Primary Therapist

CounselorNo weekendsNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$60k-$85k

The week · per this posting · Tuesday – SaturdayWeekdays only

Ask the employer about call expectations, benefits and time off.

Posted 58m ago · Verified live

Job Description

New Hope Ranch

New Hope Ranch is a residential treatment center focusing on prevention, assessment, treatment, and reintegration for people suffering from substance abuse. Services are provided on our beautiful 49-acre ranch just 15 minutes from downtown Austin Texas

New Hope Ranch’s mission has two basic purposes: to improve social behavior and enhance personal recovery and growth. The organization has a culture of innovation that thrives on the creation of new services that meet the community’s needs while maintainingeffectiveness, excellence, and professionalism.

New Hope Ranch values an integrated system of high-quality care focused on best practices, easy access to services, and providing a full range of services in an efficient manner.

If you are looking for an organization that thrives on growth, celebrates diversity of thought, and rewards passionate execution, you’ve come to the right place. Because we put clients first, it is our honor to support and reward those who serve them.

Position Summary

The Primary Therapist provides and oversees treatment services as defined in the daily schedule and assists with supervision and facility management. The combined responsibilities of clinical and administrative supervision/management are key to the success of the treatment facility.

Essential Job Functions

  • Completes the Biopsychosocial assessment within one day of admission (parent and/or resident components**)
  • Completes the Comprehensive Treatment Plan and Integrated Treatment Summary within three days of admission.
  • Identify weekly treatment goals and write contracts relative to individual client needs.
  • Write and facilitate the Discharge Summary at the time of discharge (no later then 24 hours following discharge)
  • Individual psychotherapy sessions, 2-3 times weekly for each client.
  • Conjoint family psychotherapy sessions 1-3 times weekly for each client.

Facilitate professional groups as assigned. Minimum of 4 weekly.

  • Facilitate Multifamily and Alumni groups in the evening or weekend hours.
  • Interface with insurance companies, providing appropriate clinical information to obtain initial certification and continuing stay certification as required.
  • Thoroughly educate each resident to the CTP and its intent, target dates, and revisions.

Conjoint family therapy is scheduled at least once each week to address issues related to the resident’s family experience. The Primary Therapist ensures that each family member is fully educated to the CTP, its goals and methods and the resident’s discharge plan. It is key that the family know how to approach and implement all discharge recommendations.

  • Meets with residents within twenty-four hours of admission to establish therapeutic rapport.
  • Facilitates group therapy, workshops, and educational groups as directed by the program schedule.
  • Assesses suicidality and possibility for danger to self or others.

Charts each resident’s progress throughout the treatment experience. Notes are completed on a daily basis when ever possible and never completed later then 5 days following a session.

  • Charts after each individual, group, and family session.
  • Educates the each resident as needed.
  • Creates a written plan for continuing care (DC plan) and discharge summary.
  • The Primary Therapist “oversees” the daily treatment experience of each of his/her resident clients.
  • May be required to travel to other facilities to attend trainings.

The Primary Therapist is responsible to support facility supervision through close communication with their partner Primary Therapist or Program Director. The Primary Therapists are the facility’s leaders; as such a strong relationship between the two is vital for successful administration.

Knowledge, Education, & Experience

The Primary Therapist must possess Masters or Doctorate in appropriate field with Licensure. Discovery Behavioral Health utilizes MFT and LCSW interns and psychological assistants under the supervision of an appropriate Licensed Independent Practitioner.

The Primary Therapist must have at least one year in acute care or residential treatment or closely related experience.

  • Employment Status: Full time
  • Schedule: Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm OR 8:30am-4:30pm
  • Work Location: Manor, TX
  • Compensation Range: $60,000-85,000 salary

Discovery Behavioral Health seeks to build a diverse staff that is reflective of the patients we serve and the communities where we work. DBH encourages multiple perspectives, experiences, and strives to hire and retain a diverse workforce.

We are proud to be an EEO employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Key Responsibilities

The Primary Therapist provides individual and family psychotherapy while overseeing the daily treatment experience for residents. They are responsible for completing clinical assessments, treatment plans, and discharge summaries while maintaining accurate patient charts.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's or Doctorate degree in an appropriate field with active licensure. At least one year of experience in acute care or residential treatment is required.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Treatment planningCrisis interventionClinical documentationDischarge planningSubstance abuse treatmentCase managementInsurance certificationSuicide risk assessmentClinical supervision

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Primary Therapist at Discovery Behavioral Health 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 7,961 active Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements, no night shifts.

Counselor Career Context

Discovery Behavioral Health ranks #6 of 15 employers hiring Counselor on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 42% are remote, 30% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Texas is 97.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$73k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $75k in an average-cost state. 57.7% of Texas clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Texas has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$73k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Counselor Jobs

32 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution32 jobs · 24 employers

11
<$70k
6
$70k-90k
10
$90k-110k
5
$110k-130k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks27 jobs · 24 employers

401k / retirement match
89%
Sign-on bonus
26%
CME allowance
22%
Loan repayment
11%
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Clinical Director - LMFT, LCSW, LPCC

Seneca Family of Agencies · Salinas, California

$112k-$126k
#2

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

LifeStance Health · Milwaukee, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#3

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
#4

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

$115k-$120k
+ 30 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 6.4
Better work-life than 60% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,961 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
  • No nights
  • On-site

Living in Austin

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$455k≈ 7.6× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,586/mo≈ 32% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
24 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.

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

Discovery Behavioral Health logo

About Discovery Behavioral Health

Mental Health Care
Irvine, CA
1,001-5,000 employees