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JourneyPure at The River
Smyrna, Tennessee

Adventure Group Therapist

Counselor / TherapistFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 3mo ago

Job Description

Adventure Group Therapist

Employment TYPE: Full-Time

Reports To

CLINICAL DIRECTOR / DIRECTOR OF CLINICAL SERVICES

Position Summary

The Adventure Group Therapist is responsible for planning and facilitating therapeutic, experiential, and adventure-based groups for individuals receiving substance use disorder and behavioral health treatment. This position uses outdoor and experiential activities to promote recovery, emotional regulation, healthy coping skills, communication, teamwork, self-confidence, and personal growth.

The Adventure Group Therapist will create a safe, structured, and therapeutic environment while incorporating evidence-based clinical practices and experiential interventions into the treatment process.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

  • Facilitate individual and group therapeutic sessions utilizing adventure and experiential-based interventions.
  • Plan and lead safe, structured activities such as hiking, team-building exercises, outdoor recreation, mindfulness activities, and other therapeutic experiences.
  • Use experiential activities to address recovery goals, emotional regulation, communication, interpersonal relationships, coping skills, and self-esteem.
  • Develop group activities that are appropriate for the clinical needs, abilities, and treatment plans of clients.
  • Maintain appropriate therapeutic boundaries and ensure all activities support the client’s treatment goals.
  • Monitor clients throughout activities and respond appropriately to behavioral, emotional, or safety concerns.
  • Collaborate with therapists, medical staff, behavioral health technicians, and other members of the treatment team.
  • Participate in treatment team meetings and communicate relevant observations regarding client progress and behavior.
  • Complete timely and accurate clinical documentation, including group notes, progress notes, and other required documentation.
  • Follow all facility policies, procedures, safety requirements, and clinical standards.
  • Maintain confidentiality and comply with HIPAA and applicable federal and state regulations.
  • Assist with crisis intervention and de-escalation when necessary.
  • Maintain appropriate equipment and ensure adventure/outdoor activities are conducted in a safe and organized manner.
  • Participate in staff meetings, trainings, supervision, and continuing education as required.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling, Recreation Therapy, Behavioral Health, or a related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
  • Experience working with individuals with substance use disorders, mental health conditions, or co-occurring disorders preferred.
  • Experience facilitating therapeutic, recreational, experiential, or adventure-based groups preferred.
  • Strong understanding of group dynamics and behavioral health principles.
  • Ability to maintain professional boundaries and therapeutic relationships.
  • Strong communication, organization, and documentation skills.
  • Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team.
  • Must be comfortable working outdoors and participating in physically active programming.
  • Must be able to safely supervise clients during off-site and outdoor activities.
  • Current CPR/First Aid certification or ability to obtain certification as required.
  • Must meet all applicable background check and facility employment requirements.

Skills & Abilities

The Ideal Candidate Will Be

  • Passionate about helping individuals achieve recovery and personal growth.
  • Energetic, creative, and comfortable leading groups.
  • Able to build rapport while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
  • Calm and effective when managing challenging behaviors or emotional situations.
  • Safety-conscious and able to assess risks during outdoor and experiential activities.
  • Flexible and able to adapt activities to meet the needs of individual clients.
  • A strong team player with excellent communication skills.

Physical Requirements

This position may require extended periods of standing, walking, hiking, bending, lifting, and participating in outdoor recreational activities. The employee must be able to safely supervise clients in a variety of indoor and outdoor environments and respond appropriately to emergency situations.

Why Join Us?

Join a team dedicated to helping individuals build meaningful, sustainable lives in recovery. As an Adventure Group Therapist, you will have the opportunity to use creativity and experiential therapy to help clients develop practical recovery skills, strengthen relationships, and experience success outside of the traditional therapy setting.

Key Responsibilities

The Adventure Group Therapist plans and facilitates therapeutic, experiential, and adventure-based groups to promote recovery and emotional regulation. They are responsible for maintaining a safe environment, documenting client progress, and collaborating with the multidisciplinary treatment team.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Group therapyAdventure-based counselingSubstance use disorder treatmentRisk assessmentHIPAA complianceTreatment planning

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Adventure Group Therapist at JourneyPure at The River a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 25% in Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) — ranked against 7,479 active Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 48% are remote, 24% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is down 2.9% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Mental Health Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score7.2 / 10 · top 25% in mental health therapy (counseling)ranked against 7,479 Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Cost of livingTennessee index 91.9US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Therapy listings in Tennessee141 active7,476 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 48% remote · 24% no call · 70% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedTennessee counselor listings (all specialties): 10% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 9% offer loan repayment242 active listings, Nov 2026
New Mental Health Therapy listings2,512 in the last 30 days1,354 the 30 days before (+86%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Mental Health Therapy pay trend−2.9% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (7,479 Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Location & Logistics

Tennessee has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top Counselor Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

27 jobs
6
<$60k
7
$60k-75k
7
$75k-90k
5
$90k-105k
2
$107k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

26 jobs
401k / retirement match
85%
CME allowance
69%
Sign-on bonus
42%
Loan repayment
15%
PSLF eligible
8%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Therapist (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT)

LifeStance Health · Brownsburg, Indiana

$84k-$107k
#2

Child and Adolescent Licensed Therapist (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT)

LifeStance Health · Zionsville, Indiana

$84k-$107k
#3

Military & Family Life Counselor - School - Milton, FL

$60k-$100k
#4

Behavioral Health Clinician - Child Partial Hospitalization Program

$66k-$97k
+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 7.2
Better work-life than 80% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,479 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Smyrna

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$376k
Typical market rent
$1,712/mo
Residents’ average commute
26 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
96.3
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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