Senior Behavioral Health Therapist and Program Lead

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$70,133+

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 24m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Job Posting Title

Hiring Department:

Position Open To

Weekly Scheduled Hours

40

FLSA Status: Earliest Start Date:

Position Duration

Location: Job Details:

General Notes

Dell Medical School is seeking a Senior Behavioral Health Therapist and Program Lead.

This is a state funded position with an end date of 8/31/2027, renewable based upon availability of funding, work performance, and progress toward goals.

Purpose

This role supports mental health programs and initiatives developed through the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium, with a focus on improving the quality and accessibility of mental health care for children and adolescents across Texas.

The Senior Behavioral Health Therapist and Program Lead (LCSW-S or LPC-S) works as part of an interdisciplinary, team-based program supporting the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) initiative and similar programs, which provide telemedicine or telehealth programs to school districts to help identify and assess the behavioral health needs of children and adolescents and provides access to mental health services.

Reporting to the Behavioral Health Manager or LCSW/LPC Training Manager, this position provides mental health therapy to children, adolescents, and their families, and provides oversight and supervision to LPC-As and LMSWs delivering program services, in alignment with licensure requirements.

Responsibilities include conducting behavioral and mental health assessments, developing treatment plans, providing brief interventions, and participating in interdisciplinary team consultations.

The Senior Behavioral Health Therapist and Program Lead also leads training efforts and uses data to inform and enhance programming.

This role supports the expansion of high-quality mental health care, promotes collaboration among care teams, and ensures services are delivered in alignment with professional, ethical, and clinical standards.

Responsibilities

  • Provides Direct Clinical Services
  • Evaluates and provides diagnostic impressions.
  • Formulates treatment plans according to evidence-based practices and protocol.
  • Conducts individual, family, and group therapy sessions as needed.
  • Monitors patients for suicidal/homicidal intent and ensures patient safety if necessary.
  • Undertakes crisis intervention, as needed.

Maintains Clinical Documentation and Compliance

  • Participates in supervision, feedback, and quality assurance checks.
  • Maintains client records and performs data entry as required by protocol.
  • Completes documentation in the clinical record related to interaction with individuals-served, families, and other service providers in an accurate and timely manner.
  • Ensures documentation is in accordance with professional ethics and both federal and state regulations.

Provides Clinical Supervision

  • Provides clinical supervision to at least one team member pursuing independent licensure, under a Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council-approved plan, in accordance with licensure requirements (LPC-S for LPC-As; LCSW-S for LMSWs).
  • Regularly provides individual and/or group supervision and participates in training to support supervisee.
  • Reviews documentation and closes supervisee’s session notes.
  • Provides feedback and recommendations regarding documentation.
  • Delivers Clinical Guidance and Staff Support
  • Serves as a clinical lead.

Works closely with social workers and/or professional counselors to provide mentorship, support, and consultation.

Provides guidance, direction, debriefing, clinical staffing, and support to staff, including care coordinators.

Assists with coverage, staffing, and workflow optimization.

Participates in Integrated Care and Professional Development

Provides expert care for patients with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions, addressing psychosocial factors.

Applies clinical experience, condition-specific training, and certifications to contribute to improved healthcare outcomes.

  • Participates in meetings, continuing education opportunities, and academic and research activities.
  • Attends training workshops, interdisciplinary meetings, and client staffing as required.

Contributes to Projects and Quality Improvement

  • Participates in the development and implementation of projects.
  • Leads or contributes to committees and workgroups focused on clinical or operational initiatives.
  • Engages in quality improvement activities that analyze professional practice, outcomes, and efficiencies.
  • Participates in peer review and chart review processes.
  • Supports staff education and clinical guideline development.
  • Contributes to continuing education and quality assurance efforts.

Marginal or Periodic Functions

  • Responds to behavioral health emergencies and performs crisis interventions.
  • Participates in research activities or pilot programs.
  • Attends professional development conferences and maintains continuing education.
  • Assists with grant writing or program funding proposals.

