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MUSC
Charleston, South Carolina

Experiential Therapist I

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

Job Description Summary

Work with a caring, supportive team of group therapists to include Recreational, Music and Occupational Therapy disciplines to impact the lives of our inpatients. We have a team approach and provide a learning environment for growth and endless creativity. Our team provides group therapy programming to all age populations daily.

  • Entity
  • Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA)
  • Worker Type
  • Employee
  • Worker Sub-Type
  • Regular
  • Cost Center
  • CC000417 CHS - Education - Staff/Patient (IOP)
  • Pay Rate Type
  • Hourly
  • Pay Grade
  • Health-23
  • Scheduled Weekly Hours
  • 40

Work Shift

Job Description

The Experiential Therapist reports to the Manager, Experiential Therapy. This position is responsible for the provision of comprehensive quality therapy services (recreational, art or music) for psychiatric patients. Conducts assessment of a patient’s strengths and needs. Documents therapeutic engagement on each patient. Provides training, orientation and education of staff: occupational/recreation/music/art therapy interns and other students associated with Psychiatry.

Additional Job Description

Minimum Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, and 0 to1 year of experience in recreation, music, art therapy, or a related field. Credentialed as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC).

Music Therapy position requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Credentialed as a Music Therapist by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT). Art Therapy position requires a master’s degree from an accredited institution.

Credentialed as an Art Therapist by the Art Therapy Credentials Board (ATBC) and registration by ATR. Strong interpersonal skills, creative, flexible, and resourceful. Ability to work collaboratively with care team members at all levels of the organization.

Certification/Licensure: Certification by the Board of Music Therapy (MT-BC); or Art therapist registration (ATR) by the American Art Therapy Association; or Credentialed as a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) by the National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC).

Certification in Basic Life Support (BLS), either a certification from an American Heart Association (AHA) BLS for Healthcare Providers (or AHA recognized equivalent) or an American Red Cross CPR/AED for Professional Rescuer and Healthcare Provider within the first 30 days of employment. De-escalation training within the first 6 months of employment.

  • Physical Requirements
  • Mobility & Posture
  • Standing: Continuous
  • Sitting: Continuous
  • Walking: Continuous
  • Climbing stairs: Infrequent
  • Working indoors: Continuous
  • Working outdoors (temperature extremes): Infrequent
  • Working from elevated areas: Frequent
  • Working in confined/cramped spaces: Frequent
  • Kneeling: Infrequent
  • Bending at the waist: Continuous
  • Twisting at the waist: Frequent
  • Squatting: Frequent
  • Manual Dexterity & Strength
  • Pinching operations: Frequent
  • Gross motor use (fingers/hands): Continuous
  • Firm grasping (fingers/hands): Continuous
  • Fine manipulation (fingers/hands): Continuous
  • Reaching overhead: Frequent
  • Reaching in all directions: Continuous
  • Repetitive motion (hands/wrists/elbows/shoulders): Continuous
  • Full use of both legs: Continuous
  • Balance & coordination (lower extremities): Frequent
  • Lifting & Force Requirements
  • Lift/carry 50 lbs. unassisted: Infrequent
  • Lift/lower 50 lbs. from floor to 36”: Infrequent
  • Lift up to 25 lbs. overhead: Infrequent
  • Exert up to 50 lbs. of force: Frequent

Examples

Transfer 100 lb. non-ambulatory patient = 50 lbs. force

Push 400 lb. patient in wheelchair on carpet = 20 lbs. force

  • Push patient stretcher one-handed = 25 lbs. force
  • Vision & Sensory
  • Maintain corrected vision 20/40 (one or both eyes): Continuous
  • Recognize objects (near/far): Continuous
  • Color discrimination: Continuous
  • Depth perception: Continuous
  • Peripheral vision: Continuous
  • Hearing acuity (with correction): Continuous
  • Tactile sensory function: Continuous
  • Gross motor with fine motor coordination: Continuous

Selected Positions

  • Olfactory (smell) function: Continuous
  • Respirator use qualification: Continuous
  • Work Environment & Conditions
  • Effective stress management: Continuous
  • Rotating shifts: Frequent
  • Overtime as required: Frequent
  • Latex-safe environment: Continuous
  • If you like working with energetic enthusiastic individuals, you will enjoy your career with us!

The Medical University of South Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

MUSC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, age, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, family or parental status, or any other status protected by state laws and/or federal regulations.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment based upon applicable qualifications, merit and business need.

Medical University of South Carolina participates in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For further information about the E-Verify program, please click here: uscis.gov

Key Responsibilities

The Experiential Therapist provides comprehensive recreational, art, or music therapy services to psychiatric patients. They are responsible for conducting patient assessments, documenting therapeutic engagement, and educating students and interns.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree in a relevant field and possess appropriate professional certification such as CTRS, MT-BC, or ATR. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively within a clinical care team are required.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree

Key Skills

Recreational therapyPsychiatric patient carePatient assessmentCollaborationClinical documentation

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Experiential Therapist I at MUSC a 6.6 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% of all counselor listings evaluated on our platform.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 50% are remote, 34% have no call, 54% require no weekends.

Counselor pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Counselor by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Cost of livingSouth Carolina index 93.7US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Counselor listings in South Carolina113 active12,840 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 50% remote · 34% no call · 54% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedSouth Carolina Counselor listings: 8% state a sign-on bonus · 9% offer loan repayment113 active listings, Nov 2026
Counselor pay trend−1.3% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Counselor Jobs

39 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

26 jobs
10
<$65k
10
$65k-85k
3
$85k-105k
3
$105k-125k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

20 jobs
401k / retirement match
85%
CME allowance
35%
Loan repayment
25%
Sign-on bonus
15%
PSLF eligible
15%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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#4

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+ 37 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

6.6/ 10
Listing-based score

Living in Charleston

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$530k
Typical market rent
$2,288/mo
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
101.0
State income tax
Up to 6.5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Charleston-North Charleston, SC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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