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Physicians Dialysis
Paola, Kansas

Primary Therapist

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$55k-$85k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

A Licensed Primary Therapists help patients recover from substance abuse and co-occurring disorders through mental/addiction counseling, education, treatment, and empathetic support.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Responsible for the clinical monitoring, coordinating, and implementing of the program in accordance with state and TJC Standards
  • Responsible for developing individualized, person-centered treatment plans for clients that include measurable and time-limited goals and objectives, and express the strengths, needs, goals and preferences of the client in their own language
  • Conducts follow up therapy sessions that follow the goals and objectives listed in the treatment plan
  • Completes Assessments in a timely manner to obtain admission baseline, and re-assesses according to company policy
  • Completes treatment plan reviews according to company standards
  • Acts as the mental health liaison between nursing and operations staff for their assigned caseload
  • Provides on-to-one intervention and follow-up of clients who suffer from substance abuse and/or mental health complications
  • Provides input to facility administration regarding treatment response and progress reports of clients on a regularly scheduled basis
  • Monitors all psychiatric/psychological clinical services provided for caseload
  • Monitors and documents treatment responses of the clients in their caseload
  • Ensure complete, accurate, and timely entries are made for each client contact
  • Performs Biopsychosocial assessments, evaluates mental health status of clients, and performs follow-ups in a timely manner
  • Monitors that standards of care are in accordance with NCCHC/ACA or accepted psychological standards
  • Is willing to be a member of the Quality Assurance Committee or sub-committees and/or assists in the establishment of Quality Assurance standards and audit criteria and demonstrates willingness to apply the company’s standards of Quality Assurance.
  • Develops and conducts in-service education programs according to annual in-service calendar
  • Prepares monthly reports which reflect performance
  • Submits copies of required monthly reports to the designated Supervisor
  • Actively assists with the detection and prevention of client suicide
  • Actively communicates with the Clinical Director and Utilization Review in regards to the status and progress, or lack thereof of their clients.
  • Additional duties as assigned.

Required License(s)/Certification(s)

  • Relevant license and/or certification or license/certification eligible as a Mental Health provider as required in the State of Kansas (i. e., Psychologist, Licensed Professional Counselor-LPC, Licensed Clinical Social Worker-LCSW, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist-LMFT)
  • BLS Provider obtained within 1 month (30 days) of hire date

Education and Experience

  • Must currently be licensed in the State of Kansas as a Psychologist or Licensed Therapist/Counselor/Social Worker or Registered Intern or a similarly clinically therapeutic field
  • A Bachelor’s Degree or above from an accredited college with a major in chemical dependency, psychology, social work, counseling, nursing (with a clinical specialty in the human services) or other related field which includes a practicum in a health or human service agency, preferably in a drug and alcohol setting.
  • Minimum of two years' experience working in a mental health field is preferred
  • Previous substance abuse treatment and/or detox facility preferred
  • Flexibility in work arrangements; you may be asked to perform the same task for an extended period of time of two perform different tasks on the same day
  • Strong communication skills amongst clients and within all necessary departments
  • Able to utilize an electronic medical record

Key Responsibilities

The Primary Therapist is responsible for developing individualized treatment plans and providing clinical counseling to patients with substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. They also act as a mental health liaison, monitor clinical services, and ensure accurate documentation within the facility.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a relevant license or certification in the State of Kansas, such as a Psychologist, LPC, LCSW, or LMFT. A minimum of a Bachelor's degree and at least two years of experience in a mental health or substance abuse setting are preferred.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Substance abuse counselingMental health counselingTreatment planningClinical documentationCrisis interventionSuicide preventionCase managementElectronic medical recordsPatient educationPsychological assessment

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Addiction Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 66% are remote, 36% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Kansas is 90.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$70k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $78k in an average-cost state. 61.0% of Kansas clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Addiction Medicine pay on WeekdayDoc is up 2.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Top Counselor Jobs

27 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution27 jobs · 18 employers

6
<$75k
6
$75k-90k
5
$90k-105k
4
$105k-120k
6
$120k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks24 jobs · 18 employers

401k / retirement match
96%
Sign-on bonus
38%
CME allowance
38%
Loan repayment
17%
PSLF eligible
8%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW/LPCC/LMFT

LifeStance Health · Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

$74k-$126k
#2

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT, LPC, LCSW)

LifeStance Health · Brookfield, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#3

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

$115k-$120k
#4

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
+ 25 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Addiction Medicine (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,291 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Paola

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$364k≈ 6.6× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,200/mo≈ 26% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
26 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
92.5
State income tax
Up to 5.7%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Kansas City, MO-KS metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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