Primary Therapist
Listed compensation
$58K - $76K
The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed
Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.
Job Description
A Licensed Primary Therapists help patients recover from substance abuse and co-occurring disorders through mental/addiction counseling, education, treatment, and empathetic support.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Responsible for the clinical monitoring, coordinating, and implementing of the program in accordance with state and TJC Standards
- Responsible for developing individualized, person-centered treatment plans for clients that include measurable and time-limited goals and objectives, and express the strengths, needs, goals and preferences of the client in their own language
- Conducts follow up therapy sessions that follow the goals and objectives listed in the treatment plan
- Completes Assessments in a timely manner to obtain admission baseline, and re-assesses according to company policy
- Completes treatment plan reviews according to company standards
- Acts as the mental health liaison between nursing and operations staff for their assigned caseload
- Provides on-to-one intervention and follow-up of clients who suffer from substance abuse and/or mental health complications
- Provides input to facility administration regarding treatment response and progress reports of clients on a regularly scheduled basis
- Monitors all psychiatric/psychological clinical services provided for caseload
- Monitors and documents treatment responses of the clients in their caseload
- Ensure complete, accurate, and timely entries are made for each client contact
- Performs Biopsychosocial assessments, evaluates mental health status of clients, and performs follow-ups in a timely manner
- Monitors that standards of care are in accordance with NCCHC/ACA or accepted psychological standards
- Is willing to be a member of the Quality Assurance Committee or sub-committees and/or assists in the establishment of Quality Assurance standards and audit criteria and demonstrates willingness to apply the company’s standards of Quality Assurance.
- Develops and conducts in-service education programs according to annual in-service calendar
- Prepares monthly reports which reflect performance
- Submits copies of required monthly reports to the designated Supervisor
- Actively assists with the detection and prevention of client suicide
- Actively communicates with the Clinical Director and Utilization Review in regards to the status and progress, or lack thereof of their clients.
- Additional duties as assigned.
Required License(s)/Certification(s)
- Relevant license and/or certification or license/certification eligible as a Mental Health provider as required in the State in which the site is located (i. e., Psychologist, Licensed Professional Counselor-LPC, Licensed Clinical Social Worker-LCSW, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist-LMFT)
- BLS Provider obtained within 1 month (30 days) of hire date
Education and Experience
- Must currently be licensed in the State in which the site is located as a Psychologist or Licensed Therapist/Counselor/Social Worker or Registered Intern or a similarly clinically therapeutic field
- A Bachelor’s Degree or above from an accredited college with a major in chemical dependency, psychology, social work, counseling, nursing (with a clinical specialty in the human services), or Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor license II (LCDCII), Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor license III (LCDCIII) preferred.
- Minimum of two years' experience working in a mental health field is preferred
- Previous substance abuse treatment and/or detox facility preferred
- Flexibility in work arrangements; you may be asked to perform the same task for an extended period of time of two perform different tasks on the same day
- Strong communication skills amongst clients and within all necessary departments
- Ability to work alone when taking calls or covering evening and/or night shifts
- Able to utilize an electronic medical record
Key Responsibilities
The Primary Therapist is responsible for developing and implementing individualized treatment plans for patients recovering from substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. They conduct therapy sessions, perform biopsychosocial assessments, and coordinate care between nursing and operations staff.
Requirements
Candidates must hold a valid state license as a Psychologist, LPC, LCSW, or LMFT and obtain BLS certification within 30 days of hire. A bachelor's degree in a relevant human services field and at least two years of mental health experience are preferred.
Qualifications
- Education
- Bachelor degree
- Experience
- 2+ years of experience
Key Skills
Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context
Of the 50 active Addiction Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 36% are remote, 42% have no call, 70% require no weekends.
In Ohio, the Addiction Medicine weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$64k (29 salary observations; 125 listings), vs ~$62k nationally (993 salary observations; 4,263 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-11-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.
| Measure | This job | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Work-life score | 6.5 / 10 · above average in addiction medicine (counseling) | ranked against 1,121 Addiction Medicine (Counseling) listingslisting-based score, 0–10 |
| Listed pay | $58k–$76k | Addiction Medicine median $62k (middle half $57k–$65k)18 comparable listings, Nov 2026 |
| Ohio vs national | $64k median in Ohio | $62k nationally (+4%)29 state / 993 national salary observations |
| Cost-of-living adjusted pay | ~$72k in purchasing power | Ohio index 92.8 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) |
| Addiction Medicine listings in Ohio | 34 active | 1,122 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| Work setting | on-site | peers: 36% remote · 42% no call · 70% no weekends50 benchmarked listings |
| Sign-on & loan repayment | not stated | Ohio counselor listings (all specialties): 24% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 17% offer loan repayment624 active listings, Nov 2026 |
| New Addiction Medicine listings | 422 in the last 30 days | 230 the 30 days before (+83%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| Addiction Medicine pay trend | −4.0% vs prior quarter | —through Oct 2026 |
Work-Life Balance Analysis
WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Primary Therapist at Physicians Dialysis a 6.5 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Addiction Medicine (Counseling) — ranked against 1,121 active Addiction Medicine (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc.
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