Performs related duties as required.

  • KNOWLEDGE/SKILLS/ABILITIES
  • Clinical Expertise
  • Demonstrates deep knowledge of mental health disorders and therapeutic modalities
  • Applies evidence-based practices consistently.
  • Tailors interventions to different populations.
  • Maintains current knowledge of clinical literature.

Interpersonal Savvy

  • Relates well to all kinds of people; builds rapport and trust.
  • Listens actively and empathetically.
  • Navigates sensitive conversations with professionalism.
  • Builds collaborative relationships across disciplines.

Developing Others

  • Provides constructive feedback and coaching to support growth.
  • Offers supervision aligned with licensure standards.
  • Creates learning opportunities for junior staff.
  • Encourages reflective practice and skill development.

Problem Solving

  • Uses logic and analysis to address complex clinical issues.
  • Assesses risk and determines appropriate interventions.
  • Synthesizes information from multiple sources.
  • Develops creative solutions for challenging cases.
  • Composure
  • Maintains calm and effectiveness under pressure.
  • Responds to crises with clarity and control.
  • Supports others during emotionally intense situations.
  • Demonstrates resilience and professionalism.

Professional Conduct and Standards

  • Demonstrates integrity and accountability in all professional interactions.
  • Maintains confidentiality and complies with organizational policies and applicable regulations.
  • Adheres to licensure requirements and professional practice guidelines.
  • Promotes respectful and patient-centered care.

Education & Experience

  • MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Requires a Master's Degree in Psychology, Counseling, Social Work, or a related field with at least year(s) of experience in
  • 3 years post-degree clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and family systems.

Experience working in a multidisciplinary team with a variety of other healthcare professionals (i. e., physicians, psychologists, social workers, nurses, etc).

Proficiency in electronic systems including, but not limited to, Google Suite, Trayt, Slack, Athena or Epic, Calendly.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

According to Executive Order No. GA-48 of the State of Texas: for all positions that research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Section 117.001(2), Business and Commerce Code, it is required that both candidates for employment and employees have the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure.

Preferred Qualifications

in with at least year(s) of experience in

5 years of post-degree clinical experience working with children, adolescents, and family systems in outpatient or inpatient mental health settings.

  • Experience providing school-based mental health services.
  • Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Licenses, Registrations or Certifications

Required

  • Active licensure in Texas as one of the following:
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor (LCSW-S)
  • Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S)

Preferred

None

Salary Range

$70,133+ depending on qualifications

Working Environment/Equipment

Standard office equipment

Repetitive Use of a Keyboard

May be exposed to such occupational hazards as communicable diseases, blood borne pathogens, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, hazardous medications, and disoriented or combative patients, or others.

Required Materials

Resume/CV

3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications.

Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs.

If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application.

The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

Empl

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in Psychology, Counseling, or Social Work and possess active Texas licensure as an LCSW-S or LPC-S. A minimum of three years of post-degree clinical experience working with children and families in a multidisciplinary setting is required.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Treatment planningDiagnostic assessmentInterdisciplinary collaborationCase managementStaff mentorshipData analysisDocumentation compliance

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% are remote, 30% have no call, 50% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 3.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Texas is 97.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$70k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $72k in an average-cost state. 57.7% of Texas clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Texas has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$70k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Counselor Jobs

34 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution34 jobs · 26 employers

7
<$65k
9
$65k-80k
8
$80k-95k
10
$95k-110k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs · 26 employers

401k / retirement match
80% this job
CME allowance
33% this job
Sign-on bonus
30%
Loan repayment
10%
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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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 8,002 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Austin

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$455k≈ 6.5× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,586/mo≈ 27% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
24 min
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

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

University of Texas at Austin logo

About University of Texas at Austin

Hospitals and Health Care
Austin, Texas
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
State-funded position
Continuing education opportunities
Academic and research activities
Professional development