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Centra Care
Saint Cloud, Minnesota

Behavioral Health Technician | Mental Health Units

Behavioral Health TechIncludes callIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$23.30 per hour

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting and time off.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

Find your purpose and share your passion by helping patients at the St. Cloud Hospital as a Behavioral Health Technician! We understand how difficult things can be when life seems overwhelming. Be part of our team dedicated to helping people feel better and regaining their zest for life!

Be involved in patient care activities which may involve assisting with the needs and comfort of patients to include hygiene, activity, nutrition and treatments; therapeutic interactions with patients, patient safety rounds, vital signs, patient and belonging searches, patient transportation to tests/procedures, and gathering patient and family information.

While you will be assigned a primary home unit, all Behavioral Health Technicians receive comprehensive cross-training across our three service areas: EmPATH, Adolescent Mental Health, and Adult Mental Health.

Current Full-time Openings

  • 60 hours every two weeks | Straight night shifts | 7 p. m. - 7:30 a. m. and 11 p. m. - 7:30 a. m. | Every other weekend and rotating holidays | Adult Mental Health

Current Part-Time Openings

  • 48 hours every two weeks | 8-hour day and evening rotation | 7 a. m. - 3:30 p. m. and 3 p. m. - 11:30 p. m. | Every other weekend and rotating holidays | Adult Mental Health

Pay and Benefits

  • Starting pay begins at $23.30 per hour; exact wage determined by years of related experience.
  • Pay range: $20.71 - $31.68 per hour
  • Earn extra pay for working evening, night, and weekend shifts.
  • Full time benefits: medical, dental, PTO, retirement, employee discounts and more!
  • $2,000 hiring bonus for eligible candidates!
  • Tuition reimbursement and college grant programs available.

Qualifications

  • High School Diploma, GED or equivalent required.
  • Basic Life Support (BLS) training, initial and ongoing required and provided.
  • 2 years of college with courses in psychology, sociology, and/or social work preferred.
  • Six months experience in nursing assistant or similar role preferred.
  • Must be able to effectively handle escalating behavior and utilize physical safety holds with aggressive patients.
  • Non-Violent Crisis Intervention (NCI) training initial and on-going training provided.

To be eligible for the hiring bonus you must be an external candidate who is hired into an eligible full or part time benefited position. Previous employees qualify if they have not worked for CentraCare for at least 9 months at the date of hire. CentraCare pay incentives to include but not limited to, hiring bonuses may be discontinued at any time due to business needs.

CentraCare has made a commitment to diversity in its workforce. All individuals including, but not limited to, individuals with disabilities, are encouraged to apply. CentraCare is an EEO/AA employer.

Key Responsibilities

The Behavioral Health Technician provides direct patient care, including assistance with hygiene, nutrition, and therapeutic interactions. They are also responsible for monitoring patient safety, taking vital signs, and transporting patients to procedures.

Key Skills

Vital signs monitoringTherapeutic interactionBehavioral health supportHygiene assistanceDocumentationDe-escalation techniques

Psychiatry Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Minnesota is 98.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$54k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $55k in an average-cost state. 63.4% of Minnesota clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 40 active Psychiatry listings this role was benchmarked against, 70% have no call, 63% require no weekends.

What does the Psychiatry market look like in Minnesota?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score3.0 / 10 · above average in behavioral health tech rolesranked against 1,557 Behavioral Health Tech roles listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed pay$43k–$66kPsychiatry median $44k (middle half $41k–$48k)28 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$55k in purchasing powerMinnesota index 98.6 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Work settingon-sitepeers: 70% no call · 63% no weekends40 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repayment$2k sign-onUS healthcare professional listings (all specialties): 4% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 12% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Nov 2026
New Psychiatry listings1,316 in the last 30 days923 the 30 days before (+43%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (1,557 Behavioral Health Tech roles listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Behavioral Health Tech Jobs

24 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

24 jobs · 21 employers
11
<$45k
10
$45k-55k
2
$55k-65k
1
$72k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

15 jobs
401k / retirement match
100%
CME allowance
33%
Sign-on bonus
13% this job
PSLF eligible
13%
Loan repayment
7%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Behavioral Health Technician - Float Pool

Essentia Health · Duluth, Minnesota

$23.28-$34.63/hr
#2

Behavioral Health Technician

Centurion Health · Taylorville, Illinois

$26.91-$28.58/hr
#3

Therapeutic Recreation Behavioral Health Technician (BHT)

$23-$27/hr
#4

Behavioral Health Technician

$16-$25/hr
+ 22 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 5.1this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Psychiatry (Behavioral Health Tech) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 114 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes call
  • Includes weekends

Living in St. Cloud

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$251k
Typical market rent
$1,241/mo
Residents’ average commute
20 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
104.8
State income tax
Up to 9.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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