Adolescent LADC or ADC-T Counselor

$60,000-$68,000/year | Health, Dental & Vision Insurance | Flexible 4- or 5-Day Workweek | Dakota County / Hastings, MN

Lionheart Wellness & Recovery is seeking a Minnesota LADC or ADC-T to provide substance use disorder treatment primarily within the Dakota County Juvenile Detention Center.

This is not a traditional outpatient counselor position.

Your primary responsibility will be providing in-house substance use disorder treatment to adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system, including group and individual counseling, assessments, treatment planning, treatment coordination, and transition planning.

You'll become part of an established partnership between Lionheart and Dakota County while joining a small, collaborative treatment team specializing in substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health needs.

If you connect well with teenagers, believe relationships are central to effective treatment, and want to make an impact with young people at a critical point in their lives, we'd like to meet you.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

The majority of this position will be dedicated to providing adolescent SUD treatment within the Dakota County Juvenile Detention Center.

Responsibilities include:

• Facilitate adolescent substance use disorder treatment groups
• Provide individual SUD counseling
• Conduct comprehensive substance use disorder assessments
• Develop and update individualized treatment plans
• Complete treatment plan reviews and other required clinical documentation
• Provide treatment coordination and case management services
• Participate in discharge and transition planning
• Help adolescents identify practical recovery goals and develop skills they can use after leaving detention
• Collaborate with Dakota County staff, probation and corrections professionals, families, schools, community providers, and other supports when appropriate
• Help create continuity of care as youth transition from detention back into the community
• Provide occasional adolescent services within Lionheart's community-based programming as needed

This position is about much more than delivering curriculum.

We want a counselor who can build relationships, understand what may be happening beneath a young person's behavior, maintain strong professional boundaries, and adapt treatment to the adolescent in front of them.

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Required:

• Current Minnesota LADC license or ADC-T credential
• Ability to meet Minnesota requirements for providing substance use disorder treatment to adolescents
• Required education in adolescent development, including the applicable 30 hours of adolescent development education
• Strong communication, organization, and documentation skills
• Ability to work effectively with adolescents who may initially be resistant, guarded, court-involved, or uncertain about treatment
• Ability to collaborate professionally with juvenile justice and community partners
• Dependability, flexibility, and sound professional judgment

Preferred:

• Experience working with adolescents
• Experience in juvenile justice, corrections, schools, residential treatment, community-based treatment, or similar settings
• Experience working in a Minnesota 245G program
• Experience treating substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health needs
• Strong group facilitation skills
• Experience engaging families and other natural supports
• Dual SUD/mental health credentials or progress toward a mental health license

You do not need to check every preferred-experience box to apply.

A strong ADC-T who connects well with adolescents, is eager to grow, and wants excellent supervision and support may be just as interesting to us as an experienced LADC.

A SCHEDULE THAT CAN FIT YOUR LIFE

This is a full-time salaried position, but we don't believe full-time has to mean a rigid Monday-through-Friday schedule. Depending on candidate availability and program needs, the position can generally be structured as either a 4-day workweek or a 5-day workweek.

We will work with the selected candidate to develop a consistent schedule that supports both the juvenile program and the employee. Some flexibility may occasionally be needed for programming, meetings, assessments, or client needs, but our goal is to create a schedule that is predictable and sustainable.

COMPENSATION

$60,000-$68,000 annually. Starting salary is based on licensure, experience, adolescent treatment experience, and overall qualifications.

BENEFITS

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development opportunities
• Clinical support and consultation
• LADC supervision for eligible ADC-T employees
• Flexible 4- or 5-day workweek
• Opportunities for professional growth as Lionheart continues to expand

At Lionheart, you can have the flexibility, access to leadership, and influence of a smaller organization without giving up core benefits like health, dental, and vision insurance.

WHY LIONHEART?

Lionheart Wellness & Recovery is a locally operated Minnesota 245G substance use disorder treatment program providing outpatient treatment to adults and adolescents.

We're intentionally smaller than many behavioral health organizations. That means our counselors aren't just names on an organizational chart. You'll know your clinical leadership, have a voice in how services are delivered, and work closely with the people making decisions about the program.

At Lionheart, you'll have the opportunity to:

• Do meaningful work with adolescents who may have had limited success with traditional treatment
• Work within an established partnership with Dakota County
• Develop specialized experience at the intersection of adolescent treatment, substance use disorders, mental health, and juvenile justice
• Work closely with an interdisciplinary team
• Receive direct clinical consultation and support
• Receive supervision toward LADC licensure when applicable
• Participate in continuing education and professional development
• Help improve and refine adolescent treatment programming as our services grow

We value clinicians who are compassionate without being passive, structured without being rigid, and able to see potential in young people even when those young people are having difficulty seeing it themselves.

ABOUT LIONHEART WELLNESS & RECOVERY

Lionheart provides substance use disorder treatment for adults and adolescents with an emphasis on individualized, relationship-based care and co-occurring mental health needs.

Our adolescent services are designed around a simple reality: teenagers do not always walk into treatment asking for help. Effective adolescent counseling requires patience, creativity, authenticity, consistency, strong boundaries, and the ability to build trust.

We believe adolescents deserve treatment that sees them as more than a diagnosis, court case, substance use history, or difficult behavior.

JOB DETAILS

Job Type: Full-time

Salary: $60,000-$68,000 per year

Schedule: Flexible 4- or 5-day workweek

Primary Population: Adolescents

Primary Setting: Dakota County Juvenile Detention Center

Secondary Setting: Lionheart adolescent outpatient/community programming as needed

Work Arrangement: In person

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYMENT

Lionheart Wellness & Recovery is committed to providing a workplace where people are treated with dignity and respect. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, performance, character, and organizational needs without discrimination based on any status protected by applicable law.

Qualified applicants with disabilities may request reasonable accommodations during the application or employment process.

People with criminal records are encouraged to apply when their history does not prevent them from meeting applicable licensing, background study, facility-access, or employment requirements.

APPLY

If you're an LADC or ADC-T who wants to work with adolescents and make a meaningful difference within the juvenile justice system, we'd like to hear from you.

Submit your resume through Handshake to start the conversation.