Psychiatric Counselor Behavioral Health Part-time Days

CounselorPart-Time

Listed compensation

$22.99-$32.19/hr

Listing transparency2 of 6 stated

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

Employment & setting
Part-Time
Call expectations
Not specified
Weekends
Not specified
Posted 2h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Company Description

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Job Description

The Psychiatric Counselor reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

A Psychiatric Counselor, under the direction of the Patient Care Manager, Charge or Staff Nurse, delivers direct care to the psychiatric patient. Effectively interacts with the patient, their support network, and other members of the multi-disciplinary treatment team to rapidly identify and treat the crisis that is occurring.

Responsibilities

Conducts intake's consisting of the BHS Pre-Admission Assessment, all admission forms, Voluntary forms along with patient rights. Orient's patient to unit and conducts body and belongings search under the direction of the Charge RN.

Plans and implements care in collaboration with the multi-disciplinary team. Able to begin and add to the Master Treatment Plan.

Facilitates groups, educational, and focus to Adolescent, Adult and Geriatric population. Conducts Community and Wrap- Up and Expressive Therapy Groups along with milieu management.

  • Under the direction of the Charge RN assists with ADL's.
  • Serves on BHS and unit work groups when requested.

Communicates to Manager and Charge Nurse any incidents regarding patients and staff that may compromise unit safety.

Conducts telephone screenings (inquiry calls) in a fashion resulting in appropriate disposition based on the phone contact.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements:

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Certification

  • CPR – Basic Life Support
  • De-escalation training within six months of hire

Experience

One year experience in a behavioral health unit or one completed semester of internship in a behavioral health field.

Preferred

  • Bachelor’s degree in a behavioral health science field
  • Experience in mental health substance abuse
  • Additional Information

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events.

  • Click on or copy and paste URL to your browser to view detailed benefits information
  • NorthwesternMedicine Career Page

https://jobs.nm.org/benefits

Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings.

If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.

  • Job Shift: Night Job (3rd)
  • Salary Range Minimum: $22.99
  • Salary Range Maximum: $32.19
  • Compensation: USD 22.99 - USD 32.19 - hourly

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Certifications

BLS

Key Skills

Psychiatric counselingCrisis interventionIntake assessmentTreatment planningGroup facilitationSubstance abuse supportDocumentationSafety monitoring

Psychiatry — Counselor Career Context

In Illinois, the Counselor weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$67k (221 salary observations; 348 listings), vs ~$74k nationally (3,893 salary observations; 7,930 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2025-12-01 through 2026-09-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 40 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 35% are remote, 35% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

Counselor pay on WeekdayDoc is up 5.7% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$57k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $57k in an average-cost state. 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution29 jobs · 25 employers

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5
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6
$85k-100k
5
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Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs · 25 employers

401k / retirement match
90% this job
CME allowance
50%
Loan repayment
37% this job
PSLF eligible
23% this job
Sign-on bonus
20% this job

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Work-life snapshot

1.5/ 10
Listing-based score

A signal to investigate—not a guarantee about the workplace.

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About Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

Hospitals and Health Care
Chicago, Illinois
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Tuition reimbursement
Loan forgiveness
401(k) matching
Lifecycle benefits