Licensed Addiction Counselor (LADC, LCADC, CADC, Substance Use Counselor) Recruiters
Healthcare Headhunters recruits healthcare professionals for employers. No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
This is what we do all day: recruit healthcare professionals.
Hire an addiction counselor who can assess clients, lead groups, and document decisions within your program’s daily schedule.
No postings. No stacks of resumes. No chasing. You interview a short list.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Need someone now? Call 305-306-4829.
Get a free talent snapshot · Get a free job description review
What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
- LADC
- LCADC
- CADC
- Substance Use Disorder Counselor
What does an open seat cost you every week?
An open role costs you more than the recruiting fee. Someone covers the work, waits for care, or stops a service. We ask what is falling behind and who is carrying it. Use your own figures to compare the cost of waiting with the cost of hiring.
The seat is costing you every week.
Overtime, diverted patients, a stretched team and a schedule held together by favors.
The posting brought the wrong people.
Applicants arrive, but the person who has done this exact work is employed and not looking.
You are the one chasing.
Screening calls, no-shows and follow-ups land on the desk of someone with a facility to run.
What does this hire really come down to?
An LADC, LCADC, CADC, or substance use disorder counselor may assess new clients, lead scheduled groups, complete notes, and discuss level-of-care findings with the treatment team. We screen beyond the title match, so you spend interviews on people whose past work resembles the job.
A group-heavy IOP role differs from residential work with repeated client contact. An opioid treatment program may place more weight on recurring observations and team communication. The right background depends on the work you assign, not years in the field alone.
ASAM experience deserves direct questions. Ask what information the counselor gathers, how they record their rationale, and who reviews a recommendation. Your clinical leaders decide whether the candidate’s judgment fits your program. We screen credentials, work history, and fit before presentation, while you complete credentialing and clinical assessment.
We arrange locum tenens, travel and contract coverage on request. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts.
What do we check before you see anyone?
State addiction counselor credential. We confirm the credential listed, the issuing state, and current status. Where a state calls for a license, we ask whether the candidate holds that license. We also ask about independent practice or supervision in their recent position.
- ASAM criteria and level-of-care work. We ask the candidate to describe a past assessment process, including records reviewed and questions asked. We ask how they documented the recommendation and what happened when available information did not support a clear decision.
- Leading groups. We ask how the counselor opens a session, states participation limits, and redirects cross-talk. If one participant challenges another or disrupts the discussion, we ask what the counselor does, records, and brings to another staff member.
- Documentation patterns. We ask how individual and group notes connect with treatment-plan goals, attendance, and stated client progress. We also ask what must be completed before shift end and what conditions have delayed notes in prior roles.
- Professional boundaries. Residential programs can involve repeated contact outside formal sessions. We ask how the candidate responds when a client seeks special access, draws staff into peer conflict, or presses for an exception after a difficult group.
- Medical-team handoffs. If your program includes medication management, we ask how the counselor reports observations to authorized medical staff. This distinguishes a clear referral process from someone claiming authority outside their role.
Where do we find them, and why would they move?
We recruit from residential, PHP, and IOP treatment centers, as well as opioid treatment programs. Those source pools produce different work histories. Residential counselors may know extended daily contact. PHP and IOP counselors may know fixed group schedules and frequent client transitions.
People may consider a move for practical reasons. They may want a different group calendar, clearer supervision, fewer assessment duties, or a role with more individual work. We ask what they want to change and what they want to retain before presenting them.
Which mistakes stall the search?
A common mistake is treating LADC, LCADC, and CADC titles as interchangeable without checking state status and your supervision structure. Another is interviewing a group-heavy candidate without asking how they respond when peer conflict takes over the room. First, define what takes most of this counselor’s shift.
Waiting until an offer to explain note volume, rotations, assessment duties, and medical-team communication.
How would we run the search for this opening?
Tell us how the counselor’s week is divided among assessments, groups, individual sessions, notes, and team meetings. We present candidates whose stated credential and work history align with your opening. We discuss the candidate’s reasons for moving, compensation expectations, and your work pattern before an offer.
Map the actual shift
Tell us who reviews level-of-care decisions. We use those details in our first conversations.
Review screened candidates
Before presentation, we ask whether recent duties included ASAM assessments, discharge planning, family communication, court-related documentation, relapse-prevention groups, telehealth sessions, co-occurring-disorder documentation, admissions coordination, or escalation to supervisors after safety concerns. You choose who advances, conduct interviews, and complete your own credentialing and clinical review.
