Acadia Healthcare logo
Acadia Healthcare
Ocklawaha, Florida

Therapist

CounselorIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

Starting at $28

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

  • Pay Rate: Starting at $28.00/Hr. for Intern candidates
  • Pay Rate: Starting at $70,000/annually for fully licensed therapists

*pay increases based on relevant work experience

Available schedules: Sunday - Thursday or Tuesday - Saturday

About Us

Located on 96 acres in Florida’s Ocala National Forest, The Refuge – A Healing Place offers the highest quality treatment for individuals struggling with mental health and addiction diagnoses.

Our evidence based clinical program focuses on healing the whole person with a balance of process and psycho-educational groups along with wellness modalities. We believe trauma resides in the nervous system, and our nature-based approach helps clients process trauma and reduce maladaptive coping mechanisms.

At The Refuge, we understand that every recovery journey is unique. Our team uses diverse, evidence-based methods to create individualized paths to healing.

Position Overview

The Registerd Therapist Intern plays a central role in supporting clients through their healing journey. This position provides individual, group, and family therapy while collaborating closely with a team of clinicians, medical providers, and support staff. Ideal candidates are grounded, empathetic, clinically skilled, and passionate about trauma‑informed care.

Pay for position starts at $28.00 per hour, and increases based on experience.

Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in counseling, social work, or related field
  • Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern or Registered Clinical Social Work Intern
  • Fully licensed LCSW, LMFT, LMHC preferred
  • Experience with trauma‑informed care, addiction treatment, or residential settings preferred
  • Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively
  • Commitment to ethical, compassionate, client‑centered care

We Are Proud of Our Competitive Benefits Offering

  • Medical, dental, vision, life insurance
  • 401K with employer match

PTO and Sick Time

EAP program that includes employee and family counseling; financial assistance; life event preparation and more!

Responsibilities

  • ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
  • Apply psychotherapeutic techniques and interventions in the delivery of services to individuals and families for the purpose of treating such diagnosed emotional and behavioral health disorders.
  • Conduct psychosocial assessment and develop an initial discharge plan.
  • Conduct individual, group or family sessions as appropriate for the treatment plan of the patient.

Provide initial treatment planning for patient based on assessment and coordinate any additional services needed and revise as necessary.

Maintain documentation of therapy services provided to each patient, according to facility and professional standards and revise as needed.

  • Maintain a caseload as assigned.
  • Participate in treatment team meetings and collaborate with other staff to facilitate services for the patient as appropriate to their treatment plan.
  • May provide these services in an inpatient or outpatient setting.
  • Provide case management, discharge planning or after-care planning according to treatment plan.
  • May assist in educating and training staff on behavior management or therapeutic crisis intervention.
  • May coordinate various clinical and psychosocial or educational activities with patient and their families.

Demonstrate a positive, empathetic and professional attitude towards customers always. When patient needs are not met, acknowledge and work to resolve complaints. Recognize that patient safety is a top priority.

Other Functions

Perform other functions and tasks as assigned.

Qualifications

Licenses/Designations/Certifications

  • State or national licensure for professional therapy providers required.
  • CPR and de-escalation/restraint certification required (training available upon hire and offered by facility).
  • First aid may be required based on state or facility.

Education/Experience/Skill Requirements

  • Master's degree in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling or other recognized therapeutic field required.
  • Two or more years’ experience as a therapist with one or more years’ experience with the specific population of the facility required.

While this job description is intended to be an accurate reflection of the requirements of the job, management reserves the right to add or remove duties from particular jobs when circumstances (e. g. emergencies, changes in workload, rush jobs or technological developments) dictate.

This position requires a Level 2 Background Screening through the Florida Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse. In accordance with Florida law, employers must provide applicants with direct access to information about the state’s background screening requirements.

To learn more about disqualifying offenses, exemption procedures, and screening timelines, please visit the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) Background Screening Education & Awareness webpage:

info.flclearinghouse.com

Applicants are encouraged to review these requirements before applying.

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all applicants for employment regardless of an individual’s characteristicsprotected by applicable state, federal and local laws.

AHMT

REFHP

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Individual therapyGroup therapyClinical documentationCollaborationEvidence-based practice

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 36% are remote, 36% have no call, 72% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Florida is 103.4 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$70k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $68k in an average-cost state. 58.1% of Florida clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Florida has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$70k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Counselor Jobs

25 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution25 jobs · 19 employers

11
<$75k
8
$75k-95k
2
$95k-115k
4
$115k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks17 jobs

401k / retirement match
82% this job
Sign-on bonus
41%
CME allowance
35%
Loan repayment
18%
PSLF eligible
12%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW/LPCC/LMFT

LifeStance Health · Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

$74k-$126k
#2

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT, LPC, LCSW)

LifeStance Health · Brookfield, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#3

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
#4

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

$115k-$120k
+ 23 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 2.8
Better work-life than 20% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,995 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
  • Includes weekends

Living in Ocklawaha

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$247k≈ 3.5× annual pay
Median resident rent
$1,542/mo≈ 26% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
34 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
95.2
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Ocala, FL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Acadia Healthcare logo

About Acadia Healthcare

Mental Health Care
Ocklawaha, FL
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical, dental, vision, life insurance
401K with employer match
PTO and Sick Time
EAP program that includes employee and family counseling; financial assistance; life event preparation and more