HealthPath Medical & Psychiatric Care logo
HealthPath Medical & Psychiatric Care
Charleston, West Virginia

Lead Therapist for Intensive Outpatient & Partial Hospitalization

CounselorFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Lead Therapist for Intensive Outpatient & Partial Hospitalization (Program Launch)

Help us build something new. We're looking for an energetic, self-driven licensed therapist to launch and lead our new Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) — and to shape how we deliver higher-acuity behavioral health care for years to come.

About HealthPath

HealthPath Medical & Psychiatric is a growing behavioral health practice in Charleston, West Virginia committed to compassionate, evidence-based care. We're expanding our continuum of care to include IOP and PHP services and we're looking for a clinical leader to help us get there.

This is a ground-floor leadership role. You won't be stepping into a program someone else built. You will help build it.

What You'll Do

Serve as the founding clinician and driving force behind our new IOP (ASAM Level 2.1) and PHP (ASAM Level 2.5) programs.

Partner with leadership to design and refine program structure — group schedules, curriculum, clinical workflows, and policies — and get the programs running.

Deliver high-quality, compassionate clinical care: facilitate group, individual, and family sessions using evidence-based modalities (CBT, DBT, MI, relapse prevention).

Conduct biopsychosocial and ASAM level-of-care assessments; determine the appropriate level of care and document medical necessity for authorizations and concurrent reviews.

Help prepare the programs for accreditation (CARF/Joint Commission), and commercial payer utilization review.

Build referral relationships and help grow a healthy, appropriate census.

Mentor and, as the team grows, supervise clinicians and interns and help set a positive, recovery-oriented culture.

Track outcomes and lead continuous quality improvement.

What We're Looking For

Active, independent West Virginia behavioral health license — LPC, LICSW/LCSW, LMFT, or licensed psychologist (or clearly WV license-eligible).

Hands-on experience delivering Intensive Outpatient (IOP) services (required); PHP/IOP experience strongly preferred.

  • A skilled group facilitator who is confident leading psychoeducational and process groups.
  • Working knowledge of the ASAM Criteria, level-of-care determination, and medical-necessity documentation.
  • An energetic, self-driven, entrepreneurial mindset — you take ownership, solve problems, and make things happen without waiting to be told.
  • Comfort with an EHR and using outcome measures to guide care.

Nice to Have

Experience with substance use and co-occurring disorders.

Prior program development or program-launch experience.

An approved clinical supervisor credential (or willingness to obtain one).

Familiarity with commercial payer authorization and concurrent review.

What We Offer

  • A rare chance to build and lead two new programs from the ground up — real ownership and real impact.
  • Competitive salary based on experience.
  • Benefits: health / dental, PTO, 401(k)
  • A supportive, mission-driven team that values compassionate, evidence-based care.
  • Growth path into expanded clinical leadership as the programs scale.

Key Responsibilities

The Lead Therapist will serve as the founding clinician responsible for designing, launching, and managing the new Intensive Outpatient and Partial Hospitalization programs. This role involves delivering evidence-based clinical care, mentoring staff, and ensuring the programs meet accreditation and utilization review standards.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an active, independent West Virginia behavioral health license such as LPC, LICSW/LCSW, LMFT, or licensed psychologist. Hands-on experience delivering Intensive Outpatient services and a strong working knowledge of ASAM criteria are required.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
5+ years of experience

Key Skills

Group facilitationMotivational interviewingBiopsychosocial assessmentAccreditation preparationClinical supervisionEHR managementSubstance use treatmentCrisis interventionTreatment planning

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Lead Therapist for Intensive Outpatient & Partial Hospitalization at HealthPath Medical & Psychiatric Care a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 25% in Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) — ranked against 7,885 active Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 58% are remote, 26% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

Counselor pay on WeekdayDoc is down 3.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for West Virginia is 89.5 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 62.5% of West Virginia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

42 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution39 jobs · 34 employers

13
<$80k
6
$80k-105k
9
$105k-130k
11
$130k-155k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks30 jobs

401k / retirement match
90% this job
CME allowance
57%
Sign-on bonus
33%
Loan repayment
23%
PSLF eligible
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Therapist

BlueSky Telepsych · Massachusetts

$60-$70/hr
#2

Psychotherapist Outpatient Clinic – LCSW / LMHC / LMFT/Full-Time Employment/Signing Bonus 5000USDContract

Harmony United Psychiatric Care · Winter Garden, Florida

$60-$70/hr
#3

Licensed Mental Health Therapist

$123k-$141k
#4

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

$123k-$141k
+ 40 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.3this job 7.2
Better work-life than 80% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,885 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Charleston

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$177k
Typical market rent
$1,369/mo
Residents’ average commute
17 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
88.7
State income tax
Up to 6.5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Charleston, WV metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

HealthPath Medical & Psychiatric Care logo

About HealthPath Medical & Psychiatric Care

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
401(k)
PTO