YMCA of San Diego County logo
YMCA of San Diego County
San Diego, California

Licensed Mental Health Therapist - School Based

Counselor / TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$36-$41.32/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

The Licensed Mental Health Therapist provides direct therapeutic services including assessments, individual, family, group and crisis counseling to current and past participants. This position assists in program development and operations while ensuring client eligibility and program outcomes. The Licensed Mental Health Therapist is responsible for program documentation, paperwork and maintenance of clinical charts.

  • Learn more about YMCA Youth and Family Services programs CLICK HERE
  • For more on Employee Perks, click on this link: Employee Benefits | YMCA of San Diego County (ymcasd.org)

SCHEDULE: 8:30a. m. - 5p. m

Depending on business need; one day a week a later shift going into early evening hours may be needed

Work Designation

  • In-Person - Central San Diego school sites, and North Park office
  • Please note that the work designation may change based on business needs.

Program Summary

The TIDES program: Medi-Cal funded, school-based mental health service designed for youth ages 5–21 who are Medi-Cal eligible, uninsured, or underinsured.

The program provides comprehensive services including individual counseling, family counseling, group counseling, crisis intervention, psychiatric evaluation and medication management, and case management.

By working closely with schools, TIDES aims to support youth and their caregivers through consistent collaboration and coordinated care.

Healthy Start Building Bridges program: Provides free, school-based mental health support through individual, family, and group counseling, case management, and parent education.

By partnering with schools and families, the program helps address emotional and behavioral challenges, strengthen resilience, and promote overall well-being. Program coordinators work closely with the community to bridge gaps in support, ensuring students can reach their fullest potential.

Services are offered within our contracted school sites, at our North Park office, and within the community for eligible clients.

Responsibilities

  • Provide mental health services, consultation and advocacy services to participants and their families
  • Provide clinical assessment, evaluation, service plan development, case management, crisis intervention, collateral services, collect pre and post program data on program participants regarding satisfaction and progress, and other duties as necessary
  • Engages in marketing and program outreach to increase client participation in program

Maintain paper and electronic client and program records and reports; Review participant files as needed in order to ensure accuracy and proper documentation

Educate service staff on mental health topics and facilitate treatment planning and case management goals; Provide mental health trainings to staff and participants

Provide information and referrals regarding other transitional program services, mental health, medication management and substance abuse to participants

Develop curriculum for partners through face to face meeting, presentation, phone call, email and participate in community resource fair

Responsible for Overseeing the Collection of Payments

Work independently and as a team member to create innovative ways to meet contract goals and provide a high level of service that is engaging and meets the needs of the participants

Perform other administrative tasks as assigned and assist with maintaining proper document storage and auditing

Participate in and attend all required staff meetings, trainings, YMCA staff development events, and appropriate agency-wide committees

Travel Requirements

Must have access to reliable transportation to travel regularly throughout San Diego County

Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in a behavioral science or related field required
  • Licensed by the State of California Board of Behavioral Sciences; Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) required
  • Must be 21 years of age or older

Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience working with children, adolescents, young adults and/or adults and their families providing mental health services, including individual, family therapy, risk management, crisis intervention, and case management required

Experience providing mental health services for children and youth to access various services including, education and social services

Intermediate computer knowledge and skills

Job Competencies

Acute attention to detail coupled with the ability to see the big picture, risk-management capabilities and a can-do attitude

  • Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills
  • Must be self-aware, flexible, adaptable, and teachable
  • Ability to work in a very diverse setting with people of all backgrounds, culture and orientation
  • Must be able to work independently and as part of a team
  • Demonstrate initiative, resourcefulness, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills with excellent follow through
  • Must have demonstrated leadership, training, and public speaking skills
  • Strong organization skills with the ability to work in an environment of rapidly changing deadlines

Visual and auditory ability to respond to critical incidents and the physical ability to act swiftly in an emergency situation

Ability to adequately observe participants' activities, enforce safety regulations and apply appropriate policies and procedures

Must possess the ability to lead and interact in group activities and perform related physical skills

Ability to work effectively with others in alignment with the YMCA 4 Core Values; Models the 4 Core Values in all aspects of position responsibilities

PRE-Hire Contingencies

Licensing, state law and our funders require that applicants of critical positions within Community Support Services be fingerprinted, prior to reporting to work, and include subsequent arrest notifications

CPR/AED, and First Aid Certification, must include Adult and Child/Infant, within 30 days of hire, and must be from one of the following certifying organizations: American Red Cross, American Heart Association, or American Safety and Health Institute

Position may require additional clearances in order to comply with all program, licensing, state law, and funding requirements:

Negative TB assessment or test results obtained within the past 60 days, prior to start, and every four (4) years thereafter

Exclusion and Debarment checks prior to first day and monthly thereafter

YMCA will consider qualified applicants with a criminal history pursuant to the San Diego County Fair Chance Ordinance and the California Fair Chance Act. You do not need to disclose your criminal history or participate in a background check until a conditional job offer is made to you.

After making a conditional offer and running a background check, if the YMCA is concerned about conviction that is directly related to the job, you will be given the opportunity to explain the circumstances surrounding the conviction, provide mitigating evidence, or challenge the accuracy of the background report.

Find out more about the Fair Chance Ordinance by visiting the San Diego County Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement.

Pay Range

USD $36.00 - USD $41.32 /Hr.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Mental health counseling

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 50% are remote, 22% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is down 3.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Mental Health Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$75k–$86kMental Health Therapy median $69k (middle half $62k–$80k)37 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$73k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Therapy listings in California582 active7,889 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 50% remote · 22% no call · 68% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Counselor listings: 11% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 9% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Mental Health Therapy listings2,535 in the last 30 days1,455 the 30 days before (+74%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Mental Health Therapy pay trend−3.3% 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

49 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

49 jobs · 40 employers
16
<$90k
17
$90k-110k
10
$110k-130k
6
$130k-150k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

33 jobs
401k / retirement match
94%
CME allowance
45%
Sign-on bonus
39%
Loan repayment
9%
Relocation assistance
6%

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

Licensed Clinician DV/SA Program LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, Licensed Clinical Psychologist

$114k-$141k
+ 47 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 1.5
Below most Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,900 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

YMCA of San Diego County logo

About YMCA of San Diego County

Non-profit Organizations
San Diego, CA
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Employee perks

Living in San Diego

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.00M
Typical market rent
$3,004/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
111.9
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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