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Centra Care
Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Psychotherapist | Behavioral Health Observation Unit

CounselorIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$37.29-$55.93/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

Come make a difference as a Psychotherapist with our Behavioral Health Observation Unit at the St. Cloud Hospital - CentraCare. Be part of our team providing diagnostic, psychological, or biopsychosocial evaluation and executing therapeutic treatment toward defined goals.

You will make an impact by helping to strengthen motivation and commitment to specific change goals through a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication using motivation interviewing and evidence-based psychotherapy.

Schedule

  • Full time | 80 hours every two weeks
  • Day & evening shifts | 10-hour shifts
  • Rotating weekends and holidays
  • Additional compensation awarded for evening and weekend hours
  • St. Cloud Hospital | on-site | Behavioral Health Observation Unit

Pay and Benefits

  • Psychotherapist starting pay begins at $37.29 per hour; exact wage determined by years of related experience.
  • Salary range: $37.29 - $55.93 per hour
  • Full-time benefits: medical, dental, PTO, retirement, employee discounts and more!
  • $6,000 hiring bonus for those hired into a Psychotherapist role (with current MN license of LP, LICSW, LMFT, or LPCC)!

Qualifications

  • Master’s Degree in Psychology, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy or related Human Services field required.
  • State of Minnesota licensure required, need to have one of the following:
  • The Board of Psychology as a Licensed Psychologist (LP) or the Board of Social Work at Independent Clinical level (LICSW) or the Board of Marriage and Family Therapy as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) or the Board of Behavioral Health & Therapy as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC).
  • Minimum of one-year experience required.
  • Requires successful compliance with Minnesota Law, Chapter 372 relating to sexual exploitation of patients by staff providing psychotherapy services.

To be eligible for the hiring bonus you must be an external candidate who is hired into an eligible full or part-time benefited position. Previous employees qualify if they have not worked for CentraCare for at least 9 months at the date of hire. CentraCare pay incentives to include but not limited to, hiring bonuses may be discontinued at any time due to business needs

CentraCare has made a commitment to diversity in its workforce. All individuals including, but not limited to, individuals with disabilities, are encouraged to apply. CentraCare is an EEO/AA employer.

Key Responsibilities

Provide diagnostic, psychological, and biopsychosocial evaluations to patients in the Behavioral Health Observation Unit. Execute therapeutic treatments and use motivational interviewing to help patients achieve specific change goals.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Diagnostic EvaluationCollaborative Communication

Counselor Career Context

Centra Care ranks #5 of 26 employers hiring Counselor on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 48% are remote, 32% have no call, 66% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Minnesota is 98.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$97k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $98k in an average-cost state. 63.4% of Minnesota clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

37 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution37 jobs · 29 employers

12
<$80k
9
$80k-95k
5
$95k-110k
6
$110k-125k
5
$125k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks33 jobs · 29 employers

401k / retirement match
94%
Sign-on bonus
42% this job
CME allowance
27%
Loan repayment
24%
PSLF eligible
24%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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#2

Bilingual School Based Behavioral Therapist (English/Spanish)

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$83k-$149k
#3

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW/LPCC/LMFT

$74k-$126k
#4

Clinical Director - LMFT, LCSW, LPCC

$112k-$126k
+ 35 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 1.5
Below most Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 8,026 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
  • Includes weekends

Living in St. Cloud

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$252k
Typical market rent
$1,244/mo
Residents’ average commute
20 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
104.8
State income tax
Up to 9.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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