This recruitment is being conducted to establish a pool of EXTRA-HELP (intermittent/ temporary) candidates for the Case Management and DUI programs of the Department of Health Services. The employment list established from this recruitment may also be used to fill future extra-help vacancies as they occur during the active status of this list. These are intermittent positions that require the availability to work all hours, days, and shifts. Please note that the employment list established from this recruitment will not be used to fill regular, permanent vacancies. Note: We also have a bilingual (Spanish/English) recruitment open at this time. If you are bilingual, please apply through that recruitment exam.

Important Information: These vacancies willl be focused on Drinking Driver Programs and therefore the California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs require two years of experience which meets the requirements of Title 9 of the California Code of Regulations in providing services to persons with alcohol and/or drug problems.

The Alcohol & Other Drug Services (AODS) Counselor I, under supervision, provides case management, individual, group, and family counseling, education, and evaluations to clients of the Alcohol & Other Drug Services Division of the Department of Health Services; and performs related duties as required. 
 
Please complete the required supplemental questionnaire.
 
Extra-Help Intermittent Employment:
Extra-help employees relieve or augment permanent staff.  Intermittent, extra-help employees are not in the classified civil service and do not have property rights to permanently allocated positions. In addition, they do not receive most regular employee benefits such as: long-term disability insurance coverage; accrual of vacation and sick leave; participation in the County retirement program; or eligibility to take promotional examinations.  Intermittent, extra-help employees are limited in their employment to a maximum of 1,380 hours within any twelve month consecutive period.  Extra-help employees who meet the eligibility requirements (generally worked 11 consecutive pay periods with a minimum of 440 hours and are scheduled at least 40 hours per pay period) qualify for a 80% County contribution toward employee-only Kaiser Health Plan. Dependent coverage is also available at employee's cost. 

Working Knowledge of: the needs, problems, attitudes and behavior problems of the alcohol and drug abusing person; basic principles of individual and group behavior; socio-economic, environmental, and cultural factors affecting the behavior of alcohol and drug abusing persons; principles and techniques of group, family and individual counseling; laws, rules, regulations and department policies related to client confidentiality; counseling techniques related to the treatment of alcohol and other drug abusing clients; services and resources provided through other governmental agencies and community-based organizations.
 
Knowledge of: County program policies and procedures; court procedures and etiquette; County, State and Federal laws governing public alcohol and other drug abuse programs.
 
Ability to: understand and apply County alcohol and other drug program policies and procedures; provide consultative services in complex situations involving behavioral and physiological conditions of the alcohol/drug client; evaluate the behavioral and physiological conditions of the alcohol/drug client; coordinate the delivery of alcohol and other drug abuse services; analyze situation accurately and adopt an effective course of action; recognize problems which call for the use of public and private community resources; effectively listen, mediate and resolve complaints; read, interpret, apply, and explain complex regulations and reports; communicate effectively with persons from a variety of social, cultural, and economic backgrounds; establish and maintain effective work relationships with all types of persons encountered in the course of work; develop rapport and maintain cooperative relationships with clients and service providers; read, understand, apply and explain regulations and procedures governing job training programs; work effectively as part of a multi-disciplinary team; use computers and related equipment as necessary for job assignments.

Education and Experience: Any combination of training and experience that would provide the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed. A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be either:
 
One year of experience with responsibilities involving alcohol and drug treatment and education programs and academic coursework in sociology, psychology, alcohol and other drug services and other closely related fields.

OR 

Some experience with responsibilities involving alcohol and other drug treatment and education programs and possession of a bachelor’s degree in sociology, psychology, alcohol and other services drug treatment or other closely related fields. 

Additional requirements for these Drinking Driver Program (DDP) positions: California State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs require two years of experience which meets the requirements of Title 9 of the California Code of Regulations in providing services to persons with alcohol and/or drug problems.

License:  Possession of a valid driver's license at the appropriate level including special endorsements, as required by the State of California, may be required depending upon assignment to perform the essential job functions of the position.

Special Qualification:  All employees of this class must register, obtain, and maintain a Counselor Certification as defined by the California Code of Regulations, Chapter 8:  Certification of Alcohol and Other Drug Counselors.  Upon appointment to this class, employees will have six months to register and five years to obtain Certification from an ADP approved certifying organization whose curriculum includes a minimum of 240 hours of formal classroom training.  Human Resources will waive the Counselor Certification requirement for licensed professionals (or registered interns) who successfully pass a written examination similar to that administered for Certification.  This examination will be administered by the Sonoma County Human Resources Department, and will be designed to measure those areas included in the curriculum required for certification. 
 
Additional Special Qualification: Some positions may require the ability to fluently speak and write a language other than English.

Application Instructions:
The information contained in the application and responses to the supplemental questions will be evaluated and taken into consideration throughout the employment process. Applicants should list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of your application and be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions. You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position for which you are applying. If you held multiple positions with one employer, please list each position separately. Failure to comply with these instructions may impact your competitiveness in this process or may result in disqualification.

Please complete the required supplemental questionnaire. 

An Application and Supplemental Questionnaire Appraisal (pass/not pass) will be conducted to evaluate each applicant's combination of educational coursework, training, experience, knowledge, and abilities which relate to this position to ensure satisfaction of the minimum qualifications for this position.  Candidates who possess the minimum qualifications for the position will be placed on an Extra-help employment list and referred to the department.  The department may contact candidates from the employment list who possess the most appropriate job-related qualifications for further consideration.

A background investigation may be required prior to employment. Candidates referred to departments for a selection interview are typically required to sign authorization and release forms enabling such an investigation. Failure to sign prescribed forms will result in the candidate not being considered further for that vacancy.  Reference information will not be made available to applicants.

Additionally, a pre-employment medical examination, including a drug and alcohol screening, will be required prior to employment.

Applications are accepted on-line at www.jobaps.com/sonoma.  Paper applications may be submitted by person, fax (707-565-3770), email, or through the mail.  Continuous recruitments may close without notice at any time that a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received.  Applications received after the recruitment closes will not be accepted.

The County of Sonoma is committed to a policy and actively pursues a program of equal employment and non-discrimination.