Heartland Family Service logo
Heartland Family Service
Council Bluffs, Iowa

Therapist I - Iowa Behavioral Health

CounselorNo weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$50k-$63k

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

At Heartland Family Service, we are committed to building a culture that is trauma informed and values and celebrates diversity and inclusion. We believe this allows for better service delivery and innovation, as it encourages our employees to bring various experiences and uniqueness to the workplace.

Trauma Informed Care is an approach to engaging people with histories of trauma that recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms and acknowledges the role that trauma has played in their lives. Trauma Informed Care also acknowledges the effects of working with trauma survivors on our workforce and seeks to build collaborative and supportive working environments and relationships.

If you believe in our mission of creating healthy families and communities, and like a fast pace, collaborative and team-oriented environment, then Heartland Family Service is the agency for you.

Summary Description of Work

Highly developed therapeutic skills, decision making and problem-solving capabilities are critical. Works with a wide range of clientele with ability to specialize in certain client populations. This position will provide services to individuals and families in need of counseling for mental health, substance abuse and gambling. All training and supervision are provided by agency with a comprehensive and competitive benefits package.

Compensation: between $50,000 and $63,255 per year (salary is determined by total years of relevant experience) Work Schedule: 40 hours per week (Monday through Friday between 8:00 a. m. and 6:00 p. m.)

Click to see benefits and company perks

Minimum Qualifications

  • Master’s Degree in Counseling, Social Work, or Marriage & Family Therapy
  • Two years or more experience
  • TLMHC, LMSW, LMFT or provisional licensure required
  • Valid driver’s license/ acceptable driving record

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

  • *Determines whether client is appropriate for agency services; determines needed level of care; refers (internal or external) to appropriate level of care.
  • *Conducts a comprehensive pre-treatment assessment, including 5 axis diagnostic impression and treatment recommendations; refers if other services are needed.
  • *Establishes a treatment plan, with client participation, which specifies treatment structure, outcomes, goals and objectives; within first 2 sessions.
  • *Provides counseling to individuals, couples, children and families in group or individual settings, within the framework of the treatment plan; monitors progress.
  • *Handles cases of increasing complexity.
  • *Provides mental health crisis intervention as needed.
  • *Is dependable and punctual regarding scheduling and attendance.
  • Meets clinical requirements of third-party payers (authorizations, reviews, documentation) and provides information necessary for prompt and accurate billing.
  • Maintains relationships with referral sources.
  • Coordinates care when provided by multiple practitioners.
  • Refers to other Heartland Family Service programs and other community services, as necessary either concurrent with services or for aftercare; follows up to complete referral.
  • Completes all case documentation for clinical and billing purposes.
  • Maintains clinical record, meeting established standards of timeliness and completeness.
  • Is prompt and accurate in completing all required reports, statistics and other requirements.
  • Displays a courteous and caring attitude at all times to the clientele, volunteers, and visitors of the Agency.
  • Cooperates and collaborates with program area staff, volunteers, and other Agency staff.
  • Abides by all specific program and Agency procedures, policies, and requirements.
  • Develops personal and program related skills through participation in internal and external training opportunities including printed material and audio and/or visual media.
  • *Creates, maintains and shares as appropriate a dynamic self-care plan.
  • *Strives to make connections between the agency and the larger community whenever possible in order to contribute to the agency’s ongoing fundraising and friend-raising efforts.
  • *Essential functions of this job are to be performed on company physical work site.
  • Performs other program related duties as assigned.

*DENOTES ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Key Responsibilities

The therapist will conduct comprehensive pre-treatment assessments and develop individualized treatment plans for clients dealing with mental health, substance abuse, and gambling issues. They are also responsible for providing counseling services, managing crisis interventions, and maintaining accurate clinical documentation.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master’s degree in Counseling, Social Work, or Marriage & Family Therapy and possess at least two years of relevant experience. A valid provisional or full clinical license (TLMHC, LMSW, LMFT) and a valid driver's license are required.

Qualifications

Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Mental health assessmentSubstance abuse counselingGambling addiction counselingTreatment planningClinical record maintenanceCollaborationTime managementCommunication

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Therapist I - Iowa Behavioral Health at Heartland Family Service a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) — ranked against 8,029 active Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 52% are remote, 22% have no call, 74% 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 Iowa is 87.8 (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. 59.8% of Iowa clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

31 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution31 jobs · 19 employers

7
<$90k
4
$90k-105k
3
$105k-120k
15
$120k-135k
2
$135k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks28 jobs · 19 employers

401k / retirement match
96%
CME allowance
36%
Sign-on bonus
21%
Loan repayment
18%
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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Work-life snapshot

median 6.2this job 6.4
Better work-life than 60% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

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

  • No weekends

Living in Council Bluffs

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$243k≈ 4.9× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,350/mo≈ 32% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
18 min
State income tax
Up to 6%
Sources & methodology

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

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

Heartland Family Service logo

About Heartland Family Service

Non-profit Organizations
Omaha, NE
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Comprehensive benefits package
Monday-Friday schedule
No weekends
No nights