Better Morning logo
Better Morning
Washington, District of Columbia

School-Based Therapist

School CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$70K - $73K

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 5mo ago

Job Description

Company Description

Better Morning emerged as an outpatient behavioral health practice in Ashburn, VA in the year of 2014.

In addition to providing counseling from the Ashburn office, Better Morning started off as a certified provider for intensive in home and community-based services (IHCBS), for at risk youth in District of Columbia.

In August of 2017, Better Morning was certified as a Core service agency (CSA) by DC Department of Behavioral Health. Better morning founder’s passion for at risk youth and their family were the motivation to keep expanding the evidenced based programs to meet the need of the underserved population.

Job Description

Role Requirements

The School Based Therapist is responsible for providing services related to the delivery of mental health care to assigned consumers at the designated school location in DC area and will provide consultation services to the school staff to support the overall mental health goals of the school.

Provides Direct Mental Health Services to Include

Provides direct mental health services to include intake assessment, individual/family/group therapy, and crisis intervention to assigned clients.

Collects information about consumers through interviews, tests, and evaluation of day-to-day functioning within work, family and other routines.

Identifying areas needing continued support, resources and treatment in order to assist consumers.

Completes master treatment plans, treatment plan updates, managed care authorizations and all chart requirements.

Preparing and completing diagnostic and bio-psychological assessments, clinical notes, referrals, treatment plans of clients as appropriate.

  • Attends regularly scheduled staff meetings and clinical supervision.
  • Maintains confidentiality of records relating to consumers' treatment.
  • Provides therapy; maintains assigned caseload.
  • Works with Clinical Managers and other multi-disciplinary team members to develop and implement treatment plans/assessment for clients.
  • Creates appropriate case management notes and input into systems as needed.
  • Provides complete and timely documentation to support services rendered.
  • Performs other job related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

  • Master's degree in social work
  • LGSW/LGPC- Required
  • 1-3 years Mental Health experience.
  • Must possess a strong knowledge of common diagnoses and treatments for school-aged children and possess the skills necessary to facilitate positive change in a school environment
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills
  • Excellent problem-solving skills
  • Demonstrate exceptional time management organizational skills
  • Additional Information
  • Full-time (40 hours) (8 hours shift)

Salary: $70,000.00 - $73,000.00 per year. The salary range differs based on the number of relevant work experience and educational level. In addition, we offer the below Employment Benefits:

  • 401(k) matching
  • Flexible schedule
  • Health insurance
  • Dental insurance
  • Vision insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Sick leave
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Paid supervision

Additional Information

Job Types: Full-time

Schedule: 8-hour shift

Work Location: In person - Washington DC

Office Address: 4530 Wisconsin Ave NW, DC

Compensation: USD 70000 - USD 73000 - yearly

Key Responsibilities

The School-Based Therapist provides direct mental health services, including assessments and therapy, to assigned consumers at a designated school location. They also provide consultation to school staff and manage clinical documentation and treatment plans.

Licensure & Certifications

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in social work and possess LGSW/LGPC licensure. A minimum of 1-3 years of mental health experience and strong knowledge of treatments for school-aged children are required.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Individual TherapyFamily TherapyTreatment PlanningDiagnostic AssessmentBio-psychological AssessmentOral Communication

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates School-Based Therapist at Better Morning a 7.9 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 10% in Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) — ranked against 7,558 active Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 64% are remote, 30% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for District of Columbia is 109.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$72k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $65k in an average-cost state. 64.3% of District of Columbia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Mental Health Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score7.9 / 10 · top 10% in mental health therapy (counseling)ranked against 7,558 Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$70k–$73kMental Health Therapy median $70k (middle half $61k–$83k)292 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$65k in purchasing powerDistrict of Columbia index 109.9 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Therapy listings in District of Columbia35 active7,479 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 64% remote · 30% no call · 74% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedUS counselor listings (all specialties): 13% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 13% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Mental Health Therapy listings2,512 in the last 30 days1,354 the 30 days before (+86%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (7,558 Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Counselor Jobs

35 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

35 jobs · 16 employers
7
<$85k
5
$85k-100k
11
$100k-115k
12
$115k-130k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

29 jobs · 16 employers
401k / retirement match
93% this job
Sign-on bonus
55%
CME allowance
28%
Loan repayment
7%
Relocation assistance
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 7.9
Among the best 10% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,558 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
Better Morning logo

About Better Morning

Mental Health Care
Washington, District of Columbia
11-50 employees

Benefits & Perks

401(k) matching
Flexible schedule
Health insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Paid time off
Sick leave
Tuition reimbursement

Living in Washington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$638k≈ 9.1× annual pay
Typical market rent
$2,484/mo≈ 43% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
30 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.9
State income tax
Up to 10.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.