Salary : $67,672.00 - $107,323.00 Annually
Location : 8818 Georgia Ave Silver Spring MD 20910 USA
Job Type: Permanent
Job Number:
Department: Department of Health and Human Services
Division: HHS 60 Behavioral Health and Crisis Services Division
Opening Date: 07/08/2026
Closing Date: 7/22/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
FLSA: Exempt

About the Position
Please note: The salary range above represents this position's earning potential. The anticipated hiring range for this position will be $67,672 to $103,266, based on the candidate's qualifications and experience.
What You'll Be Doing
This is full performance professional level work providing substance abuse assessment, short-term alcohol and drug counseling, case management services to clients with substance use disorders, and/or crisis intervention services to clients in a community crisis center, shelter, or other health/social service setting. Provides short term counseling and/or crisis intervention, as necessary to assist individuals through the client-counselor relationship to define goals and make decisions relating to substance abuse; plan a course of action reflecting the needs, interests and abilities of the individual relating to substance abuse; and use informational and community substance abuse resources relating to personal, social, emotional, educational, and vocational development and adjustment.
Under clinical supervision, provides:

• Provides screening, comprehensive assessment of substance abuse and dependency, and referral for drug testing and substance abuse treatment and/or mental health counseling, and follow-up.
• Maintains client case load and monitors compliance with substance abuse treatment and other requirements or recommendations.
• Collects data and maintains necessary case work files and records to document client progress for review with senior program staff; prepares appropriate reports and statistics for local and state agencies.
• Observes established policy and procedures to document casework including the use of an automated information systems record keeping and sharing of information, and attention to daily work activities.
• Assists with other activities as assigned, data collection/entry, and collaborative service meetings.

Certification: This position requires possession and maintenance at all times a Certification, in the State of Maryland, as a Certified Supervised Counselor, Alcohol/Drug (CSC-AD); or, Certified Associate Counselor, Alcohol/Drug (CAC-AD). Maryland Department of Health Certified Supervised Counselor-Alcohol and Drug
This position requires the ability to attend meetings or perform work at locations outside the office.
A criminal background check will be conducted on the selected candidate prior to appointment and will be a significant factor in the hiring decision.
Telework: This position may be eligible for limited hybrid telework, after the initial training period and in accordance with departmental policies and operational needs
Bilingual applicants in the Spanish/English languages are encouraged to apply.
Minimum Qualifications
Experience: None beyond that required to obtain, in the State of Maryland certification as Certified Supervised Counselor, Alcohol/Drug (CSC-AD); or, Certified Associate Counselor, Alcohol/Drug (CAC-AD).
Education: None beyond that required to obtain, in the State of Maryland, certification as Certified Supervised Counselor, Alcohol/Drug (CSC-AD); or, Certified Associate Counselor, Alcohol/Drug (CAC-AD).
Equivalency: None.
LICENSE: Certification, in the State of Maryland as a Certified Supervised Counselor, Alcohol/Drug (CSC-AD); or, Certified Associate Counselor, Alcohol/Drug (CAC-AD).

• Note: There will be no substitutions for this section.

Medical Protocol: This position requires successful completion of a pre-employment medical evaluation, which includes a physical examination and drug screening.
Preferred Criteria, Interview Preferences
The applications of those individuals meeting the minimum qualifications will be reviewed to determine the extent, relevancy of training, and experience in the following areas:

• Experience providing substance use screenings and assessments to individuals
• Experience engaging clients in person-centered service plans
• Experience collaborating with partners in community behavioral health or social service settings
• Experience learning and navigating service delivery systems to help clients accomplish goals
• Experience recording work in electronic systems such as electronic health records
• Experience working well in a busy multitask service environment as part of a professional team
• Experience providing Spanish language communication in a professional work setting

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

The Office of Human Resources (OHR) reviews the minimum qualifications of all applicants, irrespective of whether the candidate has previously been found to have met the minimum requirements for the job or been temporarily promoted to the same position. This evaluation is based solely on the information contained in the application/resume submitted for this specific position.

