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Acadia
Knoxville, Tennessee

PRN Therapist

CounselorPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Purpose Statement

Assess, diagnose and provide clinical services for those with behavioral health disorders

Essential Functions

  • Apply psychotherapeutic techniques and interventions in the delivery of services to individuals and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed emotional and behavioral disorders.
  • Conduct a psychosocial assessment and develop an initial discharge plan.
  • Conduct individual, group or family sessions as appropriate for the treatment plan of the patient.
  • Provide initial treatment planning for patient based on assessment and coordinate any additional services needed, revising as necessary.
  • Maintain documentation of therapy services provided to each patient according to facility and professional standards and revising as indicated by facility or professional standard.
  • Maintain a caseload as assigned.
  • Participate in treatment team meetings and collaborate with other staff to facilitate services for the patient, as appropriate to their treatment plan.
  • May provide these services in an inpatient or outpatient setting.
  • May perform case management, discharge or after care planning as needed.
  • Demonstrate a positive, empathetic and professional attitude towards customers always. When patient needs are not met, acknowledge and work to resolve complaints. Recognize that patient safety is a top priority.

Other Functions

  • Perform other functions and tasks as assigned.

Education/Experience/Skill Requirements

  • Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling or Human Services field required.
  • One or more years’ experience working with comparable patient population required.

Licenses/Designations/Certifications

  • Requisite state or national licensure for professional therapy providers or eligible for state licensure as a professional therapy provider.
  • CPR and de-escalation/restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
  • First aid may be required based on state or facility.

While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the requirements of the job, management reserves the right to add or remove duties from particular jobs when circumstances (e. g. emergencies, changes in workload, rush jobs or technological developments) dictate.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment regardless of an individual’s characteristics protected by applicable state, federal and local laws.

Key Responsibilities

The therapist will assess, diagnose, and provide clinical services for patients with behavioral health disorders. Responsibilities include conducting individual, group, or family sessions and maintaining accurate clinical documentation.

Requirements

A Master's degree in Social Work, Psychology, Counseling, or a related Human Services field is required. Candidates must possess or be eligible for state licensure and have at least one year of experience with a comparable patient population.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

PsychotherapyClinical assessmentDiagnosisDischarge planningCrisis interventionCollaboration

Counselor Career Context

Acadia ranks #14 of 29 employers hiring contract/1099 Counselor on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 38% are remote, 28% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.2% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Tennessee is 91.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 58.6% of Tennessee clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Tennessee has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top contract/1099 Counselor Jobs

48 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution48 jobs · 38 employers

14
<$75k
14
$75k-95k
7
$95k-115k
9
$115k-135k
4
$135k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks37 jobs

401k / retirement match
86%
CME allowance
51%
Loan repayment
22%
Sign-on bonus
19%
PSLF eligible
11%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Outpatient Therapist (Licensed Psychologist or LICSW)

Allina Health · Edina, Minnesota

$125k-$140k
#2

Virtual School Based CounselorContract

Lets Therapy · Springfield, Pennsylvania

$66 per hour
#3

Remote Licensed Professional Counselor-Virginia

$66/hr
#4

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Bilingual)

$65/hr
+ 46 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.2this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 8,029 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Knoxville

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$358k
Typical market rent
$1,712/mo
Residents’ average commute
20 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
92.6
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 2026), U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

BEA 2024 · Knoxville, TN metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.