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Justice Resource Institute
Lexington, Massachusetts

Competency Counselor

CounselorIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$19-$25/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations and nights and shift pattern.

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Who We Are Looking For

Are you the Competency Counselor we have been looking for? In this position, you will be able to convey your passion for helping others with a dynamic team by bringing an energetic and positive approach while working with our students!

Pelham Academy is a residential treatment setting for adolescents that specializes in trauma informed care. Pelham provides 24-hour comprehensive care including a school on site, a full clinical staff, nursing staff, and direct care staff.

You will be a part of the direct care milieu staff and work under the guidance of the Competency Coordinator to carry out our mission of helping our students develop and build skills necessary for a productive future.

Schedule: Sunday - Thursday

Compensation

The pay range for this position is $19.00 to $25.00 per hour. The listed range reflects what we reasonably and in good faith expect to pay for this role at the time of posting the position. The actual compensation an employee is offered may vary based on several factors such as experience, education, licensure, certifications and qualifications. This range may be modified in the future.

JRI Provides The Training So That

  • YOU will be able to work with a team to plan, organize, and implement recreational activities for our adolescent students! If you love to get kids excited about participating in various enrichment activities such as arts and crafts, physical activities, music etc. Then this position is for you!
  • YOU will help students discover what makes them feel competent and valued by working with them to develop life skills such as cooking, banking, vocational skills, and more. Your day-to-day work will support students in developing a sense of self and provide them the skills to be successful in their next steps.
  • You will be able to develop community connections such as volunteering, art classes, and athletics
  • YOU will be able to create a safe and therapeutic community by supporting students in developing and by role modeling effective coping strategies.

Why JRI?

  • Be who you are! JRI is committed to creating a workplace built on respect, collaboration, and opportunity, where every employee is valued and supported in making a meaningful impact.
  • We offer a $2,000 bilingual bonus to new hires who speak a second language fluently, other than English, and will use it to serve our clients!
  • Reimbursement is available for employees to cover the registration costs and annual fees for any professional license required for work such as LMHC, LCSW, LICSW, RN and more!
  • Access to our excellent Blue Cross medical and Delta Dental benefits.
  • Retirement benefits including 401K matched up to $800 a year and pension after 5 years of employment.
  • Professional development opportunities such as tuition reimbursement up to almost $4000 per year and discounted tuition rates to select partnership colleges and universities!
  • Wellness benefits including access to employee engagement groups, self-care resources, and an Employee Assistance Program.
  • Generous paid time off up to 19 days for full time employees in your first year and much more!

Requirements

  • Must be 21 years of age.
  • Mental Health setting experience strongly preferred.
  • Activity planning and community outreach experience preferred
  • Maintains valid driver’s license as transporting students is required.
  • Available to work evenings, holidays, weekend shifts as required.
  • At JRI, you will learn to provide physical interventions and verbal de-escalations to provide the safest therapeutic atmosphere for our students!
  • Background and driving record checks will be performed.

At JRI, we are committed to fostering a workplace where every team member feels valued and respected. We believe that a culture built on mutual respect, collaboration, and opportunity allows our staff to thrive and do their best work. By supporting one another and recognizing each person's contributions, we create an environment where people can grow, develop their skills, and make a meaningful impact in the communities we serve. JRI is an equal opportunity employer.

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Key Responsibilities

The Competency Counselor will work within a residential treatment setting to facilitate recreational activities and teach life skills to adolescent students. They are responsible for creating a safe, therapeutic environment while role modeling effective coping strategies and supporting student development.

Key Skills

Life skills coachingCrisis interventionVerbal de-escalationPhysical interventionMentoringAdolescent careBehavioral supportRecreational programmingVocational training

Counselor Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Massachusetts is 105.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$46k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $43k in an average-cost state. 63.2% of Massachusetts clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Counseling listings this role was benchmarked against, 32% are remote, 30% have no call, 66% require no weekends.

Counseling pay on WeekdayDoc is up 11.4% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Top Counselor Jobs

45 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution45 jobs · 35 employers

19
<$75k
8
$75k-90k
7
$90k-105k
4
$105k-120k
7
$120k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks39 jobs · 35 employers

401k / retirement match
87% this job
Sign-on bonus
38%
CME allowance
28%
Loan repayment
10%
PSLF eligible
5%

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

Lead Marriage and Family Therapist LMFT Supervisor

$83k-$123k
#4

Lead Licensed Mental Health Counselor LMHC Supervisor

$83k-$123k
+ 43 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.3this job 3.0
Better work-life than 10% of Counseling listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 549 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes weekends

Living in Lexington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.26M
Typical market rent
$3,902/mo
Residents’ average commute
31 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.3
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

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About Justice Resource Institute

Individual and Family Services
Needham, MA
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Bilingual Bonus ($2,000)
License Reimbursement
Blue Cross Medical Insurance
Delta Dental Insurance
401K Match up to $800/year
Pension after 5 years
Tuition Reimbursement up to $4,000/year
Discounted Tuition Rates