Kitsap Mental Health Services logo
Kitsap Mental Health Services
Bremerton, Washington

Temp Bremerton High School Shield Program Therapist January to April 2027

Counselor / TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$27.16-$37.34/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 30m ago · Verified live

Job Description

  • Temporary School Based Therapist Shield Program January-April 2027
  • Full-Time, Onsite
  • Behavioral Health Counselor II (BA-Level) Hiring Range: $27.16 - $33.94 Per Hour
  • Therapist (MA-Level) Hiring Range: $29.88 - $37.34 Per Hour

Kitsap Mental Health Services (KMHS) is hiring either a Master’s-level School-Based Therapist or Bachelor’s-level Behavioral Health Counselor on a temporary basis to provide behavioral health services to students enrolled in our SHIELD program.

This role helps students navigate emotional, behavioral, and mental health challenges that can affect success in the classroom. You'll partner with families, educators, and community providers to support meaningful progress and improve access to care.

If you're passionate about helping youth build resilience and reach their goals, we welcome your application.

Primary Responsibilities

  • Meet with students to assess needs, make referrals, and coordinate care with community partners when appropriate.
  • Conduct intakes and assessments to support treatment planning, diagnosis, and progress monitoring.
  • Provide brief intervention, crisis intervention, and trauma-focused treatment services.
  • Deliver individual, family, and group counseling based on student needs.
  • Organize and facilitate therapeutic and social skills groups.
  • Develop, implement, evaluate, and revise treatment plans in collaboration with program staff.
  • Maintain timely and accurate documentation in the agency electronic health record.
  • Collaborate with school personnel to support treatment goals and student success.
  • Participate in behavioral interventions that reinforce program and school expectations.
  • Provide therapeutic crisis response and coordinate with Designated Crisis Responders and other crisis services when needed.
  • Partner with families through meetings, outreach, care coordination, and linkage to community resources.
  • Provide consultation and coaching to school staff through classroom observations, presentations, and multidisciplinary meetings.
  • Coordinate care with outside providers and service systems as appropriate.
  • Support program operations and activities as needed, including student events, recreation, field trips, and program organization.

MA- Level Therapist Minimum Qualifications

  • EDUCATION: Master's degree in psychology, social services, or behavioral health field.
  • EXPERIENCE: Experienced (minimum 2 years of job-related experience)
  • Experience working with children within the structure of an intensive, milieu-based program.

Licensure / Certification

  • Agency Affiliated Counselor Registration.
  • Qualification as a Child Mental Health Specialist.

Per the RCW 28A.400.303, employees of contractors with school districts that have regularly scheduled unsupervised access to children are required to complete FBI fingerprinting.

Current CPR certification (or ability to obtain within 30 days of hire; training provided by the organization).

BA-Level BHC Minimum Qualifications

  • EDUCATION: Bachelors Degree in Psychology, social services, or behavioral health field.
  • EXPERIENCE: Experienced (minimum 3 years of job-related experience)

Our recruitment processes are designed to prevent discrimination against our people regardless of gender identity or orientation, religion, ethnicity, age, neurodiversity, disability status, citizenship, or any aspect which makes someone unique.

Key Responsibilities

Assess students’ behavioral and mental health needs, provide counseling and crisis or trauma-focused interventions, and develop and monitor treatment plans. Coordinate care with families, school staff, community providers, and crisis services while maintaining documentation and supporting program activities.

Requirements

The therapist role requires a master’s degree in a psychology, social services, or behavioral health field and at least two years of relevant experience working with children in an intensive milieu-based program; the bachelor’s-level counselor role requires a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of such experience. Both roles require Agency Affiliated Counselor Registration, Child Mental Health Specialist qualification, FBI fingerprinting, and current CPR certification or the ability to obtain it within 30 days.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Student AssessmentIntake and Treatment PlanningBehavioral Health CounselingSocial Skills Group FacilitationTreatment Plan EvaluationElectronic Health Record DocumentationSchool CollaborationFamily OutreachCommunity ReferralsStaff Consultation and Coaching

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 52% are remote, 40% have no call, 76% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Washington is 107.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$67k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $63k in an average-cost state. 59.8% of Washington clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Mental Health Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$56k–$78kMental Health Therapy median $94k (middle half $85k–$104k)11 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$63k in purchasing powerWashington index 107.0 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Therapy listings in Washington188 active7,826 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 52% remote · 40% no call · 76% no weekends50 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

Washington has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$67k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Counselor Jobs

36 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

36 jobs · 24 employers
13
<$85k
9
$85k-100k
1
$110k
13
$115k-130k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

27 jobs · 24 employers
401k / retirement match
96%
Sign-on bonus
26%
CME allowance
26%
Loan repayment
15%
PSLF eligible
7%

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 · Milwaukee, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#3

Behavioral Health Clinician (POTFF)

$59k-$124k
#4

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC)

$115k-$120k
+ 34 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 1.5
Below most Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,863 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site

Living in Bremerton

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$483k
Typical market rent
$1,879/mo
Residents’ average commute
25 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
105.6
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 · Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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