Acadia Healthcare logo
Acadia Healthcare
Ocklawaha, Florida

Behavioral Health Associate

Behavioral Health TechIncludes weekendsNo callFull-Time

Listed compensation

starts at $15/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

The Refuge is located in the Ocala National Forest on 96 acres! The Behavioral Health Associate is vital to the care our clients receive and provides safety and observation of clients during the time in our care.

Full-time benefit eligible positions available working the evening shift, 3:00 pm - 11:30 pm, and overnight shift, 11:00 pm - 7:30 am.

  • Pay for the BHA position starts at $15.50 and increases based on experience.
  • Shift differential available for working the evening, night and weekend shifts.

Essential Functions

Demonstrate a sense of urgency related to the importance of patient safety and provide excellent customer services.

  • Ensure the well-being of patients and provide a positive, supportive and structured environment.
  • Responsible for conducting safety checks and ensuring that supervision is conducted at 15 minute intervals, as noted in special precautions, or in accordance with individualized supervision guidelines as needed.
  • Document timely, accurate and appropriate clinical information in patient's medical record.
  • Assist in providing a safe, secure and comfortable environment for patients, significant others and staff.
  • Interact routinely with patients, observe behaviors and communicate significant observations to nursing staff.
  • May oversee or assist patients with activities of daily living, including toileting, bathing, dressing, grooming, oral hygiene, meals, snacks, hydration and changing bed linens.
  • May obtain patient's vital signs, height and weight as assigned and document in patient record.
  • Facilitate patient educational-rehabilitative groups which cover a variety of topics including social skills, coping skills, anger management and independent living skills.
  • Engage patients in activities and interactions designed to encourage achievement of treatment goals.

Complete and maintain required documentation. Assist with follow-up and paperwork as required on incidents and events that may take place in the facility.

May provide transportation for patient or coordinate transportation with appropriate staff member.

Demonstrate a positive, empathetic and professional attitude towards customers always. When patient needs are not met, acknowledge and work to resolve complaints. Recognize that patient safety is a top priority.

Other Functions

  • Perform other functions and tasks as assigned.

Education/Experience/Skill Requirements

  • High school diploma or equivalent required.
  • Six months or more experience working with the specific population of the facility preferred.

Licenses/Designations/Certifications

  • CPR and de-escalation and restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
  • First aid may be required based on state or facility requirements.

While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the requirements of the job, management reserves the right to add or remove duties from particular jobs when circumstances (e. g. emergencies, changes in workload, rush jobs or technological developments) dictate.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment regardless of an individual’s characteristics protected by applicable state, federal and local laws.

This position requires a Level 2 Background Screening through the Florida Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. In accordance with Florida law, employers must provide applicants with direct access to information about the state’s background screening requirements.

To learn more about disqualifying offenses, exemption procedures, and screening timelines, please visit the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Background Screening Education & Awareness webpage:

info.flclearinghouse.com

  • Applicants are encouraged to review these requirements before applying.
  • REFHP

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Patient ObservationBehavioral MonitoringClinical DocumentationCommunicationActivities Of Daily Living AssistanceVital Signs MeasurementGroup FacilitationPatient EducationRestraint ProceduresIncident ReportingTransportation Coordination

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Behavioral Health Associate at Acadia Healthcare a 6.1 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Behavioral Health — ranked against 1,294 active Behavioral Health listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties.

Behavioral Health Career Context

Of the 40 active Behavioral Health listings this role was benchmarked against, 68% have no call, 45% require no weekends.

Behavioral Health pay on WeekdayDoc is down 5.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Behavioral Health by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.1 / 10 · top 25% in behavioral healthranked against 1,294 Behavioral Health listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$33kBehavioral Health median $37k (middle half $35k–$40k)39 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$32k in purchasing powerFlorida index 103.4 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Behavioral Health listings in Florida98 active1,314 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 68% no call · 45% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedFlorida healthcare professional listings: 7% state a sign-on bonus · 9% offer loan repayment131 active listings, Oct 2026
Behavioral Health pay trend−5.0% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (1,294 Behavioral Health listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Location & Logistics

Florida has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$33k midpoint, that is roughly $1k–$2k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Behavioral Health Tech Jobs

20 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

20 jobs · 15 employers
7
<$45k
8
$45k-50k
5
$52k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

15 jobs
401k / retirement match
100%
CME allowance
13%
Sign-on bonus
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Behavioral Health Technician

Discovery Behavioral Health · Fairfax, Virginia

$16-$25/hr
#2

Behavioral Health Tech IV

Koniag Government Services · Crow Agency, Montana

$22-$25/hr
#3

Behavioral Health Associate I

$20-$25/hr
#4

Behavioral Health Technician- AFTERNOONS (2:30 PM - 11 PM)

$21-$25/hr
+ 18 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 1.5this job 6.1
Better work-life than 80% of Behavioral Health listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,294 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No call
  • Includes weekends
Acadia Healthcare logo

About Acadia Healthcare

Mental Health Care
Ocklawaha, FL
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Shift differential for evenings, nights, weekends
Full-time benefit eligible

Living in Ocklawaha

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$247k
Typical market rent
$1,663/mo
Residents’ average commute
34 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
95.2
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Ocala, FL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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