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Avera Health
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Expressive Therapist | Behavioral Health | PRN

CounselorNo nightsPer Diem

Listed compensation

$21.75-$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

Location: Avera Behavioral Health Center-Sioux Falls

Worker Type

PRN

Work Shift

Day Shift (United States of America)

Pay Range

The pay range for this position is listed below. Actual pay rate dependent upon experience.

$21.75 - $33.00

Position Highlights

You Belong at Avera

Be part of a multidisciplinary team built with compassion and the goal of Moving Health Forward for you and our patients. Work where you matter.

A Brief Overview

Responsible to provide a variety of programs and services to patients in order that social, physical and cognitive functioning be maximized. Expressive therapy can include art, music, recreational, reminiscent therapies as well as programming on the unit for social events and activities.

What You Will Do

  • Creates and develops individualized and group plans of Expressive Therapy for each patient.
  • Provides individualized instruction as needed and implements group activities.
  • Establishes and maintains therapeutic relationships with patients and families, if applicable.
  • Maintains accurate and concise records by documenting all pertinent data timely.

Assesses cognitive abilities of each patient and provides specialized programming as needed to maintain the same level of service to all patients.

Creates a positive expressive environment where all patients feel comfortable exploring and expressing their thoughts, emotions and creativity.

Works actively with the interdisciplinary care team, physicians, psychologists and other professionals in development of individualized patient treatment plan.

Assists in maintaining a safe and secure environment for patients and staff.

Assists with patient care as needed.

Essential Qualifications

The individual must be able to work the hours specified.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job function satisfactorily including having visual acuity adequate to perform position duties and the ability to communicate effectively with others, hear, understand and distinguish speech and other sounds.

These requirements and those listed above are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the essential job functions.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions, as long as the accommodations do not cause undue hardship to the employer.

Required Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

4-6 years Related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience

Preferred Education, License/Certification, or Work Experience:

Bachelor's

Specialization in area of support

Expectations and Standards

Commitment to the daily application of Avera’s mission, vision, core values, and social principles to serve patients, their families, and our community.

  • Promote Avera’s values of compassion, hospitality, and stewardship.
  • Uphold Avera’s standards of Communication, Attitude, Responsiveness, and Engagement (CARE) with enthusiasm and sincerity.
  • Maintain confidentiality.

Work effectively in a team environment, coordinating work flow with other team members and ensuring a productive and efficient environment.

Comply with safety principles, laws, regulations, and standards associated with, but not limited to, CMS, The Joint Commission, DHHS, and OSHA if applicable.

Avera is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, Veteran Status, or other categories protected by law. If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-605-504-4444 or send an email to talent@avera.org.

Key Responsibilities

The Expressive Therapist develops and implements individualized and group therapy plans using art, music, and recreational activities to maximize patient functioning. They work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team to provide specialized programming and maintain accurate patient records.

Requirements

Candidates must have 4-6 years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience. A bachelor's degree in a relevant area of support is preferred.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

Art therapyMusic therapyRecreational therapyPatient assessmentTreatment planningInterdisciplinary collaborationDocumentationCognitive assessmentTherapeutic communicationCrisis interventionSafety management

Counselor Career Context

Of the 40 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 73% are remote, 8% have no call, 75% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for South Dakota is 88.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$57k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $64k in an average-cost state. 58.2% of South Dakota clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Mental Health Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$45k–$69kMental Health Therapy median $67k (middle half $67k–$85k)67 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$64k in purchasing powerSouth Dakota index 88.6 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Therapy listings in South Dakota22 active7,857 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 73% remote · 8% no call · 75% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Location & Logistics

South Dakota has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$57k midpoint, that is roughly $2k–$4k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top contract/1099 Counselor Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

20 jobs
7
<$80k
2
$80k-105k
2
$105k-130k
6
$130k-155k
3
$155k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

22 jobs
401k / retirement match
68%
CME allowance
50%
Sign-on bonus
27%
Loan repayment
5%
PSLF eligible
5%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Part Time Remote Group Therapist - Texas Licensed

Clarity Pediatrics · Remote - Nationwide

$62-$96/hr
#2

Mental Health Therapist (Part-Time, W2)Contract

Two Chairs · Texas

$58.5-$85/hr
#3

Mental Health Therapist (Part-Time, W2)

$58.5-$85/hr
#4

Mental Health Therapist (Part-Time, W2)

$58.5-$85/hr
+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 5.1
Better work-life than 40% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,851 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No nights

Living in Sioux Falls

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$304k
Typical market rent
$1,302/mo
Residents’ average commute
17 min
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

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