training:  Someone with a State certification or licensure in substance abuse counseling meets the training experience requirement.  If the training was not part of State licensure, then the SA specialist must have also received supervision specifically related to the provision of SA services from a licensed SA specialist for one year.
  • Clinical experience:  The clinical experience must have included supervision related to the provision of substance abuse services from a licensed SA provider.  During the one year of clinical experience, the primary job duty of the SA specialist was to provide SA services (i.e. at least 50% of direct service time involved the provision of SA services).
  • Has been trained on and utilizes an evidence based integrated dual disorder treatment model
  • Well versed in stages of change, harm reduction, motivational interviewing ,and matching treatment to stage
  • Performs substance abuse assessments
  • Provides 1:1 substance abuse treatment
  • Facilitates dual disorder treatment groups
  • Expected to spend 80% of their total FTE providing substance abuse treatment services to ACT participants