State of North Carolina logo
State of North Carolina
Morganton, North Carolina

Creative Expressive Arts Therapist (Broughton Hospital)

Counselor / TherapistIncludes callFull-Time

Listed compensation

$43k-$65k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 39m ago · Verified live

Job Description

  • Agency
  • Dept of Health and Human Services
  • Division
  • Broughton Hospital
  • Job Classification Title
  • Creative/Expressive Arts Therapist (S)
  • Position Number
  • Grade
  • MH08

About Us

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is one of the largest, most complex agencies in the state, and has approximately 17,000 employees. It is responsible for ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of all North Carolinians, providing human service needs for special populations including individuals who are deaf, blind, developmentally disabled, and mentally ill, and helping poor North Carolinians achieve economic independence.

Description of Work

Broughton Hospital is accepting applications for a Creative/Expressive Arts Therapist.

The Creative/Expressive Arts Therapist provides skilled rehabilitative services to patients with mental, social, physical, and/or emotional disability through the use of creative/expressive arts therapy in a psychiatric setting. The mediums that may be used include arts, music, drama, and/or dance therapy. The work involves evaluation of clients through the use of behavioral observations.

  • Knowledge Skills and Abilities/Management Preferences
  • Salary Range: $43,477.00 - $65,216.00
  • Recruitment Range: $43,477.00 - $65,216.00

Candidates now meet the minimum qualifications of a position if they meet the minimum education and experience listed on the vacancy announcement.

The Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)/Management Preferences are not required. Applicants who possess the following skills are preferred:

Working knowledge of the physiological, sociological, and psychological implications for the disease processes experienced by the population being served.

Considerable knowledge of the therapeutic creative/expressive arts principles, techniques, and methods and their application to the population being served.

Ability to integrate a philosophy of creative/expressive arts which is therapeutic in nature into a clinical program.

Ability to select and administer a variety of appropriate testing methods and use the results to plan individualized therapeutic programs.

Ability to instruct and supervise student interns, subordinate staff members, and other medical and para-professional personnel in creative/expressive arts therapy methods and techniques.

  • Ability to evaluate client progress and to present evaluative reports in interdisciplinary team meetings.
  • Ability to maintain effective working relationships with clients, families, a variety of professional disciplines, and the general public.
  • This position is designated as mandatory and must report or stay over during adverse weather events.
  • Flexibility is required for education and training purposes and to meet the needs of the facility.

About the Facility

Broughton Hospital is one of the three regional psychiatric hospitals with statutory responsibility for operating as part of the Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities (DSOHF).

With the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, we provide help and support to North Carolinians, and their families, experiencing mental illness.

Our hospital serves the western thirty-seven (37) counties of North Carolina, as part of the state's system of care and treatment for persons with mental illness.

Supplemental Information

DHHS uses the Merit-Based Recruitment and Selection Plan to fill positions with the most qualified individuals. Hiring salary will be based on relevant qualifications, internal equity, and budgetary considerations pertinent to the advertised position.

Positions in the Division of State Operated Healthcare Facilities are subject to pre-employment drug testing and criminal record background checks.

  • The use of tobacco products of any kind, including vapor products, is prohibited from our campuses.
  • All employees are required to adhere to the facility's Vaccination Policy.

To be considered for employment, an applicant must be in good standing with the Health Care Personnel Registry and other licensing boards/agencies.

Application Process

Be sure to complete the application in its entirety. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completing this application.

Information should be provided in the appropriate areas, to include the following: Education, including high school and all degrees obtained, Work Experience, and Certificates & Licenses. It is critical to our screening and salary determination process that applications contain comprehensive candidate information.

Answers to Supplemental Questions are not a substitute for providing all relevant information within the body of your application. To receive credit for the supplemental questions, you must provide supporting information within the "Work Experience" section of the application, to support your answers.

If multiple applications are submitted to an individual posting, only the most recent application received prior to the closing date will be accepted.

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 pm on the night before the closing date.

Due to the volume of applications received, we are unable to provide information regarding the status of your application over the phone. To check the status of your application, please log in to your account. As of the closing date, applications are "Under Review" and will be screened by Human Resources for the qualified applicants. The hiring process may take several weeks.

Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions. Transcripts and degree evaluations may be uploaded with your application.

The State of North Carolina Office of State Human Resources uses the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) as a referral resource for applicants who need to have their credentials certified as equivalent.

For a list of organizations that perform this specialized service, please visit the NACES membership website at naces.org.

Veteran’S and National Guard Preference

Applicants seeking Veteran's Preference must attach a DD-214 Member-4 Form (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) to their application.

Applicants seeking National Guard Preference must attach an NGB 23A (RPAS), along with the state application if they are a current member of the NC National Guard in good standing.

Applicants who are former member of either the NC Army National Guard or the NC Air National Guard, with honorable discharge and six years of creditable service, must attach a copy of the DD 256 or NGB 22, along with the state application.

ADA Accommodation

Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), DHHS is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, DHHS will ensure that people with disabilities, or known limitations covered by the PWFA, are provided with reasonable accommodation. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the person indicated below.

Communication

Applicants will be communicated with via email only for updates on the status of their application. If there are any questions about this posting, other than your application status, please contact the Human Resources Department at Broughton Hospital at (828) 608-4130.

Minimum Education and Experience

Some state job postings say you can qualify by an “equivalent combination of education and experience.” If that language appears below, then you may qualify through EITHER years of education OR years of directly related experience, OR a combination of both. See the Education and Experience Equivalency Guide for details.

Bachelor’s degree in music therapy which includes a six month internship from an appropriately accredited institution; or

Bachelor’s degree in music or music education with an equivalency in music therapy which includes a six month internship from an appropriately accredited institution; or

Bachelor’s degree in one of the creative/expressive arts areas (art, dance, drama, music) from an appropriately accredited institution and two years of experience in all phases of therapeutic programming; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Administering the class: if the creative/expressive arts degree program has a therapeutic equivalency or emphasis, the experience requirements will be waived.

EEO Statement

The State of North Carolina is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and dedicated to providing employees with a work environment free from all forms of unlawful employment discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. The state provides reasonable accommodation to employees and applicants with disabilities; known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; and for religious beliefs, observances, and practices.

Recruiter

Elizabeth Button Buchanan

Contact

DHHS Workday Support Form

Key Responsibilities

The therapist provides skilled rehabilitative services to patients with mental, social, physical, or emotional disabilities using creative arts modalities. They are responsible for evaluating client progress, planning individualized therapeutic programs, and participating in interdisciplinary team meetings.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree in music therapy, music education with equivalency, or a related creative arts field from an accredited institution. The role requires experience in therapeutic programming or completion of a six-month internship.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Creative arts therapyDrama therapyBehavioral observationClinical evaluationInterdisciplinary team collaborationStudent supervisionPsychiatric careIndividualized treatment planning

Counselor Career Context

State of North Carolina ranks #16 of 21 employers hiring Counselor on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 50% are remote, 22% have no call, 60% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$43k–$65kMental Health Therapy median $66k (middle half $60k–$74k)11 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$58k in purchasing powerNorth Carolina index 94.3 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Therapy listings in North Carolina278 active7,931 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 50% remote · 22% no call · 60% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedNorth Carolina Counselor listings: 15% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 13% offer loan repayment499 active listings, Oct 2026
Mental Health Therapy pay trend+1.0% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
State of North Carolina#16 of 21 for payTop Employers work-life index
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, Top Employers work-life index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Counselor Jobs

35 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

35 jobs · 28 employers
15
<$75k
9
$75k-90k
6
$90k-105k
3
$105k-120k
2
$120k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

30 jobs · 28 employers
401k / retirement match
93% this job
CME allowance
37%
Sign-on bonus
23%
Loan repayment
20%
PSLF eligible
13% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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$115k-$120k
#2

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#3

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW/LPCC/LMFT

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#4

Licensed Clinical Therapist (LSCSW, LCPC, LCMFT) Sign-on Bonus $5,000

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+ 33 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

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

  • Includes call
State of North Carolina logo

About State of North Carolina

Government Administration
Raleigh, North Carolina
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

State government benefits
Pension plan
PSLF eligible

Living in Morganton

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$284k≈ 6.5× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,436/mo≈ 40% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
18 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
88.5
State income tax
Up to 4.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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