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Discovery Behavioral Health
Burbank, California

Program Therapist

Counselor / TherapistIncludes callNo weekendsPart-Time

Listed compensation

$75k-$82k

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Center for Discovery

At Discovery, we offer career opportunities nationwide in residential, day treatment, and intensive outpatient eating disorder treatment. Discovery is currently seeking Program Directors, Primary Therapists, Facility Managers, Counselors/Mental Health Specialists, Dietitians, Diet Techs, and Nurses. Discovery is specifically seeking individuals who consistently strive to provide exemplary care and are passionate about transforming the lives of others.

If you are interested in a challenging and rewarding career in the behavioral health field, the first step is to look for Open job positions that match your skills, qualifications and interest. Each posting includes a description and minimum required qualifications.

When we review candidate information, we are looking for the best matches for the position based on the qualifications listed in the job posting. If your skills and experience appear to match an open position, a recruitment services professional or hiring manager may contact you to further discuss your qualifications.

Position Summary

The Program Therapist works in a dynamic multidisciplinary team providing treatment services according to the Center for Discovery Clinical Model. Therapist responsibilities include ensuring patient safety, providing milieu interventions, leading psychoeducational and process-oriented therapy groups, facilitate clinical assessments, conduct therapy sessions, and other case management tasks, as assigned.

Essential Job Functions

  • Ensures clinical documentation is completed timely throughout the course of treatment.
  • Establish therapeutic rapport with patients and families/loved ones.
  • Facilitates admission assessments and the admission process for new patients with professionalism, courtesy, and a welcoming attitude.
  • Understands role in providing expeditious access to care for individuals seeking services.
  • Participates in weekly treatment team and communicates weekly treatment goals with all team members.
  • Completes appropriate number of therapy sessions weekly for patients, including family/support system sessions aligned with the patients’ level of care.
  • RTC: two individual sessions and one family/support system session
  • PHP: one individual session and one family/support system session
  • IOP: one therapeutic session – individual or family/support system, as clinically indicated
  • Facilitates process orientated and psychoeducation groups one to two times, daily.
  • Required to sit at a meal and/or snack a minimum of once per week.
  • Facilitates multi-family groups, family program, and/or family weekend.
  • Provides utilization reviews to insurance companies, providing appropriate clinical information to obtain initial authorization and continuing stay authorization, as necessary.
  • Assesses patients for suicidality and possibility of danger to self or others.
  • May provide additional clinical support for other members of the clinical team in their absence.
  • Communicates with the Utilization Review Department and Business Department regarding authorization and payment.
  • Begins discharge planning on day of admission for all patients.
  • Completes discharge session with patient to ensure coping skills, transition plan, and resources are understood and intact.
  • Ensures discharge appointments are confirmed with patient and loved ones prior to discharge.
  • Communicates with referral sources and outpatient providers for continuity of care upon admission, midpoint, and discharge.
  • Facilitates patient transfers to higher level of care, as needed.
  • Actively participates in clinical outreach and program tours, as needed.
  • Effectively manages crises in sessions and the milieu.
  • Completes other tasks, as requested or assigned.

RTC Only: Provides on-call support to facility at least 1x per month and returns all program phone calls within 20 minutes, while on call. Communicates appropriately with On Call Administrator or Regional Director regarding pertinent facility issues, while on call.

Knowledge, Education, and Experience

  • Master’s or Doctorate degree in relevant field, required
  • Holds active state license
  • Two years of experience working in the mental health field, preferred
  • One year of experience working with eating disorders, preferred
  • Must possess a current driver’s license and be in good standing
  • Employment Status: Part-time

Schedule: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, & Fridays, 11am-7:30pm

Work Location: On-site — Glendale, CA

Discovery Behavioral Health seeks to build a diverse staff that is reflective of the patients we serve and the communities where we work. DBH encourages multiple perspectives, experiences, and strives to hire and retain a diverse workforce.

We are proud to be an EEO employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Key Responsibilities

The Program Therapist provides clinical treatment services, including conducting individual and group therapy sessions and facilitating clinical assessments. They are responsible for ensuring patient safety, managing crises, and coordinating discharge planning within a multidisciplinary team.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's or Doctorate degree in a relevant field and possess an active state license. At least two years of mental health experience is preferred, with specific experience in eating disorder treatment highly desired.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Clinical assessmentPsychoeducational groupsCrisis managementFamily therapySuicidality assessmentTreatment planning

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Program Therapist at Discovery Behavioral Health a 6.0 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 35% of all Mental Health Therapy counselor listings evaluated on our platform. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 48% are remote, 24% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$79k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $71k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Mental Health Therapy by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$75k–$82kMental Health Therapy median $99k (middle half $81k–$106k)41 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$71k in purchasing powerCalifornia index 110.7 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Therapy listings in California611 active7,916 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Oct 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 48% remote · 24% no call · 64% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedCalifornia Counselor listings: 12% state a sign-on bonus (median $4k) · 9% offer loan repayment1,000 active listings, Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing 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

41 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

41 jobs · 27 employers
11
<$90k
6
$90k-105k
8
$105k-120k
16
$120k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

33 jobs · 27 employers
401k / retirement match
94%
Sign-on bonus
42%
CME allowance
36%
Loan repayment
9%
Relocation assistance
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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$117k-$134k
#2

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$94k-$132k
#3

MCRT Licensed Team Lead LCSW LMFT LPCC - Mental Health 639

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#4

Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)

$95k-$131k
+ 39 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 6.0
Better work-life than 50% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,918 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
  • On-site
  • Includes call

Living in Burbank

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.24M≈ 16.5× annual pay
Typical market rent
$2,752/mo≈ 44% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
25 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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