Riverside Community Care logo
Riverside Community Care
Upton, Massachusetts

Respite Counselor - 1st shift

CounselorNo weekendsNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$21.85-$22.94/hr

The week · per this posting · Monday – FridayWeekdays only

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

Posted 26m ago · Verified live

Job Description

We make a difference – in your community and in your career.

Respite Counselor

In this exciting role, the Respite Counselor will work as part of a team in this acute care residence.

The Respite Counselor will provide guidance, education, supervision, and direct supports to allow consumers to maintain their physical and emotional health, live safely in the community and develop the skills necessary to return to independent living. Interactions between staff and consumers will be guided by an appreciation for those being served as unique individuals and adults, with the expectation and goal of crisis or situational stabilization.

The Respite programs provide both short and long-term care for persons experiencing mental health, substance use disorder, and co-occurring disorders who might otherwise require treatment in an inpatient setting and would benefit from structured stabilization, support, care coordination, and treatment planning.

Schedule: Full Time, 40 hours; Monday through Friday, 7:00 a. m. - 3:00 p. m.

Pay Rate

  • $21.85/hour High School Diploma
  • $22.94/hour with a Bachelor’s Degree

Why You'll Love Riverside

We make a true difference in people’s lives through rewarding work. Most of our jobs come with great benefits – including healthcare, numerous professional development opportunities, and generous time off - all in a respectful and inclusive environment, perhaps why Riverside was named a Boston Globe Top Workplace and a best-in-state employer by Forbes.

Benefits Include

  • Comprehensive, high-quality health, dental, and vision insurance options
  • Flexible Spending Accounts – both medical and dependent care
  • Twelve paid holidays
  • Separate accruals for vacation (increases with tenure), personal, and sick time
  • Tax-deferred 403(b) retirement savings plan with employer match
  • Employee Assistance Plan / Travel Assistance Plan
  • Employee bonus for referrals resulting in hiring
  • Discounts to movie theaters, sporting, and entertainment events
  • Employee YMCA discount: 10% off a YMCA monthly membership and 50% off the joiner’s fee

Learn More About Our Benefits and Culture

Our Benefits

Our Culture

Hear what employees think about working for Riverside!

Key Responsibilities

The Respite Counselor provides direct support, guidance, and supervision to consumers in an acute care residence to help them maintain health and safety. They facilitate crisis stabilization and assist individuals in developing the necessary skills for independent living.

Requirements

Candidates must possess at least a High School Diploma, with a Bachelor's degree preferred for a higher pay rate. The role requires the ability to work in a structured, acute care environment providing mental health and substance use support.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Mental health supportSubstance use disorder supportPatient supervisionIndependent living skills

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Respite Counselor - 1st shift at Riverside Community Care a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Counseling — ranked against 13,447 active Counseling listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements, no night shifts.

Clinical Psychology — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Clinical Psychology listings this role was benchmarked against, 44% are remote, 26% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Massachusetts is 105.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$47k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $44k in an average-cost state. 63.2% of Massachusetts clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

37 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution37 jobs · 28 employers

14
<$80k
10
$80k-100k
5
$100k-120k
8
$120k-140k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks34 jobs · 28 employers

401k / retirement match
91% this job
CME allowance
47%
Sign-on bonus
32%
Loan repayment
12%
PSLF eligible
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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LifeStance Health · Brookfield, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#2

Remote Licensed Talk Therapist - Fee For Service

Thriveworks · Massachusetts

$124k
#3

Licensed Talk Therapist - Fee For Service

$124k
#4

Lead Marriage and Family Therapist LMFT Supervisor

$83k-$123k
+ 35 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 7.2this job 6.4
Better work-life than 40% of Clinical Psychology (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 354 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
  • No nights

Living in Upton

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$713k
Median resident rent
$939/mo
Residents’ average commute
36 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

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

Riverside Community Care logo

About Riverside Community Care

Mental Health Care
Dedham, MA
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive, high-quality health, dental, and vision insurance options
Flexible Spending Accounts – both medical and dependent care
Twelve paid holidays
Separate accruals for vacation (increases with tenure), personal, and sick time
Tax-deferred 403(b) retirement savings plan with employer match
Employee Assistance Plan / Travel Assistance Plan
Employee bonus for referrals resulting in hiring
Discounts to movie theaters, sporting, and entertainment events