All applicants will respond to a series of questions related to their education, relevant experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities required to minimally perform the job. The applicant's responses in conjunction with their resume and all other information provided in the employment application process will be evaluated to determine the minimum qualifications and preferred criteria or interview preference status. Based on the results, the highest qualified applicants will be placed on an Eligible List and may be considered for an interview. Employees meeting minimum qualifications who are the same grade will be placed on the Eligible List as a "Lateral Transfer" candidate and may be considered for an interview.

This will establish an Eligible List that may be used to fill both current and future vacancies.

If selected for consideration for this position, you may be required to provide evidence that you possess the knowledge, skills, and abilities indicated on your resume.

Montgomery County Ethics Law: Except as provided by law or regulation, the County's "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriff's office) are subject to the County's ethics law including the requirements to obtain advanced approval of any outside employment and the prohibitions on certain outside employment. The outside employment requirements of the ethics law can be found at 19A-12 of the County Code. Additional information about outside employment can be obtained from the Ethics Commission website.
Leave Benefits

Our generous leave package starts with non-MLS permanent and term employees earning 15 days of sick leave and 15 days of annual leave in their first year, as well as up to three additional personal days each calendar year. Positions in MLS earn 35 days of paid time off each year. In addition, we offer all employees 10 paid holidays. Our leave policies adhere to the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993, and we provide six weeks of paid parental leave for new parents.

Retirement Benefits

All permanent and term positions are eligible for robust retirement plans. Public safety positions are eligible for a defined benefit pension plan in which they are vested after only five years. Employees in non-public safety positions can participate in retirement plans that contribute up to 12 percent of their annual salary. All employees can also participate in a supplemental retirement plan, the 457 Deferred Compensation Plan, to contribute even more to their retirement goals.

Tuition Assistance & Student Loan Forgiveness

Montgomery County employees are eligible to participate in the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Participants who meet all requirements may qualify for forgiveness on the remaining balance on their Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan while working full-time in a qualifying public service position. To learn more about PSLF, please visit the Student Loan Repayment Benefits page. Our tuition assistance program allows you to receive up to $2,130 annually in tuition assistance to help you achieve a degree that supports your career path.

Free Mass Transit Benefit

County employees are entitled to use the RideOn Bus service for free with a valid County-employee ID. This benefit can be used any time of the day or evening, including weekends. We also offer a pre-tax flexible spending account to reduce the cost of other mass-transit options such as MARC trains and Metro.

Reduced Child and Health Care Costs

Working for Montgomery County also entitles permanent and term employees to participate in healthcare and childcare Flexible Spending Accounts. These plans allow eligible employees to save on a pretax basis for healthcare and dependent care costs incurred during the plan year.

Employee Wellbeing

We deeply care about your holistic wellness. Our award-winning wellness program, LiveWell, will support you in improving and maintaining your physical, mental, financial, social, and intellectual well-being.

Learn more about our wonderful benefits available to you once you join our team. Montgomery County Benefits
01

MQ Question BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ASSOCIATE COUNSELOR (002760)

Do you currently possess a Maryland certification as a Certified Supervised Counselor-Alcohol/Drug (CSC-AD) or Certified Associate Counselor-Alcohol/Drug (CAC-AD)?

• Yes
• No

02

MQ Question BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ASSOCIATE COUNSELOR (002760)

Please list your certification type (CSC-AD or CAC-AD), your license or certification number, the expiration date, and any related trainee authorization previously held, and identify the position(s) on your resume where this certification was required or applied in practice. If you do not have certification in this area, indicate "N/A.".
03

Are you a current or former Montgomery County Public Schools employee?

• Yes
• No

04

Select the one response that best describes your experience providing substance use screenings and assessments to individuals.

• I have no experience providing substance use screenings or assessments.
• I have assisted with basic substance use screenings under supervision using structured questions or simple screening tools in a community or clinical setting.
• I have independently conducted substance use screenings and assessments using established tools such as standardized intake instruments in outpatient shelter or community programs and documented findings for supervisory review.
• I have conducted comprehensive assessments evaluated severity of substance use disorders formulated recommendations for treatment placement and coordinated assessment results with treatment partners or multidisciplinary teams.
• I have trained staff in screening or assessment procedures contributed to development of assessment protocols or conducted quality reviews of assessment documentation.

05

Please describe the types of screenings and assessment tools you