Make terms clear
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire.
Where this search connects
National median annual wage. SOC 21-1018, Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors.
The published occupation matches Licensed Addiction Counselor (LADC, LCADC, CADC, Substance Use Counselor). BLS wages are not a specific employer offer.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025-05, released 2026-05-15. View source. See the full guide.
Open roles
Not ready to start a search?
Get a free talent snapshot
We tell you where qualified Licensed Addiction Counselor (LADC, LCADC, CADC, Substance Use Counselor) are working in your area and what it takes to move them. No fee. No obligation.
Get a free job description review
Paste or upload the JD. We flag unclear scope, requirements and terms that may put strong candidates off. No fee. No obligation.
Should we search by LADC, LCADC, CADC, or substance use counselor?
Use the title recognized in your state and describe the actual duties. We search relevant alternate titles, then screen against the credential and supervision model you specify. A familiar title alone does not show that someone can perform your assigned work.
Can you screen for ASAM experience?
Yes: we ask about information gathering, documentation, and communication with the treatment team. Your licensed leaders determine whether the person’s background and judgment meet your clinical standards.
What should we disclose about a group-heavy opening?
Describe the group schedule, participant mix, note expectations, and who can assist when a session becomes disruptive. Candidates can better assess the role when they know whether groups or individual work fill most of the day.
Can we request contract, travel, locum, or per diem coverage?
Yes, coverage is available on request. Credentialing, licensing and malpractice coverage are confirmed per engagement before anyone starts.
How do permanent-search terms apply to a counselor who conducts assessments and leads groups?
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What should you send us about this role?
Send us the role, where the person will work and what needs to change with this hire. We will ask about the work, not just the title. Share any license or schedule limits that could rule someone out before we begin the search.
Tell us how your counselor spends the shift, who reviews assessments, and how groups fit into the schedule. We will start a focused permanent search.
No upfront fee. You pay only if you hire. We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement.
What happens next
- We review your role, responsibilities and location.
- Ivan or a senior team member will reach out soon.
- You meet a focused shortlist when qualified candidates fit the agreed search.
- Fees.
- No upfront fee. Pay only if you hire, under the signed agreement.
- Exclusivity.
- Set out in the signed client agreement.
- Confidentiality.
- We agree the brief before outreach. This is not a promise of absolute anonymity.
- No hire.
- No hire means no fee on standard searches.
Which other positions in this family should you consider?
Associate / Pre-Licensed Therapist (LMSW, LPC-A, AMFT, Registered Intern) · Peer Recovery Specialist (Peer Support Specialist)
What do you get at each step of the search?
Our process for every search: calibrate the seat with you, map the market, research the real people, reach out to each one personally, qualify them in live conversation, then hand you a short list with a written brief on each person and support through the offer.
Search Calibration
You get an agreed brief: the work, reporting line, credentials, schedule, and offer you can make.
Market Mapping
You get a search aimed at relevant backgrounds, including people working now who have not applied.
Professional Contact Intelligence
We check appropriate ways to reach the people identified for your search. You do not have to chase them yourself.
Persistent Personalized Outreach
We explain your actual job and follow up with people who may consider a conversation.
Live Candidate Qualification
You see people we have spoken with about the work, interest, and practical fit, not an unread resume pile.
Candidate Intelligence and Process Support
You get a written brief and support through interviews and offer discussions. You make the hiring decision.
How long will it take to see a short list?
That depends on the job, schedule, available people, and what your employer can offer. We discuss those constraints before outreach and update you as candidates respond. We do not promise a fixed shortlist date. We check the job brief before arranging interviews. Tell us which parts of the role you can change.
What if a candidate receives a counteroffer?
We ask why the person wants to move and discuss competing decisions before an offer. A counteroffer can still change their choice. Keep the duties and offer clear rather than assuming more money settles every concern. Tell us early if parts of your offer cannot change, so the candidate hears it from us first.
What are the replacement terms?
We offer a candidate replacement guarantee on standard search agreements. The applicable period and exact terms are set out in the signed client recruiting agreement. Ask us to walk through those terms before you sign, so you know how a replacement would work for your opening and who would start it.
What do we not do in a standard permanent search?
We do not bill standard contingency search by the hour or simply repost your job. Temporary coverage is a separate arrangement. Any retainer or different engagement must be agreed, not assumed. Tell us early if you need coverage while the permanent search runs.