Summary
U-turn is a leading organisation in developing pathways out of homelessness. We are looking for an addiction counsellor to join our operations in Pretoria. Initially, they will be assisting with the in-house primary recovery programme as part of U-turn’s second phase intervention programme, as well as providing individual and group therapy as part of the 3rd phase intervention programme. Starting date: 1 September, location Bosma Street Pretoria. This is a full-time onsite position and will initially be offered as a one-year contract.
This position
This person will run processes and skills groups as well as see individual clients with a range of intervention needs. Diagnoses range from substance dependency, personality disorders, depression and anxiety disorders to trauma processing and debriefing. The successful candidate will need experience in addiction treatment and will benefit from having experience in CBT and DBT training. Clients will be in a strong clinical case-magnet structure with either an Occupational Therapist or training case-workers, and where indicative, will be referred to the counsellor for additional intervention as and when needed.
Background
U-turn is a thriving non-profit that exists to equip homeless people with the skills to overcome homelessness. Founded in 1997, we believe in life after homelessness. We believe that every homeless individual is intrinsically valuable and should have access to an effective pathway that addresses their physical, spiritual and emotional needs so they can leave the streets and become a long-term productive member of society.
To help homeless people overcome homelessness we operate a phased approach that includes rehabilitation from substance abuse, counselling, life-skills training and sheltered work placement in one of our social enterprises. This allows candidates to test and apply the training they’ve received. Through this process, the programme inculcates a healthy work ethic, furnishes modern job skills and gives 18-24 months of real work experience so that individuals can graduate and be gainfully employed in the modern South African economy.
The programme is yielding wonderful results. Our candidates typically graduate into open market employment and show an above 85% long-term success rate! We are actively working to expand the programme to more locations in Cape Town and across South Africa.
Service Centres
U-turn’s Service Centres provide services to people living on the streets in order to prepare them for and to support them on a journey of change. This includes providing food and clothing (and in some cases access to a shower and a bed for the night), therapeutic and development-based interventions, and recovery support for those struggling with substance abuse. The ultimate aim of the Service Centre is to prepare individuals to participate in our work-based rehabilitation programme.
Work-Readiness Programme
The work-readiness programme is tasked with providing work-based rehabilitation and skills
development training that prepares clients for graduation into employment and reintegration into the community. One day per week, each client attends a training day where they access group therapy delivered by an interdisciplinary team, individual counselling and input using a specially designed curriculum. This cycle of learning and application follows a graded approach and continues for as long as needed (on average 18 months). Case-managers coordinate the entire intervention programme for the clients and work in close collaboration with the worksite managers.
Transitional Accommodation
Due to the nature of our long term interventions we run transitional accommodation in the form of group homes where clients accessing our Work-readiness program can move into when leaving homeless shelters. These homes are managed by a house-manager that along with service centre staff, works-site managers and therapeutic staff forms the client-facing team assisting the clients along the full Life Change journey.
Key areas of responsibility
Facilitate and co-facilitate process and skills groups (or any other groups)
Provide individual counselling to referred clients
Provide Crisis intervention to clients when needed
Join panel discussions and Interdisciplinary meetings
Assist programme managers to coordinate and provide staff training on recovery and therapeutic approaches
Provide recovery support to clients that have relapsed
Take part in programme development
Experience and Skills
Relevant counselling certification (the following certification will be considered: HPCSA, Relevant ACCSA certification)
Registration with relevant counselling boards (BAPSA, HPCSA, etc.)
At least 3 years of experience working in the field of addiction
Experience working with clients with a variety of diagnosis’
Personal Attributes
Passion for U-turn’s mission and values.
Strong Communication skills with a collaborative mindset.
Adaptability and resilience in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Organisational Fit (where applicable)
If in Recovery - actively engaged in own ongoing recovery, accessing accountability support and practicing recovery behaviour
If employed as a Professional - affiliation with professional board, continued personal development and accessing supervision
Gospel orientation - connected to a local fellowship of believers, reading the Bible and
grounded in Gospel-motivated Social Action
Next Steps
Candidates interested in this position should apply online at The letter of motivation should be approximately 1 page in length and include information on why you would like to work at U-turn and how you fulfil the required knowledge skills set outlined above. Please note that applications without a letter of motivation will not be considered. IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD FROM US WITHIN 4 WEEKS, PLEASE CONSIDER YOUR APPLICATION UNSUCCESSFUL
Job Type: Full-time
Work Location: In person
Expected Start Date: 2025/09/01
