Primary Therapist
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.
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
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).
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