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Acadia
Chattanooga, Tennessee

Outpatient Therapist (Days)

CounselorPer Diem

Listed compensation

$30.43-$40.33/hr

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

  • PRN Outpatient Therapist (Days)
  • Erlanger Behavioral Health – Chattanooga, TN
  • Compensation: $30.43–$40.33/hr

About the Role

Join our team as a Masters‑Level Outpatient Therapist and help provide compassionate, high‑quality care to our community.

Our 94‑bed treatment center offers psychiatric and addiction services for adolescents (12+) through older adults. If you’re passionate about supporting mental health and thrive in a collaborative, growth‑focused environment, this could be the perfect fit.

Purpose of the Position

Diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders—whether cognitive, affective, or behavioral—while helping patients move toward stability, healing, and long‑term wellness.

Essential Functions

Apply psychotherapeutic techniques and interventions in the delivery of services to individuals and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed emotional and behavioral health disorders.

  • Conduct psychosocial assessment and develop an initial discharge plan.
  • Conduct individual, group or family sessions as appropriate for the treatment plan of the patient.

Provide initial treatment planning for patient based on assessment and coordinate any additional services needed and revise as necessary.

Maintain documentation of therapy services provided to each patient, according to facility and professional standards and revise as needed.

  • Maintain a caseload as assigned.
  • Participate in treatment team meetings and collaborate with other staff to facilitate services for the patient as appropriate to their treatment plan.
  • May provide these services in an inpatient or outpatient setting.
  • Provide case management, discharge planning or after-care planning according to treatment plan.
  • May assist in educating and training staff on behavior management or therapeutic crisis intervention.
  • May coordinate various clinical and psychosocial or educational activities with patient and their families.

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.

Licenses/Designations/Certifications

  • State or national licensure for professional therapy providers required.
  • CPR and de-escalation/restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
  • First aid may be required based on state or facility.

Education/Experience/Skill Requirements

  • Master's degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling or other recognized therapeutic field required.
  • Two or more years’ experience as a therapist with one or more years’ experience with the specific population of the facility required.

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.

AHPILOT

#LI-EBH

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.

Key Responsibilities

The therapist will diagnose and treat mental and emotional disorders while developing and implementing individualized treatment plans. They are responsible for conducting psychosocial assessments, facilitating therapy sessions, and coordinating discharge or after-care planning.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, or a related field and possess state or national licensure. A minimum of two years of experience as a therapist is required, including at least one year of experience with the facility's specific patient population.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

PsychotherapyMental health diagnosisIndividual therapyGroup therapyFamily therapyPatient carePsychiatric services

Counselor Career Context

Acadia ranks #5 of 12 employers hiring contract/1099 Counselor on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

Of the 40 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 55% are remote, 13% have no call, 90% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.2% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Tennessee is 91.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$74k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $80k in an average-cost state. 58.6% of Tennessee clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Tennessee has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$74k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top contract/1099 Counselor Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution13 jobs

5
<$55k
5
$55k-65k
1
$66k
1
$82k
1
$101k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks19 jobs

401k / retirement match
89%
CME allowance
63%
Loan repayment
32%
PSLF eligible
16%
Sign-on bonus
11%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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$58.5-$85/hr
#2

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$58.5-$85/hr
#3

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$58.5-$85/hr
#4

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+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.2this job 5.1
Better work-life than 40% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 8,029 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Chattanooga

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$327k
Typical market rent
$1,513/mo
Residents’ average commute
19 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
91.5
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Chattanooga, TN-GA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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