Behavioral Health Counselor- Intake Triage, Full Time Days

CounselorNo nightsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$28.3-$39.62/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Company Description

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry.

As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better health care, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system.

We pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, our goal is to take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?

Job Description

The Behavioral Health Counselor reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

The Behavioral Health Counselor is the leading point of contact for clients and their families in the Dauten Behavioral Health Institute, which provides multidisciplinary care treating individuals with a variety of mental health conditions.

The Behavioral Health Counselor assesses patient and patient's family needs, develops treatment plans, provides and evaluates patient care, and assists with discharge planning. Under supervision, provides supportive counseling, case management, and community support services as applicable

Responsibilities

Orients new participants and families to REPP services by providing initial psychoeducation on symptoms of psychosis, reviewing evidenced based practice guidelines for treating first episode psychosis, and articulating the goals of the REPP program.

  • Screen and evaluate requests for service.
  • Collect and report social history for assigned cases.
  • Intervene, stabilize, and manage acute crisis situations.
  • Assess and evaluate client needs, strengths, goals and resources.
  • Develop individual plans with clients utilizing available assessment tools
  • Work with an interdisciplinary team in reviewing cases and developing individual plans.
  • Implement individual plans through rehabilitation services such as case management, advocacy, outreach, skills training, social rehabilitation, community support (when applicable) and supportive counseling.
  • Consult with other center staff regarding problem assessment and treatment/intervention planning.
  • Consult with other service agencies around case-specific and programmatic issues.
  • Refer and link clients to other human services programs.
  • Serve as a liaison to other agencies as needed.
  • Train other providers and non-providers in areas relating to service specialties.

Qualifications

Required

  • Bachelor’s degree in relevant behavioral health field
  • Advanced verbal and written communication skills

Preferred

2-3 years of experience working with young adults who are experiencing psychosis and their families.

Additional Information

Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

Background Check

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers.

If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check.

Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act.

Artificial Intelligence Disclosure

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person.

Benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events.

  • Click on or copy and paste URL to your browser to view detailed benefits information
  • NorthwesternMedicine Career Page

jobs.nm.org

Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings.

If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception: New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.

  • Job Shift: Day Job (1st)
  • Salary Range Minimum: $28.30
  • Salary Range Maximum: $39.62
  • Compensation: USD 28.3 - USD 39.62 - hourly

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Behavioral health counselingIntake triageCrisis interventionTreatment planningSocial history collectionInterdisciplinary collaborationMental health assessmentPsychosis treatmentPatient care evaluation

Behavioral Health Counseling — Counselor Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$71k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $71k in an average-cost state. 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 52% are remote, 30% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

Counselor pay on WeekdayDoc is up 2.5% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Top Counselor Jobs

39 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution39 jobs · 32 employers

10
<$65k
13
$65k-80k
6
$80k-95k
6
$95k-110k
4
$110k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks36 jobs · 32 employers

401k / retirement match
86% this job
Sign-on bonus
33% this job
CME allowance
28%
Loan repayment
25% this job
PSLF eligible
17% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

Gotham Enterprises · Warren, Michigan

$115k-$120k
#2

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)

Gotham Enterprises · Decatur, Illinois

$115k-$120k
#3

Licensed Clinical Therapist (LCSW, LPC, LMFT)

$84k-$113k
#4

Licensed Talk Therapist - Fee For Service

$112k
+ 37 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 4.8this job 5.1
Better work-life than 50% of Behavioral Health Counseling listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 37 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No nights

Living in Chicago

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$356k
Typical market rent
$2,342/mo
Residents’ average commute
33 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

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

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare logo

About Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

Hospitals and Health Care
Chicago, Illinois
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Tuition Reimbursement
Loan Forgiveness
401(k) Matching
Lifecycle Benefits