The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services are looking for a professional who is particularly passionate about substance abuse and addiction work

We are looking for someone with a relevant three-year degree in health, social work, or education at the bachelor’s level or higher. The position is full-time (100%), currently with a 37.5-hour workweek and daytime hours.

About the Position

An exciting full-time (100%) permanent position is available at the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Vestre Toten Municipality.

The Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services are co-located at Fossegård, Raufoss. The service provides support to people with mental health challenges, substance use-related challenges, and complex care needs.

We are seeking a dedicated and professionally skilled employee who wants to help further develop our service. We are particularly interested in strengthening our expertise in substance abuse and are looking for someone with an interest in, knowledge of, or experience working with substance abuse and addiction issues.

The position will also be part of the regular operations of the mental health and substance use service and involves providing follow-up care to clients with various mental health, social, and complex challenges.

Follow-up takes place both at our office in Fossegård and in the service recipients’ homes. The position therefore involves a combination of independent work and close collaboration with colleagues and other services.

Job Responsibilities

• Individual follow-up of service recipients with mental health challenges and/or substance use issues
• Follow-up of individuals with substance use and addiction issues, including service recipients receiving medication-assisted rehabilitation (LAR)
• Counseling, guidance, assessment, and targeted follow-up based on the individual’s needs, resources, and goals
• Follow-up of individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health challenges (ROP)
• Motivating and supporting service recipients in their recovery processes and contributing to increased coping skills and optimal functioning in daily life
• Follow-up at the office and outpatient follow-up at service recipients’ homes
• Collaboration and coordination with primary care physicians, specialist health services, NAV, and other relevant partners
• Collaboration with family members where appropriate and desired by the service recipient
• Contribute to strengthening and further developing the substance abuse treatment work within the service
• Actively participate in professional and service development within mental health and substance abuse treatment

Qualifications

We are looking for candidates with a relevant three-year degree in health, social work, or education at the bachelor’s level or higher.

Relevant continuing education in substance use and addiction, mental health work, or other relevant fields is desirable but not an absolute requirement.

We are particularly interested in applicants who have expertise, experience, and skills in the field of substance abuse and addiction and who can help strengthen our professional work in this area.

Expertise in one or more of the following areas would be an advantage:

• substance use and addiction issues
• medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and follow-up of individuals in medication-assisted rehabilitation
• risk of relapse (ROP) issues
• motivational interviewing (MI) and other change-oriented work
• recovery- and coping-oriented work
• outpatient follow-up
• interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration

At the same time, it is important that you are eager to work broadly with service recipients who have various mental health challenges and complex care needs.

Good oral and written communication skills in Norwegian are required.

Applicants must have strong digital skills and be able to use electronic medical records, digital professional systems, and other ICT tools used in municipal health and social services.

A valid police clearance certificate must be submitted before assuming the position. The police clearance certificate must not be older than three months at the time of submission.

A Class B driver’s license is required.

Experience

Experience working in mental health and/or substance abuse is desirable.

Experience in municipal mental health and substance abuse services, specialized health services, or other relevant services will be an advantage.

Experience working with individuals with substance use and addiction issues, opioid maintenance therapy (OMT), or co-occurring substance use and mental health challenges will be given special consideration.

Personal Qualities

We place great emphasis on personal fit and on how your expertise and experience can complement the overall expertise of the staff team.

We are looking for someone who:

• are professionally committed and wish to develop your skills in mental health and substance use work
• have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build trust over time
• treat people with respect, openness, and clarity
• feel confident when interacting with people who may be facing challenging and complex life situations
• are able to handle both short-term, goal-oriented and long-term follow-up processes where change may take time
• can work independently and in a structured manner, while also being an active part of an interdisciplinary team
• has strong collaboration skills and contributes positively to the professional environment
• is flexible, solution-oriented, and responsible

We are looking for

We are seeking an employee who can bring expertise and skills to the service that strengthen our work with substance use and addiction issues.

At the same time, we are committed to finding a colleague who wants to work broadly within mental health and substance use, and who recognizes the value of holistic and individually tailored care.

Formal education and experience are important, but we will also place significant emphasis on personal suitability, interpersonal skills, and how your expertise can complement our team.

We offer

An interesting and varied workday in an established professional environment with dedicated colleagues.

Independent and varied work tasks and the opportunity to follow service recipients over time.

The opportunity to actively contribute to the further development of substance abuse treatment within the service.

An interdisciplinary work environment focused on collaboration, professional development, and providing quality services to residents.

A good public pension plan.

Salary Terms

The position is compensated in accordance with the applicable collective bargaining agreement, as well as qualifications and experience.

Other

Please log in to the job posting page and submit your resume, etc. If you do not wish your application to be made public, please explain why. This is a requirement under Section 25 of the Public Administration Act. An application may be made public even if the applicant has requested not to be included on applicant lists. You will be contacted if this applies. Certified copies of diplomas and certificates must be submitted upon request.