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Directions for Living
Clearwater, Florida

Counselor Children's Outpatient Field

Counselor / TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$80k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations and weekend coverage.

Posted 2mo ago

Job Description

Job DetailsJob Location: Clearwater, FL 33764Salary: $80,000/year We offer: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Short Term and Long Term Disability. 5 days of Paid Time Off 16 Paid Wellness Days and Holidays - Including the week of Christmas off!

Do you envision working for a dynamic, mission-driven organization which supports the community while fostering an employee culture of appreciation and fun? If your answer is yes, then an employment opportunity at Directions for Living may be a great fit for you!

We offer an excellent salary and benefits package to include employer paid health insurance premiums for all full-time employees, PTO and paid company holidays, 403b retirement, EAP, and year-round employee wellness and appreciation initiatives.

POSITION SUMMARY: This is a professional clinical position providing counseling to children, and families in Children’s Outpatient (COP) program under the Outpatient Services Division.

COP provides children’s therapy services that are designed for children who have experienced trauma, including loss and grief, depression, anxiety, abuse histories and addictions. These services can be provided in office or in the community.

COP services can be for the individual or the family, and assists in managing mild to moderate behavioral or emotional needs which can stem from trauma, including school behavior difficulties, adoption related issues, thoughts of suicide or self-harm, abuse histories, and addictions.

All COP programming utilizes a solution-focused, family centered approach and evidenced based or research supported practices to assist children and families in problem solving skills, behavior strategies, and anger management skills, among other therapeutic interventions.

The Children’s Outpatient Field (COP) Counselor is a position providing clinical interventions directed at serving children, adolescents, and families, with mental health needs.

The COP Field Counselor will be assigned to provide clinical services to youth and families with mental health or co-occurring mental health & substance abuse concerns.

The COP Field Counselor will ensure that the counseling services being delivered are individualized, recovery-focused and allow individuals the opportunity to learn how to manage their own recovery and advocacy process.

The COP Field Counselor will be a subject matter expert on counseling interventions that serve to enhance the development of recovery, natural supports, as well as coping and self-management skills.

The COP Field Counselor will ensure that counseling services being provided emphasize personal safety, self-worth, confidence, growth, connection to the community, boundary setting, planning, self-advocacy, personal fulfillment, development of social supports, and effective communication.

The COP Field Counselor will ensure that the counseling services provided emphasize the acquisition; development; expansion of rehabilitative skills needed to move forward in recovery.

The COP Field Counselor that they collaborate with the other service providers, such as psychiatry,, Behavioral Health Case Managers, High Fidelity Wraparound Facilitators and Homeless Services.

If the youth or family are not engaged in and need these other services, the COP Field Counselor will notify the program supervisor/director and help provide education on these services and help to coordinate initiation, as clinically appropriate.

If these services are recommended, but the youth or family are not yet willing to engage, this should be documented in the service notes and the COP Field Counselor will be responsible for ensuring the completion of this documentation. This is a field-based position.

COP Field Counselor is responsible for ensuring an annual client facing client care number of 1,410 hours annually. Achieving the minimum required weekly, monthly and annual client facing client care hours is an essential function of this position. Directions for Living is an essential services provider.

All Directions for Living team members must be willing and able to provide vital support and essential services to the people that we serve in the event of an emergency, pandemic or other disaster situation.

Qualifications

EDUCATION EXPERIENCE/REQUIREMENTS: 1. Master’s degree in Counseling, Psychology, Social Work or related field required. 2. Knowledge of DSM-IV and ICD-9 diagnostic codes. 3. Basic knowledge of psychotropic medications. 4.

Must have sufficient clinical knowledge to provide clinical intervention with adults and children who manifest a range of psychopathology, utilizing various treatment approaches including individual, family play, and group therapy, individual psychopathology and normal childhood development. 5.

Must have a willingness to learn approaches with which staff are less familiar as required. 6. Must acquire knowledge of community resources.

EOE/ADA/DFW Smoke Free Campus info.flclearinghouse.com For the safety of all clients and team members, please remember that Directions for Living is a private business and weapons or firearms are not permitted in any of our facilities. If you carry a weapon, it must remain secured in your vehicle (ref: Fla. Stat. 790.251).

Key Responsibilities

Provide clinical counseling services to children, adolescents, and families experiencing trauma, mental health, or substance abuse issues. Conduct field-based interventions and maintain a minimum of 1,410 annual client-facing hours.

Requirements

Requires a Master's degree in Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, or a related field. Must possess clinical knowledge of diagnostic codes, psychotropic medications, and various therapeutic treatment approaches.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Trauma-informed careFamily therapyCrisis interventionCase managementSolution-focused therapyPsychopathology assessmentCommunity resource coordinationChild development

Children's Outpatient Counseling — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 36% are remote, 34% have no call, 58% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Florida is 103.4 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$80k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $77k in an average-cost state. 58.1% of Florida clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Counselor by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$80kCounselor median $73k (middle half $60k–$80k)10 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$77k in purchasing powerFlorida index 103.4 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
All counselor listings in Florida565 active12,756 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 36% remote · 34% no call · 58% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedFlorida counselor listings (all specialties): 6% state a sign-on bonus (median $4k) · 12% offer loan repayment565 active listings, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page. Florida figures use all counselors: too few Florida Children's Outpatient Counseling postings state pay.

Location & Logistics

Florida has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$80k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$6k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Counselor Jobs

36 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

36 jobs · 27 employers
13
<$65k
12
$65k-85k
7
$85k-105k
2
$120k
2
$125k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

24 jobs
401k / retirement match
100% this job
Loan repayment
29%
CME allowance
29%
Sign-on bonus
25%
PSLF eligible
17%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW - LPCC - LMFT

LifeStance Health · Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

$74k-$126k
#2

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

LifeStance Health · Brookfield, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#3

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
#4

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMFT, LCSW, LPC)

$115k-$120k
+ 34 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Counseling listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 12,758 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Directions for Living logo

About Directions for Living

Mental Health Care
Clearwater, Florida
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Short Term and Long Term Disability
5 days of Paid Time Off
16 Paid Wellness Days and Holidays - Including the week of Christmas off
403b retirement
EAP
Year-round employee wellness and appreciation initiatives
Employer paid health insurance premiums for all full-time employees

Living in Clearwater

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$422k≈ 5.3× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,975/mo≈ 30% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
23 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
100.9
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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