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Magellan Health
Columbia, South Carolina

Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill

Counselor / TherapistIncludes weekendsNo callContract

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

Weekend work is also flagged as required; confirm which days and how often.

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 53m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Candidates must reside near Fort Jackson or Shaw AFB, or be willing to make themselves local. Candidates must be independently licensed to practice as a mental health counselor, therapist, or social worker in the state of South Carolina.

Candidates must be available Monday-Friday (and occasional weekend assignments) of varying durations, such as on-demands (1-2 days), or surges and backfills (ranging from one week to 30 days), with the possibility of longer assignments based on program needs.

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) will provide coverage in short-term, surge and on demand situations resulting from the Military needs such as a post-deployment event or to cover an existing assignment for counselors who are absent.

The Summer ARC counselor position covers assignments during the May 15th through September 15th time period, coinciding with the school summer break.

With minimal guidance and oversight, provides the full breadth of Adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to military service members and their families at military installations.

These services may include non- medical counseling, training/health and wellness presentations, consultation with parents, personnel at child daycare centers and schools, and consultation to installation command regarding behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and their family members.

ARC CYB counselors may be assigned to DoDEA schools and community schools and will need to have experience working in a school setting to qualify for ARC role in backing up a school position. CYB counselors may also be assigned to youth programs, summer camps, and on demand assignments.

ARC adult counselors may be assigned to support MFLC services in a variety of military community and readiness centers, as well as on-demand and surge assignments.

The counselors work closely with the installation and military branch Points of Contact (POC) to assure that the program is provided within scope and meets the needs of the installation.

Provides non-medical, short term, solution focused, counseling directly to adults, children, and youth of service members. Services include assessment, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referral to resources (assuring linkage as appropriate), and follow-up as indicated.

CYB counselors will also have a focus on supporting the staff and personnel of CDCs, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs and summer camps as well as providing parent training and guidance.

Provides training and health and wellness presentations, participate in health fairs and other base/installation activities.

Enters counselor activity data daily through smart phone or web application assure that reporting is accurate from assigned installation while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity of service / family member.

The job duties listed above are representative and not intended to be all-inclusive of what may be expected of an employee assigned to this job. A leader may assign additional or other duties which would align with the intent of this job, without revision to the job description.

Other Job Requirements

Responsibilities

  • Master’s Degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health related field, or social work.
  • With short notice, willing to accept assignments of undefined periods to include weekends.
  • Can cover, on a full-time basis, assignments of varying length from a weekend to two weeks.
  • Quickly builds rapport with service personnel clients, family members, students, parents and co-workers.
  • Adaptable to new working conditions, varying location rules, etc.; adjusts working style to align with each work environment.
  • Able to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
  • Listens carefully to instructions provided.

With minimal notice, participates in regular in-services/training, Quality Improvement committees or other contract activities as assigned.

Requires ability to quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses or children as assigned, in order to accomplish job functions, and to respond quickly to emergent situations in any physical location on a military installation and/or within a school setting, which includes the need to traverse short and/or long distances within the base to both indoor and outdoor locations, to maneuver through rugged, outdoor or uneven locations (e. g., steep inclines, stairs, grass), and work in outdoor weather and other military base conditions.

Due to the nature of working on military installations or related worksites, counselors may need to comply with various site-specific requirements to work at designated locations. For example, for some assignments, counselors will need to have certain current immunizations or vaccinations and provide record of receipt.

  • Ability to prove US Citizenship and must be fluent in English.
  • Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
  • Prior military service/military family member and/or strong familiarity with military culture desired.

For CYB positions must meet the Magellan MFLC CYB criteria for experience with children and youth and specialty in child and adolescent development/psychology.

Creates a presence on the installation in which the service and family members feel comfortable approaching the counselor and recognize the program to be confidential; for CYB counselors -- creates a presence in child and youth settings, is available to children, youth, and staff. When working with children, counselor must abide by line of site protocol.

Establishes and maintains working relationships with community resources and provides appropriate linkages.

Partners with POC to provide Adult and CYB services in a manner that addresses the needs of the installation/facility. Develops an excellent working relationship with the installation/facility POC.

Manages duty to warn and restricted reporting situations according to DoD protocol and staffs the cases with Regional Supervisor/Regional Director.

Communicates with Regional Supervisors and participate in regular individual and group supervision, sharing information regarding trends and issues on the installations and in facilities to which they are assigned for substitute or on call services.

Responds to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.

  • General Job Information
  • Title
  • Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill
  • Grade

MFLC ARC

  • Work Experience - Required
  • Clinical
  • Work Experience - Preferred
  • Education - Required
  • Master's - Behavioral Health, Master's - Social Work
  • Education - Preferred

License and Certifications - Required

Current licensure required for this position that meets State, Commonwealth or customer-specific requirements - Care MgmtCare Mgmt, DL - Driver License, Valid In State - OtherOther, LPC - Licensed Professional Counselor - Care MgmtCare Mgmt, Must be an independently licensed behavioral health clinician - Care MgmtCare Mgmt

License and Certifications - Preferred

This is a Service Contract Act (SCA) covered position. The pay rate and health and welfare allowance are specified in the applicable wage determination agreement.

Magellan Health, Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Tobacco-free workplace. EOE/M/F/Vet/Disabled.

Every employee must understand, comply with and attest to the security responsibilities and security controls unique to their position; and comply with all applicable legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements and internal policies and procedures.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in a mental health-related field and possess an independent clinical license in South Carolina. Applicants must be able to work on-site at military installations and demonstrate experience in behavioral health or social work.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Mental health counselingCrisis interventionSolution-focused therapyBehavioral health assessmentCase managementMilitary culture familiarityParent consultationDocumentationInterpersonal communicationAdaptability

Clinical Psychology — Counselor Career Context

The cost-of-living index for South Carolina is 93.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 60.6% of South Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Clinical Psychology listings this role was benchmarked against, 52% are remote, 50% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

What does the Clinical Psychology market look like in South Carolina?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score7.2 / 10 · top 25% in clinical psychology (counseling)ranked against 339 Clinical Psychology (Counseling) listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Cost of livingSouth Carolina index 93.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Clinical Psychology listings in South Carolina8 active362 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 52% remote · 50% no call · 60% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedSouth Carolina Counselor listings: 8% state a sign-on bonus · 15% offer loan repayment126 active listings, Nov 2026
New Clinical Psychology listings222 in the last 30 days93 the 30 days before (+139%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Clinical Psychology pay trend−3.3% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (339 Clinical Psychology (Counseling) listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill at Magellan Health a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 25% in Clinical Psychology (Counseling) — ranked against 339 active Clinical Psychology (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties.

Top contract/1099 Counselor Jobs

33 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

28 jobs · 24 employers
7
<$75k
7
$75k-95k
8
$95k-115k
6
$115k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

19 jobs
401k / retirement match
89%
CME allowance
53%
Loan repayment
21%
Sign-on bonus
16%
PSLF eligible
5%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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Adjuvant Behavior Health · Huntington, West Virginia

$60-$62/hr
#2

Remote Licensed Professional Therapist

Adjuvant Behavior Health · Dallas, Texas

$60-$62/hr
#3

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW - LPCC - LMFT

$74k-$126k
#4

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
+ 31 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.7this job 7.2
Better work-life than 80% of Clinical Psychology (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 339 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No call
  • Includes weekends

Living in Columbia

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$218k
Typical market rent
$1,500/mo
Residents’ average commute
18 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
93.7
State income tax
Up to 6.5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Columbia, SC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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