Social Service Counselor 1, 2, 3 - ALEX - Intake - Mental Health

Social Service Counselor 1, 2, 3 - Alex - Intake - Mental Health

Salary $2,784.00 - $5,009.00 Monthly Location Alexandria, LA Job Type Classified Job Number 212984 Department LDH- Central Louisiana Human Services District Opening Date 09/18/2025 Closing Date 10/2/2025 11:59 PM Central

We are looking for a Social Service Counselor 1, 2, or 3 to serve as the first point of contact with patients to intake and refer services to clients applying for admission to the clinic and for clients being released from the hospital. Documents screening and works closely with other clinic staff to schedule appointments to refer to appropriate sources.

Ideal Candidate Competencies

Selected Core Competencies:

• Communicating Effectively: The ability to relay information correctly and appropriately to connect people and ideas.
• Making Accurate Judgments: The ability to form an opinion objectively and decisively based on relevant information and in accordance with established standards.
• Managing Time: The ability to control your time to increase effectiveness, efficiency, or productivity.

Selected Preferred Competencies:

• Accepting Direction: The ability to accept and follow directions from those higher in the chain of command.
• Developing Plans: The ability to prioritize tasks and competing demands to create accurate plans.
• Focusing on Customers: The ability to serve the needs of those who support and/or rely on the services provided.
• Following Policies and Procedures: The ability to comply with policies and procedures of the organization as well as State Civil Service rules, and all applicable federal and state laws.
• Thinking Strategically: The ability to generate insights and identify opportunities for future growth of the organization.
• Using Data: The ability to use relevant and valid data to inform a recommendation for action.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Three years of social services experience; OR
• Six years of full-time experience in any field; OR
• A bachelor's degree.

Experience Substitution: Every 30 semester hours earned from an accredited college or university will be credited as one year of experience towards the six years of full-time work experience in any field. The maximum substitution allowed is 120 semester hours which substitutes for a maximum of four years of experience in any field.

Necessary Special Requirement: Positions that provide addictive disorder counseling or prevention services will require certification or eligibility for certification issued by the Addictive Disorder Regulatory Authority (ADRA), or its successor.

Job Specification

The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.

Job Duties

Coordinates the referral process of all clients requesting services and routing them to appropriate services. This includes taking phone calls, non-emergency walk-in clients and scheduling high risk and priority populations as indicated.

Conducts brief clinical assessment to determine need for admission for mental health and/or substance abuse services.

Assess urgency of need for clinic services and schedule appointments accordingly.

Complete necessary documentation of registration forms and enter client information in Carelogic.

Communicate with referring hospital and/or community agency to assure that appropriate information is obtained in a timely fashion and to address case specific problems with continuity of care.

Make clinical assessments regarding appropriateness of referrals and make alternative referrals as necessary.

Serves as back-up crisis worker.

Address specific problems with access to care with supervisor and/or clinical manager.

Position-Specific Details

Appointment Type: This position may be filled by a probational appointment.

Location: This vacancy is located at the Central Louisiana Human Services District. This announcement serves to fill vacancies in our Caring Choices Clinic in Alexandria / Jonesville.

Compensation: Note regarding the advertised pay range: The advertised maximum amount listed is the maximum salary a person can make while in this title/level over their career and not the maximum amount we are allowed to pay a new hire. Louisiana is a State As a Model Employer (SAME) that supports the recruitment, hiring, and retention of individuals with disabilities.

How To Apply

No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy. To apply for this vacancy, click on the "Apply" link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page. Information to support your eligibility for this job title must be included in the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education). Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections on your application. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.

Contact Information: For further information about this vacancy, contact:

Central Louisiana Human Services District 5411 Coliseum Blvd. Alexandria, La 71303 Shawanda.Gordon@clahsd.org

State of Louisiana offers an outstanding opportunity to make a difference through public service. With an array of career opportunities in every major metropolitan center and in many rural areas, state employment provides an outstanding option to begin or continue your career. As a state employee, you will earn competitive pay, choose from a variety of benefits, and have access to a great professional development program:

• Insurance Coverage
• Parental Leave– Up to six weeks paid parental leave
• Holidays and Leave – State employees receive the following paid holidays each year:
• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,
• Mardi Gras,
• Good Friday,
• Memorial Day,
• Independence Day,
• Labor Day,
• Veteran's Day,
• Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
• Additional holidays may be proclaimed by the Governor
• State employees earn sick and annual leave which can be accumulated and saved for future use. Your accrual rate increases as your years of service increase.
• Retirement – State of Louisiana employees are eligible to participate in various retirement systems (based on the type of appointment and agency for which an employee works). These retirement systems provide retirement allowances and other benefits for state officers and employees and their beneficiaries. State retirement systems may include (but are not limited to): Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (www.lasersonline.org). LASERS has provided this video (https://lasersonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Your_Retirement_System.mp4) to give you more detailed information about their system Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana (www.trsl.org), Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (www.lsers.net), among others