AKUA Behavioral Health logo
AKUA Behavioral Health
Long Beach, California

Associate Therapist

CounselorIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

Base Salary: $32 - $35/hr

Listing transparency3 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations and nights and shift pattern.

Employment & setting
Full-Time
Call expectations
Not specified
Weekends
Includes weekends
Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

  • Description
  • Position: Associate Therapist
  • Type: Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Shift

Tuesday-Saturday (8:30am-5:00pm)

Compensation

Base Salary: $32 - $35/hour (Associate)

Benefits

  • Free Clinical Supervision (Hours Towards Licensing)
  • Health Insurance (Medical, Vision, Dental)
  • PTO (Vacation, Sick)
  • Equity Shares (ESOP)

Job Description

We seek an Associate Therapist (ASW/AMFT/APCC) to join our dedicated team and provide our clients mental health and substance abuse treatment. The Therapist position is crucial in helping clients achieve lasting recovery through individual and group therapy, treatment planning, assessments, and crisis intervention. The Therapist will receive Clinical Supervision in a fast paced, high learning environment.

Key Responsibilities

Individual Therapy: Conduct comprehensive assessments, develop individualized treatment plans, and provide evidence-based therapy to address substance use disorders, co-occurring mental health issues, and trauma.

Group Therapy: Facilitate psychoeducational and process-oriented groups to foster peer support, skill development, and relapse prevention.

Care Coordination: Collaborate with multidisciplinary team members to coordinate care, advocate for clients' needs, and ensure continuity of treatment.

Utilization Review: We conduct clinical updates to assess the client’s treatment and service utilization progress and establish medical necessity for our insurance partners.

Crisis Intervention: Provide immediate support and resources during emotional or behavioral crises, ensuring client safety and well-being.

Documentation: We maintain accurate and timely clinical records in accordance with ethical and legal guidelines, including timely clinical updates for our insurance partners.

Professional Development: Participate in ongoing training, supervision, and consultation to enhance clinical skills and knowledge.

Requirements

Qualifications & Skills

  • Education: Master's degree in social work (MSW), counseling psychology (MA/MSc), clinical psychology (MA/MSc), or relevant field.
  • Licensure: Registered Associate (ASW/AMFT/APCC) in California.

Experience: Minimum of one year of experience providing direct clinical services to individuals with substance use disorders and/or mental health disorders.

Skills: Strong clinical assessment, treatment planning, and therapy skills; excellent communication and interpersonal skills; ability to work effectively in a team setting.

Additional Requirements

  • Must be able to pass a background check and drug screening
  • Current CPR/First Aid Certification (Required)
  • Valid CA Driver's License
  • Current Health Screen (Required)
  • TB Clearance (Required)
  • Ability to communicate with compassion and empathy
  • Strong ability to manage time and prioritize tasks

Company Description

Akua Behavioral Health is California’s leading mental health and substance abuse treatment center.

We provide our clients with individualized, compassionate treatment and offer various levels of care from Master’s and Doctorate level clinicians at fully licensed and accredited facilities throughout Northern and Southern California.

To give our clients the best chance at lasting recovery, we pioneered an integrative East-meets-West approach that combines Western evidence-based treatment with holistic Eastern traditions to treat the mind, body, and spirit.

Our mission is to create an environment of healing and transformation for each client seeking change.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Mental Health TreatmentTime Management

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Associate Therapist at AKUA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 35% of all Mental Health Therapy counselor listings evaluated on our platform.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 46% are remote, 24% have no call, 66% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 3.4% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$34k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $30k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

33 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution33 jobs · 25 employers

9
<$80k
9
$80k-100k
9
$100k-120k
6
$120k-140k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks28 jobs · 25 employers

401k / retirement match
89%
CME allowance
46%
Sign-on bonus
29%
Loan repayment
14%
Relocation assistance
11%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Therapist

Family Health Centers of San Diego · San Diego, California

$100k-$126k
#2

Remote Licensed Talk Therapist - Fee For Service

Thriveworks · Massachusetts

$124k
#3

Licensed Talk Therapist - Fee For Service

$124k
#4

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LCSW, LMFT, & LPCC) - Hybrid Role

$107k-$122k
+ 31 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.4this job 6.4
Higher than about 5 in 10 of 7,933 Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10. Shaded area = share of comparable listings scoring below this one.

  • Includes weekends

Living in Long Beach

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$961k≈ 30.0× annual pay
Typical market rent
$2,422/mo≈ 91% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
30 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

AKUA Behavioral Health logo

About AKUA Behavioral Health

Health, Wellness & Fitness
Newport Beach, California
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Free Clinical Supervision
Health Insurance (Medical, Vision, Dental)
PTO (Vacation, Sick)
Equity Shares (ESOP)