Milieu Counselor (Youth Care Worker) - SAGE

CounselorIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$24.04-$28.88/hr

The week · per this posting · Wednesday – Saturday

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

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

  • TITLE: Milieu Counselor - SAGE
  • POSITION: Full-Time/ In-Person
  • LOCATION: Mt. Scott, Oregon

SALARY: $24.04/hr. - $26.50/hr. (Bilingual Spanish - $26.20/hr. - $28.88/hr.)

SWING SHIFT: Wednesday - Saturday (1:00 pm to 11:30 pm)

Morrison Child and Family Services: We are a Joint Commission and Sanctuary accredited non-profit organization that provides a comprehensive array of services to children, adolescents, and their families. As an agency, Morrison, its team members, and clients commit to the following values of trauma-informed care:

  • Nonviolence - being safe and doing the right thing
  • Emotional Intelligence - managing our feelings so we don’t hurt ourselves or others
  • Social Learning - respecting and sharing ideas of our teams
  • Democracy - shared decision making whenever possible
  • Open Communication - saying what we mean and not being mean when we say it
  • Social Responsibility - everyone makes a contribution to the organizational culture
  • Growth and Change - creating hope for our clients and ourselves
  • About the Program: SAGE

Do you enjoy counseling and supporting youth? Do you find it rewarding to help others? Are you looking for an entry level position in social service with ample opportunities and encouragement for growth?

Our SAGE Youth Residential program provides long-term stabilization for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC). Both during their exploitation and prior to it, many of these youth have experienced multiple environmental, social, and biological traumas.

This may include sexual abuse, parental neglect and/or abuse, alcohol/drug dependency or abuse, school failure, and high levels of emotional vulnerability.

Our SAGE program serves vulnerable youth in the CSEC population by providing a safe and secure setting in which they can experience Support, Achieve their goals, Grow, and become Empowered.

Job Summary

The Milieu Counselor supervises youth in the milieu of an intensive treatment program providing support and guidance for daily living skills.

Duties and Responsibilities

Milieu Counselors help adolescent girls, (11 – 17 years of age) who have been commercially sexually exploited (CSEC) by providing long-term stabilization in a therapeutic environment.

They are caregivers and role models for youth in the program. They create a supportive environment, where youth receive help with academics, encouragement in pursing individual interest/hobbies and if needed learn ways to address behavioral issues and trauma.

Ensures the safety of the clients we serve, both in the residential setting and during community outings.

Is aware of Morrison Compliance Program including Compliance Officer, Compliance Standards of Conduct, and Employee Compliance Hotline. Understands Compliance Standards of Conduct and signs attestation document. Completes all assigned compliance, HIPAA, client privacy, and fraud, waste, and abuse training. Knows how to report any client privacy or fraud, waste, or abuse concerns.

Demonstrate a commitment to developing a thorough knowledge and application of the Sanctuary model and other organizational policies & practices.

Participate in staff development, in-services, and training related to workplace effectiveness; model professional behaviors and implement improvements to business practices with awareness of their impact in a trauma-informed behavioral healthcare organization.

Competencies

Employ developmentally sensitive expectations in setting appropriate boundaries and limits.

Respond to behavior while encouraging and promoting several alternatives for the healthy expression of needs and feelings.

Establishes and maintains effective relationships within a team environment by promoting and maintaining professional conduct, negotiating and resolving conflict, acknowledging individual differences, and supporting team members.

Recognizes and assesses own needs and feelings and keeps them in perspective when professionally engaged.

Follows safe medication administration practices by adhering to prescribed medication use, including doses and documentation. Seeks consultation to address medication concerns and availability.

Demonstrates knowledge and skill in assessing suicide risk factors and facilitating screening and triage.

Acts efficiently and quickly in response to medical emergencies and performs CPR and first aid as needed, following all crisis policies and procedures.

Demonstrates sufficient knowledge to support clients experiencing a mental health crisis including de-escalation techniques and facilitating access to appropriate crisis services.

