Residence Counselor - Children

Counselor / TherapistPer Diem

Listed compensation

$17/hr

The week · per this posting

Schedule not stated in this posting — no days, weekends, call or nights given.

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

Posted 14m ago · Verified live

Job Description

St. Mary's General Hospital, located in Passaic, NJ, is a community-based tertiary medical center focused on providing quality, compassionate care. It is an acute care hospital providing a broad range of services including cardiovascular services as well as a comprehensive program for cancer care.

The hospital is also a center of excellence for maternal-child health and outpatient behavioral health services. It is the only hospital in Passaic and with over 550 physicians and 1,000 employees, and is one of the largest employers in the county.

Every member of the St. Mary's General team is committed to providing respectful, personalized, high-quality care. St. Mary's General Hospital is a member of Prime Healthcare, which has been lauded as a "Top 15 Healthcare System" by Truven Health Analytics. For information, visit smh-nj.com.

Responsibilities

Supervise, engage and support adolescent consumers in a residential setting. Responsible to ensure medication monitoring and education, progress on Master Treatment Plan, personal care skill development, age appropriate group, leisure and recreational activities. To be able to communicate and collaborate effectively with families, program psychiatrist, and other mental health providers.

Qualifications

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, TRAINING 1. Bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology, rehabilitation or a related field. 2. Associate’s degree candidates currently enrolled in Bachelor’s degree programs and with additional experience will be considered on a case by case basis. 3.

High School Graduates with additional specific experience will be considered on a case by case basis. 4.

High School Diploma – five (5) years full time experience working with youth in group setting or demonstrate attributes and experience which enable the residence counselor to work appropriately with youth diagnosed with a serious mental illness. 5.

Associates Degree – one (1) year experience working with youth in a group setting, or as above. 6. Bachelor’s Degree – no experience necessary. 7. Basic understanding of mental health services and role of residence counselors in mental health services. 8. Valid New Jersey Driver’s License.

Pay Transparency

St. Mary's General Hospital offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package that provides employees the flexibility to tailor benefits according to their individual needs.

Our Total Rewards package includes, but is not limited to, paid time off, a 401K retirement plan, medical, dental, and vision coverage, tuition reimbursement, and many more voluntary benefit options.

A reasonable compensation estimate for this role, which includes estimated wages, benefits, and other forms of compensation, is $17.00.

The exact starting compensation to be offered will be determined at the time of selecting an applicant for hire, in which a wide range of factors will be considered, including but not limited to, skillset, years of applicable experience, education, credentials and licensure.

Employment Status: Per Diem

Shift: Variable

Equal Employment Opportunity

Company is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Company prohibits discrimination against any applicant or employee based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age (subject to applicable law), disability, military status, genetic information or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

The Company also prohibits harassment of applicants or employees based on any of these protected categories. Know Your Rights: eeoc.gov

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Treatment planningGroup facilitationLeisure activity planningRecreational activity planningCommunicationCollaborationMental health supportCrisis interventionAdolescent care

Behavioral Health — Counselor Career Context

The cost-of-living index for New Jersey is 108.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$35k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $33k in an average-cost state. 63.8% of New Jersey clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 40 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 70% are remote, 15% have no call, 63% require no weekends.

What does the Counselor market look like in New Jersey?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$35kCounselor median $59k (middle half $49k–$73k)24 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$33k in purchasing powerNew Jersey index 108.8 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Counselor listings in New Jersey337 active13,538 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 70% remote · 15% no call · 63% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedNew Jersey Counselor listings: 9% state a sign-on bonus (median $6k) · 5% offer loan repayment337 active listings, Nov 2026
New Behavioral Health listings824 in the last 30 days551 the 30 days before (+50%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Counselor pay trend−2.1% 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 contract/1099 Counselor Jobs

39 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

11 jobs
3
<$70k
3
$70k-90k
2
$90k-110k
3
$110k-130k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

21 jobs
401k / retirement match
81% this job
CME allowance
76%
Loan repayment
19%
Sign-on bonus
5%
PSLF eligible
5%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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$200-$225/hr
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Outpatient Therapist TF-CBT

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$70-$100/hr
#3

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+ 37 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 2.8this job 1.5
Below most Behavioral Health (Counseling) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 338 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

St. Mary's General Hospital logo

About St. Mary's General Hospital

Hospitals and Health Care
Passaic, New Jersey
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Paid Time Off
401K Retirement Plan
Medical, Dental, Vision Coverage
Tuition Reimbursement
Voluntary Benefit Options

Living in Passaic

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$554k
Typical market rent
$2,055/mo
Residents’ average commute
25 min
State income tax
Up to 10.8%
Sources & methodology

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

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