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Baystate Health
Springfield, Massachusetts

Adult Mental Health Counselor

CounselorIncludes callIncludes weekendsNo nightsPart-Time

Listed compensation

$17.98-$28.08/hr

Listing transparency5 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about the work setting.

Employment & setting
Part-Time
Call expectations
Includes call
Weekends
Includes weekends
Posted 1 day ago · Verified live

Job Description

APTU Counselor

Baystate Health, a nationally recognized leader in healthcare quality and safety, is seeking a Counselor to join our APTU unit consisting of unit counselors, a psychiatrist, a physician assistant, psychiatric nurses, psychiatric social workers and master's prepared specialists, occupational and recreational therapists.

Resume required with application

Schedule

  • Part-time 24 hours
  • Day shift 7:00am-7:30 pm (12-hour shifts) with variable days scheduled for the needs of the department
  • Every other weekend and holiday rotation required

Location

Acute Psychiatric Therapy Unit (APTU), Baystate Medical Center, Springfield, MA

The Advantages of Working with Baystate!

  • Excellent Compensation
  • High-quality, low-cost medical, dental and vision insurance
  • Generous PTO
  • Continuing education support and reimbursement
  • First Time Home Buyers Financial Packages
  • Farm Share Memberships
  • 403b retirement company match & annual company contribution increase based on years of service
  • Free money coach advice from a certified professional
  • Wellbeing programs that include but are not limited to mental, physical, and financial health
  • Adoption assistance
  • Pet, home, auto and personal insurance
  • Life insurance
  • Work-life integration

Reimbursement for a variety of wellbeing activities, included but limited to gym membership and equipment, personal trainer, massage and so much more!

Qualifications

  • High School Diploma (Associates or Bachelors in Psychology of related field preferred)
  • 1 year of healthcare experience

Certification(s)

  • Physical/Psych Mgmt Training
  • Certified Crisis Prevention Intervention/CPI
  • CPR through American Heart Association BLS Provider (required)

For more information, please visit us online at: baystatehealthjobs.com or interact with us socially at facebook.com/BaystateCareers or on Twitter @BaystateCareers. All correspondence can be directed to recruiter:

Melanie.Bischoff@Baystatehealth.org​

Summary

Under the direction of the Registered Nurse, performs a wide variety of duties involving patient management, therapeutic interaction, and physical care of patients admitted to the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit. The incumbent is expected to adhere to System and department compliance policies and all applicable laws and regulations. This description covers the essential functions of the position. The incumbent is expected to perform other similar and related duties as assigned. Management reserves the right to change or add to the job responsibilities at any time.

Job Responsibilities

1) Participates in a Multidisciplinary Team approach to patient care. Is familiar with admission and progress notes of team members to develop a better understanding of patients. Collaborates with the team in evaluating patients, planning therapy, and developing treatment goals. Reports observations of patients’ status to the team and provides input in the preparation and updating of the treatment plans. Assists team members in providing care to patients and follows through with team decisions. Welcomes new staff and assists in orienting them to the department.

2) Provides a safe environment. Conducts daily sharps checks on patients upon arrival and when indicated by the Team. Intervenes appropriately during crises by providing support and patient escorts and authorizes restraint and seclusions. Maintains safety by monitoring groups, time-aways, and restraint and seclusions. Observes potential safety hazards on the unit and report hazards immediately to supervisors. Maintains safety by adhering to behavior management principles including Collaborative Problem Solving techniques.

3) Documents patient mental status, social behavior, and progress toward identifying goals daily.

Documents the ongoing assessment of patients by completing monitoring and rounds sheets. Documents restraints and seclusions per policies. Documents all necessary information in EMR as dictated by policy and procedure.

4) Provides a therapeutic milieu. Assesses patient mental status social and symptomatic behavior and progress towards identified goals daily. Counsels patients with empathy and respect to assist them to formulate treatment goals. Refers patients’ physical problems to RN for assessment and intervention. Collaborates with the team to initiate and implement a plan of care to meet the ADL needs of patients who are unable to perform these tasks themselves. Identifies patient knowledge deficits and implements appropriate teaching in collaboration with the team.

Assists in the development and implementation of special approaches and provide 1:1 intervention when indicated. Adheres to defined boundaries and guidelines regarding self-disclosure with patients. Co-facilitates group therapy and demonstrates a willingness to fill in as needed. Develops plans and implements psycho-educational groups and demonstrates a willingness to fill in as needed.

5) Demonstrates accountability for personal and professional growth.

Demonstrates support for the philosophy of the program and adhering to policies, procedures, and standards. Attends all mandatory in-services on an annual basis. Collaborates with supervisors to identify their own professional goals and seeks experience to accomplish these goals. Assists with the identification of program in-service needs.

6) Demonstrates effective use of behavior management principles and Collaborative Problem Solving techniques. Develops and implements special programming. Assists co-workers in daily activities and replaces them as needed.

  • 7) Demonstrates competency for one-to-one observation of patients based on department and unit-specific needs.
  • 8) Must complete department-specified de-escalation training within 30 days of hire.

Education

High School Diploma (Required)

Certifications

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation - Other, Certified Crisis Prevention - Crisis Prevention Institute

Compensation

Note: The compensation range(s) in the table below represent the base salaries for all positions at a given grade across the health system. Typically, a new hire can expect a starting salary somewhere in the lower part of the range. Actual salaries may vary by position and will be determined based on the candidate's relevant experience. No employee will be paid below the minimum of the range. Pay ranges are listed as hourly for non-exempt employees and based on assumed full time commitment for exempt employees.

  • Minimum - Midpoint - Maximum
  • $17.98 - $22.29 - $28.08
  • Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

Baystate Health is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, ancestry, age, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status.

Key Responsibilities

The counselor performs patient management, therapeutic interaction, and physical care for patients in the inpatient psychiatric unit. They collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to develop treatment plans and ensure a safe, therapeutic environment.

Key Skills

Crisis interventionDocumentationElectronic medical recordsPatient safetyGroup therapy facilitationADL assistance

Counselor Career Context

Of the 40 active Mental Health Counseling listings this role was benchmarked against, 63% are remote, 38% have no call, 83% require no weekends.

Mental Health Counseling pay on WeekdayDoc is down 17.2% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Massachusetts is 105.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$48k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $45k in an average-cost state. 63.2% of Massachusetts clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution31 jobs · 22 employers

6
<$75k
6
$75k-120k
16
$120k-125k
3
$125k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks35 jobs · 22 employers

401k / retirement match
91% this job
CME allowance
34% this job
Sign-on bonus
29%
Loan repayment
17%
PSLF eligible
14%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Mental Health Therapist, 1099 - New York, New York City1099

Octave · New York, New York

$60-$143/hr
#2

Mental Health Therapist (Part-Time, W2)Contract

Two Chairs · Ohio

$58.5-$85/hr
#3

Mental Health Therapist (Part-Time, W2)

$58.5-$85/hr
#4

Play-Based Therapist – (Paid Training)

$23.62-$31.69/hr
+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

5.1/ 10
Listing-based score
  • No nights
  • Includes call
  • Includes weekends

Living in Springfield

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$310k
Typical market rent
$1,853/mo
Residents’ average commute
20 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
96.1
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Springfield, MA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Baystate Health logo

About Baystate Health

Hospitals and Health Care
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Excellent Compensation
High-quality, low-cost medical, dental and vision insurance
Generous PTO
Continuing education support and reimbursement
First Time Home Buyers Financial Packages
Farm Share Memberships
403b retirement company match & annual company contribution increase based on years of service
Free money coach advice from a certified professional