Understands and complies with mandatory reporting requirements. Use developmentally appropriate and trauma informed approach to follow agency protocol for assessment and intervention.

Verbally, and using physical restraint techniques when necessary, de-escalates crisis situations following agency protocol in a manner that protects dignity and integrity.

Required Position Qualifications

High school diploma or equivalent required.

1-year experience working with youth. Or a combination of education and experience related to working with youth.

Basic computer skills using word processing, spreadsheets, databases and email.

Preferred Position Qualifications

  • Bilingual in Spanish, both written and spoken. Must clear a language proficiency test for Spanish
  • Direct experience with children and/or adolescents in a residential setting

Other Requirements

  • Shifts may require day, evening, overnight and weekend hours
  • Provides emergency first aid, as needed, and maintains a current standard first aid/CPR certification
  • Able to pass a comprehensive criminal history background investigation

For Positions That Require Driving

Must hold valid driver’s license— Oregon or Washington within 30 days of hire

Working Conditions

Environment: Work is done in clinical offices, community settings, including Morrison Residential, administration buildings, public locations, and social service sites. Breaks and meals are subject to interruption. Universal Precautions and remaining alert to the environment are critical to address the potential for violent behavior, exposure to disease, biohazards, noise, and contaminants.

Mental demands: Work assigned is diverse and may involve addressing new and unique circumstances. The work might be unpredictable and disrupts planned tasks, requiring flexible time management.

Physical demands: Ability to remain calm and emotionally available serving youth, adults and or families who have experienced trauma. Proficient with office equipment and physical movement. Ability to perform physical interventions if needed in accordance with program and training. Physical dexterity for reaching, stooping, and repetitive wrist and hand motions.

All Morrison programs and services are accredited by The Joint Commission, a nationally recognized standard-setting and accreditation body for health care. Morrison is also certified as a trauma-informed organization by the Sanctuary Institute. Certification recognizes our dedication to providing a trauma-informed culture and environment for children, families and staff through implementing Sanctuary values, commitments, and tools.

We are an Affirmative Action Plan Employer. Our policy is to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic. In compliance with our Affirmative Action Plan, Morrison uses E-Verify to determine employment eligibility after an offer is accepted.

Applications will be reviewed as received. Morrison reserves the right to make a hiring decision at any point during the posting period.

Morrison employees are offered a variety of benefits including Medical, Vision, Dental, Flexible Spending Accounts, Employer-Paid Life, Accidental Death and Dismemberment and Long-Term Disability, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Key Responsibilities

The Milieu Counselor supervises youth in a residential treatment program, providing support for daily living skills and therapeutic stabilization. They act as caregivers and role models, ensuring client safety and facilitating trauma-informed care interventions.

Requirements

Candidates must have a high school diploma or equivalent and at least one year of experience working with youth. Proficiency in basic computer skills and the ability to pass a criminal background check are required.

Key Skills

Crisis de-escalationBehavioral healthCase managementSuicide risk assessmentConflict resolutionTeam collaborationBoundary settingHIPAA complianceDaily living skills support

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Milieu Counselor (Youth Care Worker) - SAGE at Morrison Child and Family Services a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Mental Health Counseling — ranked against 646 active Mental Health Counseling listings on WeekdayDoc.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Counseling listings this role was benchmarked against, 48% are remote, 26% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Oregon is 103.4 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$55k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $53k in an average-cost state. 62.0% of Oregon clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

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Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks34 jobs · 24 employers

401k / retirement match
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CME allowance
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Sign-on bonus
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Loan repayment
24%
PSLF eligible
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Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 6.4
Better work-life than 60% of Mental Health Counseling listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 646 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
  • Includes weekends

Living in Portland

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$526k
Typical market rent
$1,732/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
105.4
State income tax
Up to 9.9%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Morrison Child and Family Services logo

About Morrison Child and Family Services

Non-profit Organizations
Portland, OR
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical
Vision
Dental
Flexible Spending Accounts
Employer-Paid Life
Accidental Death and Dismemberment
Long-Term Disability
Employee Assistance Program