Independent Contractor - Therapist
Compensation
Pay not listed
The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed
Ask the employer about the pay range, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.
Job Description
Get to know Thompson!
Thompson was founded in 1886 as an orphanage and has grown into an organization operating across the Carolinas, Florida Tennessee and Kentucky. Thompson’s continuum of care encompasses three domains: prevention, mental health services and foster care.
All Thompson programs are trauma-informed and evidence-based/evidence-informed with the intention of building resilience in our clients (ages 0-18) and their families, both virtually and in person. Our values are Excellence, Innovation, Commitment, Caring and Integrity.
WHAT WILL YOU DO AS AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR - IAFT THERAPIST?
As an Independent Contractor IAFT (Intensive Alternative Family Treatment) Therapist, you will provide child-centered, trauma-informed, family-focused clinical services to children and youth participating in Thompson’s Intensive Alternative Family Treatment program. You will provide therapy, support treatment planning and crisis response, engage families and permanency resources, and collaborate with Treatment Parents and the multidisciplinary IAFT team.
Provide individual, family, and conjoint therapy to assigned children, youth, and families.
Complete or contribute to clinical assessments, Person-Centered Plans, crisis plans, transition plans, and discharge plans.
Collaborate with families, Treatment Parents, legal guardians, schools, healthcare providers, care managers, and community partners.
Participate in IAFT team staffing's, Child and Family Team meetings, psychiatric consultation, and other treatment-related meetings.
Support risk assessment, crisis intervention, safety planning, stabilization, and clinical follow-up within your professional scope.
Complete timely, accurate documentation that meets payer, licensing, regulatory, Thompson, and IAFT fidelity requirements.
A Typical Schedule
Contractors manage their schedules independently while remaining responsive to the needs of children, youth, families, and caregivers. Services may be delivered in homes, schools, offices, community settings, or through an approved virtual or hybrid model. Some evening availability, travel within the assigned service area, and designated crisis-response coverage may be required.
Minimum Qualifications/Requirements
Master’s degree in social work, counseling, psychology, marriage and family therapy, or another approved behavioral health field.
Current North Carolina professional or associate-level clinical license. Eligible credentials may include LCSW, LCSWA, LCMHC, LCMHCA, LMFT, LMFTA, or LPA.
Experience providing clinical services to children, adolescents, and families. Therapeutic foster care, child welfare, community mental health, or intensive family-centered experience is preferred.
Strong clinical judgment, time management, communication, collaboration, and documentation skills.
Valid North Carolina driver’s license, reliable transportation, and required automobile insurance when travel is necessary.
Ready to Make a Difference?
Apply to join Thompson’s IAFT team and help children and families build safety, connection, and hope.
Thompson Child & Family Focus provides equal employment opportunities in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local law.
Key Responsibilities
Provide child-centered, trauma-informed clinical services including individual and family therapy to youth in the IAFT program. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders to develop and implement treatment, crisis, and discharge plans.
Qualifications
- Education
- Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
- Experience
- 2+ years of experience
Key Skills
Counselor Career Context
Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 54% are remote, 32% have no call, 62% require no weekends — this position is remote.
The cost-of-living index for North Carolina is 94.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 59.2% of North Carolina clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
| Measure | This job | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Listed pay | not listed | Mental Health Therapy median $62k (middle half $60k–$65k)11 comparable listings, Nov 2026 |
| Cost of living | North Carolina index 94.3 | US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) |
| Mental Health Therapy listings in North Carolina | 267 active | 7,495 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| Work setting | remote | peers: 54% remote · 32% no call · 62% no weekends50 benchmarked listings |
| Sign-on & loan repayment | not stated | North Carolina counselor listings (all specialties): 14% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 15% offer loan repayment467 active listings, Nov 2026 |
| New Mental Health Therapy listings | 2,629 in the last 30 days | 1,389 the 30 days before (+89%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
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