Behavioral Health Associate Counselor, Grade 20

Behavioral Health Associate Counselor, Grade 20

Salary

$67,672.00 - $107,323.00 Annually

Location

8818 Georgia Ave Silver Spring MD 20910 USA

Job Type

Permanent

Job Number

2026-00349

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

• Description
• Benefits
• Questions

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.

WHO WE ARE

Montgomery County is located adjacent to Washington, D.C., and with over one million residents, is the most populous County in the State of Maryland. The County is also the most diverse County in the State and ranks among the top ten most diverse Counties in the nation. Montgomery County contains many major U.S. government offices, scientific research and learning centers, and business campuses.

The Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for delivery of the County's public health and human services that meets the needs of our community's most vulnerable children, adults and seniors. The Department provides services through more than 120 programs at more than 20 locations. With over 2,000 employees, the Department of Health and Human Services is the largest County Department.

As a department, we believe the health and wellness of the county can only be achieved by ensuring that every resident has fair opportunities to reach their fullest potential. This means access to quality housing, transportation, education, employment, health care, human services, safe neighborhoods, and healthy food. HHS provides critical services for residents who face a variety of obstacles in achieving their full potential. HHS plays an essential role in building a healthy and strong community.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services is seeking qualified and dedicated Case Manager who is passionate about helping homeless individuals thrive in their mental health and addiction journey. If you are looking to make a meaningful impact while growing your professional skills then please apply for our Behavioral Health Associate Counselor position, in the Access to Behavioral Health Services of Behavioral Health and Crisis Services. At Access to Behavioral Health, we believe in creating supportive and collaborative environment where both our clients and our staff feel empowered.

What Youll 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.

Montgomery County Government(MCG) is an equal opportunity employer, committed to workforce diversity. Accordingly, as it relates to employment opportunities, the County will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, in accordance with the law. Applicants requiring reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process should email OHR at Hiring@montgomerycountymd.gov. Individual determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made in accordance with all applicable laws.

MCG also provides hiring preference to certain categories of veterans and veterans/persons with a disability. For more information and to claim employment preference, refer to the Careers webpage on Hiring Preference.

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 applicants 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 Countys "Public Employees" (which does not include employees of the Sheriffs office) are subject to the Countys 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 used the clinical settings the populations served and how you used assessment findings to guide referrals or service planning and identify the position(s) on your resume where this work was performed. If you do not have experience in this area indicate "N/A."

06

Select the one response that best describes your experience engaging clients in collaboratively developed person-centered service plans.

• I have not participated in client service planning.
• I have assisted clients with identifying basic needs and goals while supporting a case manager or counselor in completing simple service plans.
• I have independently developed person-centered service plans with clients by identifying strengths barriers and goals and documented action steps for follow up.
• I have facilitated complex service planning discussions with clients experiencing co-occurring needs coordinated with partner providers to align goals and adjusted plans based on client progress.
• I have trained others in person-centered planning developed or improved service planning workflows or templates or led case reviews emphasizing person centered practice.

07

Please describe the types of service plans you developed the approaches used to support client participation the types of goals addressed and how you monitored progress and identify the position(s) on your resume where this work was performed. If you do not have experience in this area indicate "N/A."

08

Select the one response that best describes your experience collaborating with community partners such as social services mental health providers substance use programs or other behavioral health partners.

• I have not collaborated with community partners in behavioral health or related settings.
• I have communicated basic client information to partner agencies or accompanied clients to appointments as directed.
• I have coordinated with community providers to exchange information support referrals or assist clients with accessing services.
• I have taken a lead role in coordinating care with multiple providers participated in multidisciplinary meetings or resolved service barriers across agencies.
• I have developed or strengthened collaboration processes that facilitated interagency case reviews or represented my program in formal partner meetings or workgroups.

09

Please describe the partner organizations you worked with the types of coordination activities you performed the communication methods used and the typical goals of collaboration and identify the position(s) on your resume where this work was performed. If you do not have experience in this area indicate "N/A."

10

Do you have experience learning and navigating service delivery systems such as behavioral health social services housing or community support systems to help clients accomplish identified goals?

• Yes
• No

11

Please describe the systems or networks you navigated the types of client goals you supported the steps taken to resolve service barriers and the methods used to track task completion and identify the position(s) on your resume where this work was performed. If you do not have experience in this area indicate "N/A."

12

Do you have experience recording work in an electronic system such as an electronic health record case management database or other service tracking system?

• Yes
• No

13

Please list the electronic systems you used the types of entries or documentation you completed and your level of responsibility when using these systems and identify the position(s) on your resume where this work was performed. If you do not have experience in this area indicate "N/A."

14

Do you have experience working in fast-paced service environments where multitasking and teamwork were essential?

• Yes
• No

15

Please describe the types of tasks you managed simultaneously the nature of the team environment the tools or strategies used to stay organized and the types of situations requiring rapid coordination and identify the position(s) on your resume where this work was performed. If you do not have experience in this area indicate "N/A."

16

Are you bilingual in Spanish and able to speak read and write Spanish in a professional setting?

• Yes
• No

17

Please describe your Spanish speaking reading and writing proficiency the types of professional tasks interactions or services you provided in Spanish and any work settings in which you used Spanish and identify the position(s) on your resume where this work was performed. If you are not bilingual in Spanish indicate "N/A."

Required Question

Employer Montgomery County (MD)

Address 101 Monroe Street

7th Floor

Rockville, Maryland, 20850

Phone 240-777-0311

Website https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/ohr