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Thresholds
Kankakee, Illinois

Mental Health Therapist

Counselor / TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$59k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Contribute your substance use treatment skills and experience to make a positive change in your community!

The Center for Mental Wellbeing, Thresholds’ Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) is a one-stop shop for mental health and substance use services based in Kankakee for families and individuals of all ages.

The Center is committed to providing care regardless of ability to pay, and cares for those who are underserved, low income, are insured, uninsured, or on Medicaid. We offer a sliding scale program that provides discounted services to individuals based on family size and income.

As the Substance Use Therapist, you will provide individual and group therapy in the clinic setting to community members with a profound need.

Every week, you will work with individuals with substance use disorders for brief outpatient therapy. Meet clients where they are in their recovery journey, using harm reduction practices to encourage clients in all stages of treatment from preparation to action and relapse prevention.

You will meet face-to-face with the client or guardian to assess needs, identify goals, and develop integrated treatment plans. Often this will look like individual therapy sessions, but you will also provide group therapy, facilitate therapeutic workshops, and encourage clients to attend mutual aid groups. You will also do case consultation and crisis intervention.

The culture at Thresholds is collaborative and supportive, providing you with the tools and resources you need for the best client care. Opportunities for training and professional development, including clinical supervision, will deepen your knowledge and expand your clinical skills in harm reduction, safer substance practices, trauma-informed care, and therapeutic modalities including CBT, DBT, ACT, WRAP, motivational interviewing, and Internal Family Systems.

To Succeed in This Role, You Need

  • Passion for mental health and substance use advocacy
  • Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
  • Good writing skills
  • Strong time management and organization
  • Flexibility to work with different populations and needs (various ages, groups, couples, individuals)
  • Competence with incorporating various modalities into practice
  • Willingness to work 1-2 evenings each week

Requirements

  • Master’s degree in Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, or related field
  • Clinical licensure preferred (LCSW, LCPC, LMFT, LSW, LPC)
  • CADC preferred
  • Prior experience providing substance use treatment preferred

What Sets Thresholds Apart

  • Competitive pay - Base salary: $59,100 annually
  • Commensurate with licensure and experience
  • Generous PTO (9 federal holidays, 8 days of sick leave, 15-22 days personal and vacation)
  • Dental insurance, vision insurance, choice of 4 medical insurance plans
  • 403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match
  • Robust employee assistance program (EAP)
  • Mileage reimbursement
  • Public service loan forgiveness
  • Supervision for clinical licensure at no cost (LSW, LCSW, LPC, LCPC, CADC)
  • Reimbursement for professional licensure and license renewal

Thresholds is a mission-driven agency with a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We foster an environment where all feel valued and respected, a place where every employee can be themselves, thrive, and support the agency’s mission. Click here to learn more.

One of the oldest and largest community mental health organizations in Illinois, we pride ourselves in being a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace and one of Chicago’s 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For, several years in a row.

Key Responsibilities

The Substance Use Therapist will provide individual and group therapy sessions to community members while utilizing harm reduction practices. They are responsible for assessing client needs, developing integrated treatment plans, and facilitating therapeutic workshops.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Counselor Career Context

In Illinois, the Mental Health Therapy weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$68k (348 salary observations; 1,055 listings), vs ~$74k nationally (5,791 salary observations; 23,259 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2025-12-01 through 2026-11-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% are remote, 26% have no call, 66% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$59kMental Health Therapy median $61k (middle half $57k–$69k)10 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Illinois vs national$68k median in Illinois$74k nationally (−8%)348 state / 5,791 national salary observations
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$59k in purchasing powerIllinois index 100.0 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Therapy listings in Illinois331 active7,579 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 40% remote · 26% no call · 66% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentloan repaymentIllinois counselor listings (all specialties): 14% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 19% offer loan repayment540 active listings, Nov 2026
New Mental Health Therapy listings2,476 in the last 30 days1,365 the 30 days before (+81%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Mental Health Therapy pay trend−1.8% 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 Counselor Jobs

35 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

35 jobs · 26 employers
14
<$65k
10
$65k-80k
7
$80k-95k
4
$95k-110k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

28 jobs · 26 employers
401k / retirement match
86% this job
CME allowance
50%
Sign-on bonus
39%
Loan repayment
25% this job
PSLF eligible
25% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

IL Licensed Clinician - LCSW or LPC - Behavioral Health - Pediatrics

Concert Health · Illinois

$57k-$103k
#2

Licensed Therapist (LCSW, LPC, LMFT)

LifeStance Health · St. Louis, Missouri

$80k-$101k
#3

EMDR Therapist

$80k-$101k
#4

Virtual Clinical Therapist (LICSW/LMHC)

$80k-$95k
+ 33 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,558 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Thresholds logo

About Thresholds

Mental Health Care
Chicago, Illinois
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Generous PTO (9 federal holidays, 8 days sick leave, 15-22 days personal and vacation)
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Choice of 4 medical insurance plans
403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match
Robust employee assistance program (EAP)
Mileage reimbursement
Public service loan forgiveness

Living in Kankakee

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$184k≈ 3.1× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,204/mo≈ 24% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
22 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
96.4
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Kankakee, IL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.