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IU Health
Bloomington, Indiana

*Behavioral Health Counselor MS

Counselor 8.0 Work-LifeNo callNo weekendsFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting and nights and shift pattern.

Posted 11m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Counselor – Behavioral Health MS

Location: IU Health Bloomington Hospital

Address: 727 West 2nd Street, Bloomington, IN 47403

Shift: Full-Time Days (Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM)

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Join Our Dedicated Behavioral Health and Counseling Team!

Indiana University Health Bloomington Hospital is seeking a compassionate and skilled Master’s Level Counselor with experience in behavioral health to provide direct therapeutic services, discharge planning, and crisis intervention. This role involves face-to-face interactions with patients and families, collaboration with healthcare teams, and supporting patients through complex psychosocial challenges.

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Position Overview

The Behavioral Health Counselor Will

  • Facilitate patient involvement in treatment and education within a supportive environment
  • Conduct individual, group, and family counseling sessions
  • Perform all functions related to utilization review and discharge planning, ensuring safe and effective care transitions
  • Collaborate with all members of the healthcare team to ensure timely delivery of services, resources, and education for patients and families
  • Interpret and communicate complex patient and family needs, modeling caring and professional practices to other caregivers
  • Assess patients’ and families’ psychosocial risk factors by evaluating prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping abilities
  • Counsel patients and families regarding emotional, social, and financial impacts of health conditions or disabilities
  • Access and mobilize community and family resources to meet patient needs
  • Provide mental health assessments upon physician referral
  • Serve as the point person for cases involving child abuse/neglect, elder abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence
  • Act as a liaison between IU Health and local protective services (APS/CPS)
  • Provide crisis intervention and support during acute situations, including de-escalation techniques
  • Support complex discharge planning and care coordination
  • Provide specialized mental health services, including crisis and addiction assessments, with appropriate referrals for psychiatric or community resources
  • Lead interventions in guardianship, foster care, adoption, and mental health placements

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Qualifications & Requirements

  • Education: Master’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology, or a related mental health field from an accredited institution required.
  • Experience: 0-3 years relevant healthcare, mental health, or community-based experience preferred.
  • Licensure:
  • Candidates must be license-eligible in Indiana as an LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, or LCAC.
  • A minimum of a permanent LSW, LMHC-A, or LMFT-A is required upon hire.
  • Note: Candidates with a BSW must obtain an LBSW license. They can be considered if they acquire a 12-month temporary license prior to start date, which makes them compliant until passing the licensing exam. We recommend obtaining the temporary license within one week prior to employment.
  • Certifications:
  • Crisis intervention certification may be required.
  • BLS certification may be required.
  • Skills & Knowledge:
  • Evidence-based practices such as CBT, MI, DBT
  • Knowledge of the disease process, human behavior, and social needs
  • Crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques
  • Legal mandates related to child and adult protective services (state and county)
  • Ability to create a safe, therapeutic environment and instruct daily activities and programming
  • Basic proficiency in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
  • Strong relationship-building skills with community agencies, law enforcement, schools, and healthcare teams

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Core Competencies

  • Connecting to IU Health’s mission, vision, and values by demonstrating purpose, excellence, compassion, and teamwork
  • Building rapport and providing exemplary customer service
  • Clear, concise, and professional communication—both oral and written
  • Effectively addressing problems and delivering high-quality work on time
  • Adapting to changing priorities and organizational needs
  • Upholding confidentiality and HIPAA compliance, demonstrating ethical practice

Reimbursement up to $500 a year for Continuing Education Credits and up to 5 days for Continuing Education Days (not PTO based)

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Why Join IU Health?

Be part of a compassionate team dedicated to improving mental health outcomes and providing patient-centered care. We support your professional development and encourage a collaborative, innovative environment where your contributions make a difference.

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To learn more about our benefits, visit: IU Health Benefits

[https://careers.iuhealth.org/pages/benefits-designed-for-you]

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Interested?

Apply today to join IU Health Bloomington Hospital as a Behavioral Health Counselor MS and help us deliver expert mental health care with compassion and professionalism!

  • Indiana University Health has nearly 40,000 team members, including more than 3,600 physicians and 1,200 advanced practice providers, and we’re home to the largest nursing network in Indiana with more than 9,000 nursing team members at over 800 sites of care.
  • IU Health is ranked No. 1 in Indiana by U.S. News & World Report, Riley Children's Health is ranked among the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
  • A unique partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine – one of the nation’s largest medical schools – gives patients access to groundbreaking research and innovative treatments, and it offers team members access to the latest science and the very best training – advancing healthcare for all.
  • With 15 hospitals, including seven with Magnet designation and eight with Pathways to Excellence designation, our team members are leading the way through excellence.
  • At Indiana University Health, your personal and professional growth is a top priority. You will have access to many diverse opportunities to learn and develop in meaningful ways that matter most to you, such as advanced clinical training, leadership development, promotion opportunities and cross training development.
  • Indiana University Health is invested in the lives of Hoosiers, leading the transformation of healthcare to make Indiana one of the nation’s healthiest states.

Indiana University Health is Indiana’s most comprehensive health system, with 15 hospitals and nearly 40,000 team members serving Hoosiers across the state.

We’re looking for team members who are inspired by challenging and meaningful work for the good of every patient. People who are compassionate and serve with a purpose. People who aspire to excellence every day.

Key Responsibilities

Provide individual, group, and family counseling, mental health assessments, crisis intervention, and support for patients and families facing psychosocial challenges. Coordinate utilization review, discharge planning, referrals, and community resources while collaborating with healthcare teams and protective services.

Requirements

A master's degree in social work, counseling, psychology, or a related mental health field is required, along with Indiana license eligibility and a qualifying permanent or temporary license as specified. Relevant experience is preferred, and candidates should have knowledge of evidence-based practices, crisis response, protective-services requirements, EMR, and MS Office.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Mental Health AssessmentPsychosocial Risk AssessmentEvidence-Based PracticeCognitive Behavioral TherapyMotivational InterviewingDialectical Behavior TherapyProtective Services Coordination

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates *Behavioral Health Counselor MS at IU Health a 8.0 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as excellent. This places the position in the top 5% in Behavioral Health (Counseling) — ranked against 304 active Behavioral Health (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties, no weekend requirements.

Behavioral Health — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 46% are remote, 32% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

Counselor pay on WeekdayDoc is down 2.5% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Indiana is 93.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 60.4% of Indiana clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

43 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution41 jobs · 34 employers

11
<$75k
9
$75k-95k
6
$95k-115k
11
$115k-135k
4
$135k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks32 jobs

401k / retirement match
81%
CME allowance
50% this job
Sign-on bonus
41%
Loan repayment
19%
Relocation assistance
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Virtual School Based CounselorContract

Lets Therapy · Springfield, Pennsylvania

$66 per hour
#2

Remote Licensed Professional Counselor-VirginiaContract

Adjuvant Behavior Health · Virginia Beach, Virginia

$66/hr
#3

Licensed Therapist (LCSW or LPC)

#4

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Bilingual)

$65/hr
+ 41 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.9this job 8.0
Among the best 10% of Behavioral Health (Counseling) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 304 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No call
  • No weekends

Living in Bloomington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$308k
Typical market rent
$1,549/mo
Residents’ average commute
18 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
95.1
State income tax
Up to 3.1%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Bloomington, IN metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

IU Health logo

About IU Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Indianapolis, Indiana
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Continuing Education Credits up to $500/year
5 Continuing Education Days (not PTO based)
Comprehensive benefits package (details via IU Health Benefits)