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Yale New Haven Health
New Haven, Connecticut

Milieu Counselor - Inpatient Psychiatry

Counselor / TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$17-$33.57/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 55m ago · Verified live

Job Description

To be part of our organization, every employee should understand and share in the YNHHS Vision, support our Mission, and live our Values. These values - integrity, patient-centered, respect, accountability, and compassion - must guide what we do, as individuals and professionals, every day.

Working collaboratively as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team, the Milieu Counselor is assigned to and works under the direction of a Registered Nurse, participating in carrying out nursing interventions to provide patients with opportunities for learning and adaptive ways of coping.

The Milieu Counselor works collaboratively with the licensed staff on the ongoing development of the milieu and activities that promote quality patient outcomes.

Patient and family centered care (PFCC) at YNHH is demonstrated by working with patients and their families based on the 4 principles of PFCC: participation, dignity and respect, information sharing, and collaboration.

This includes providing service excellence by creating a great "First Impression" by demonstrating exemplary customer service skills for all customer groups including patients, families/friends, physicians, staff and support department personnel.

Adheres to the "I Am YNHH" service excellence pledge and promotes a positive work environment.

EEO/AA/Disability/Veteran

Responsibilities

1. Assists the nursing staff in maintaining a therapeutic milieu/environment to ensure the care and treatment of patients.

1.1 Acts as a cofacilitator in select unit based therapeutic groups as identified by Nurse Manager.

2. Under the direction of the Registered Nurse, provides individualized patient care to ensure the safety and dignity of the patient.

2.1 Collaborates with members of multidisciplinary team offering suggestions and recommendations on addressing patient/family needs.

3. Participates in unit activities that promote a cohesive staff group.

3.1 Participates in interdisciplinary staff meetings as scheduled and if unable to attend, reads and signs minutes.

Qualifications

Education

Associates degree required and Bachelor degree preferred

Experience

Minimum one (1) year prior experience in Psychology working with specialized populations such as emotionally disturbed children, adolescents, adults and families.

Special Skills

Ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary team to communicate and effectively deal with complex effectively charged situations and possess group facilitation and crisis management skills.

Physical Demand

Requires prolonged standing; walking; use of sight, hearing, and touch. May be exposed to infectious diseases. Will be exposed to physical, mental and emotional illness. Moderate stress and risk of injury from patient care. Standing/walking for more than half of the day. Frequently bending, reaching, pushing, pulling, twisting and lifting. Must be able to assist pushing/pulling/lifting patients ranging from five (5) to three hundred (300) pounds.

YNHHS Requisition ID

196914

Qualifications

Education
Associate degree

Key Skills

Interdisciplinary collaborationTherapeutic milieu maintenanceCommunicationPatient safetyDocumentation

Psychiatry — Counselor Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Connecticut is 103.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$53k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $51k in an average-cost state. 62.6% of Connecticut clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 50% are remote, 30% have no call, 54% require no weekends.

What does the Counselor market look like in Connecticut?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$35k–$70kCounselor median $60k (middle half $56k–$76k)10 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$51k in purchasing powerConnecticut index 103.6 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Counselor listings in Connecticut248 active13,536 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 50% remote · 30% no call · 54% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedConnecticut Counselor listings: 12% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 27% offer loan repayment248 active listings, Nov 2026
New Psychiatry listings1,299 in the last 30 days1,040 the 30 days before (+25%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Counselor pay trend−2.4% 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 Counselor Jobs

48 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

48 jobs · 36 employers
18
<$80k
21
$80k-100k
2
$100k-120k
4
$120k-140k
3
$140k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

42 jobs · 36 employers
401k / retirement match
93%
Sign-on bonus
52%
CME allowance
33%
Loan repayment
24%
PSLF eligible
14%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Employee Assistance Program - Clinical Counselor (must reside in California)

CVS Health · California

$67k-$143k
#2

Licensed Mental Health Therapist

LifeStance Health · Lake Oswego, Oregon

$123k-$141k
#3

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

$123k-$141k
#4

Telehealth Mental Health Therapist

from $82,368
+ 46 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 50% of Psychiatry (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 53 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in New Haven

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$352k
Typical market rent
$1,972/mo
Residents’ average commute
22 min
State income tax
Up to 7%
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.