Relief Counselor

Overview

The Wells/Robertson House provides transitional housing for people in recovery from substance misuse and is seeking two part-time Relief Counselors to assist individuals undergoing alcohol/drug treatment or other professional counseling while looking to break the cycle of homelessness. The position assists with a variety of duties which may include counseling individuals and groups on substance abuse, homelessness and mental health matters and helping with a variety of intake, treatment, and discharge procedures.

Hours per week vary based on operational needs; the position may provide on-call, evening, weekend, and holiday shift coverage. Hours will not exceed an average of 27.5 hours per week. Direct deposit of paychecks is a condition of employment for all City of Gaithersburg employees.

• Handle admissions and discharges.
• Transport residents to and from self-help meetings and other meetings and appointments when necessary.
• Prepare counseling assessments and counsel and engage residents.
• Monitor and document patient medication self-administration.
• Facilitate in-house community meetings.
• Provide street outreach to homeless individuals; help them to access needed services and transition from homelessness (Outreach Worker only).
• Provide translation services to assist with call-in/walk-in customers and when assisting with client intake and one-on-one client meetings and street outreach efforts to determine needs, proper referrals, and other support services.
• Respond appropriately to emergencies including contacting appropriate staff and supervisors; interact with emergency responders as needed.

Key job responsibilities are highlighted above; please view the complete classification description for the Relief Counselor I position.

• Possession of a High School Diploma, High School Equivalency Diploma or G.E.D. Certificate.
• Some course work or specialized training in social work, counseling, psychology, or related field preferred.
• Experience in substance abuse/chemical dependency counseling, treatment, and rehabilitation.
• Possession of an appropriate driver's license valid in the State of Maryland.
• Ability to speak, read and write fluently in a language in addition to English (such as Spanish, Chinese, Korean, etc.).
• Or any acceptable equivalent combination of education, experience and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to satisfactorily perform job duties.

Interested applicants must submit a complete online application to be considered.

Review of applications will begin immediately, so prompt application is strongly encouraged. The position will remain open until filled; recruitment will close without notice when a sufficient number of qualified applications are received or all hiring decisions have been made.

Successful candidates will be subject to a background check and drug/alcohol screening. The City has established an alcohol-free, drug-free, and smoke-free workplace which applies to any person employed by, conducting business with, or applying for a position with the City. Each employee, as a condition of their employment, may be required to participate in pre-employment and reasonable suspicion testing. Employees classified as safety sensitive are also subject to immediate post-accident and random testing.

For more information about this position, contact Acting Homeless Services Division Manager Lee Jansky sky or . Questions regarding the online application process may be directed to the Department of Human Resources at  or hr.

This recruitment will establish an eligibility list which will be used to fill the current vacancies and may be used to fill other openings in this classification which occur in the next 6 months.