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Legacy Health
Portland, Oregon

Behavioral Health Technician

Behavioral Health TechFull-Time

Listed compensation

$28.47-$40.71/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

We remain committed to raising the standard of behavioral health care for individuals in our community affected by mental illness. Finding the right people to join our team is essential to achieving this goal.

If you thrive in a collaborative environment and are passionate about making a difference, consider joining us as a Behavioral Health Technician. Help us build a qualified, integrated team dedicated to delivering high-quality behavioral health services.

Responsibilities

Under direct supervision and collaboration with the multidisciplinary treatment team, this role provides coordination, implementation, and milieu observation in keeping with the general treatment mode of the program in which employed.

The values of teamwork, respect, caring, effective use of resources, and initiative are integrated comprehensively into the performance standards for Behavioral Health Technicians.

May render services and supports within their scope to individuals and groups engagement according to the approved behavioral health services by patients’ provider.

Qualifications

Education:

High school diploma with an active certification in QMHA, or a bachelor’s degree in one of the following majors required:

Addiction Counseling/Services; Applied Behavioral Science; Pre-Art Therapy, Art Therapy; Behavioral Analysis; Behavioral Biology; Behavioral Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Child Development; Child and Family Studies/Services; Cognitive Sciences; Community Behavioral Health; Community Mental Health; Counseling (MH, Vocational, Pastoral, Criminal Justice, etc.); Counselor Education; Early Childhood Development; Education (with a focus in psychology, school counseling, and/or special education); Educational Psychology; Exercise Science; Family Development/Relations; Forensic Psychology; Gerontology; Health and Human Services; Health Psychology; Human Development; Human Services; Mental Health; Neuroscience (Cognitive/Behavioral); Nursing; Occupational Therapy; Organizational Psychology; Play Therapy; Psychiatric Rehabilitation; Psychology; Public Health/Community Health; Rehabilitation; Social Psychology; Social Work-BSW; Sociology degrees with an emphasis in Psychology; Therapeutic Recreation; Vocational Rehabilitation

Experience

Three years’ experience with current QMHA required, or a bachelor’s degree with no experience required.

Skills

Keyboard skills and ability to navigate electronic systems applicable to job functions.

Ability to work with a wide range of individuals daily. In addition to working on the adult or pediatric mental health unit, the Behavioral Health Technician could be assigned in the emergency department’s mental health suite to work closely with the Emergency Mental health suite RN in managing the milieu in the ED and assisting with tasks outlined by the ED RN.

Ability to take direction from the RN. Provide patient care under the direct supervision of the RN, with indirect supervision of mental health skills by an employed Mental Health Professional.

Ability to observe and report on patient conditions, changes, and collaborate with treatment team in developing treatment plans, under the direction of an RN.

Ability to be sensitive to needs of these patients and alerts care team leaders of a change in status of the patients on the inpatient psychiatric unit.

  • Ability to maintain standards and systems for care delivery for your department.
  • Ability to promotes the development and safety of the residents.
  • Demonstrated ability to practices good handwashing techniques, follows Universal Precautions.

Ability to assess and ensure the needs of the residents are being met in relation to clothing, linens, and personal hygiene supplies.

Ability to provide appropriate crises intervention by anticipating and responding quickly to escalating behaviors.

Ability to use active listening skills and appropriate tone and volume of voice, while offering a variety of positive coping skills.

Ability to follow program schedule/milieu with minimal supervision.

Licensure

Healthcare provider Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required.

Individuals with current Qualified Mental Health Associate (QMHA) Registration and Certification in the state of Oregon, or who are qualified for recertification without restriction, meet the qualifications for this role if they have followed the QMHA-R Degree Path, required within 12 months of hire.

If the employee has a bachelor’s degree in the above degrees listed in education section, they are not required to have the QMHA certification. If the employee does not have a bachelor’s degree in listed above in the education section, they are required to have a QMHA certification.

Pay Range

USD $28.47 - USD $40.71 /Hr.

Our Commitment to Health and Equal Opportunity

Our Legacy is good for health for Our People, Our Patients, Our Communities, Our World. Above all, we will do the right thing.

If you are passionate about our mission and believe you can contribute to our team, we encourage you to apply—even if you don't meet every qualification listed. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone can grow and succeed.

Legacy Health is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits unlawful discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion or creed, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

To learn more about our employee benefits click here: legacyhealth.org

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Behavioral health supportCrisis interventionMilieu managementElectronic health recordsObservation and reportingTreatment plan collaborationSafety monitoringHygiene assistanceDe-escalation techniquesCommunication

Behavioral Health Career Context

Of the 40 active Behavioral Health listings this role was benchmarked against, 70% have no call, 63% require no weekends.

Behavioral Health pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Behavioral Health by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$59k–$85kBehavioral Health median $42k (middle half $37k–$47k)684 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$70k in purchasing powerOregon index 103.4 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Work settingon-sitepeers: 70% no call · 63% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedUS healthcare professional listings (all specialties): 4% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 12% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Behavioral Health listings861 in the last 30 days503 the 30 days before (+71%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Behavioral Health pay trend−1.0% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Behavioral Health Tech Jobs

24 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

23 jobs · 20 employers
5
<$40k
5
$40k-45k
8
$45k-50k
2
$52k
3
$55k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

14 jobs
401k / retirement match
100% this job
CME allowance
36%
Sign-on bonus
14%
PSLF eligible
14%
Loan repayment
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Behavioral Health Technician - Float Pool

Essentia Health · Duluth, Minnesota

$23.28-$34.63/hr
#2

Behavioral Health Technician

Centurion Health · Taylorville, Illinois

$26.91-$28.58/hr
#3

Therapeutic Recreation Behavioral Health Technician (BHT)

$23-$27/hr
#4

Behavioral Health Technician

$16-$25/hr
+ 22 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 1.5this job 1.5
Below most Behavioral Health listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,195 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Legacy Health logo

About Legacy Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Portland, OR
5,001-10,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
Retirement Plan
Paid Time Off

Living in Portland

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$523k
Typical market rent
$1,719/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
105.4
State income tax
Up to 9.9%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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