Directions for Living logo
Directions for Living
Clearwater, Florida

Counselor Mental Health Court

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$73K - $78K

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 6mo ago

Job Description

Job DetailsJob Location: Clearwater, FL 33764Salary Range: $73,000.00 - $78,000.00 SalarySalary is $ $73,000 + $5000 if lic We offer: Medical (100% employer paid for employees only), Dental, Vision, Life, Short Term and Long-Term Disability.

5 days of Paid Time Off 16 Paid Wellness Days and Holidays - Including the week of Christmas off! Do you envision working for a dynamic, mission-driven organization which supports the community while fostering an employee culture of appreciation and fun?

If your answer is yes, then an employment opportunity at Directions for Living may be a great fit for you!

We offer an excellent salary and benefits package to include employer paid health insurance premiums for all full-time employees, PTO and paid company holidays, 403b retirement, EAP, and year-round employee wellness and appreciation initiatives.

Position Summary: This is a professional clinical position providing clinical assessments exclusively to individuals referred to Mental Health Court to determine acceptance into same.

Additionally, the Counselor will provide short term counseling as needed to individuals assigned to Mental Health Court until which time the individual has been linked to needed service providers, including community mental health, specialty programs for mental health or substance use disorders, private practice providers or a medical home that is designed to address all health including physical and behavioral health needs.

The Counselor for Mental Health Court is part of a teaming model to include an Intensive Case Manager.

The Intensive Case Manager and the Counselor will work in partnership with the individual assigned to Mental Health Court to identify and address all of the individual's needs, in particular the individuals unmet needs, to ensure the individuals success with Mental Health Court and reducing recidivism with the criminal justice system.

The Counselor is responsible for providing 1-2 brief treatment sessions per week per individual for a period not to exceed 12 weeks, while the ICM is working to connect the individual, as needed, to longer term community mental health or substance use services.

The Counselor is responsible for remaining up to date on all action of the court. The Counselor will meet with individuals in the community to include shelters for the homeless, residential programs, jail or in the individual's home.

The Counselor will work in partnership with the entirety of the Mental Health Court team to ensure the individuals overall success, and to remove any identified barriers.

The Counselor is responsible for keeping the Court up to date on all progress or regress related to treatment, by providing verbal and written progress notes to the ICM that will become a part of the formal court proceedings. The Counselor will serve a minimum of 40 unique individuals per year.

Directions for Living is an essential services provider. All Directions for Living employees must be willing and able to provide vital support and essential services to the people that we serve in the event of an emergency, pandemic or other disaster situation.

Qualifications

Education Experience/Requirements

Master's degree in Counseling, Psychology, Social Work or related field required. Must have sufficient clinical knowledge to provide clinical interventions to adults who have come to the attention of the criminal justice system due to mental illness or co-occurring substance use disorders.

Have sufficient clinical knowledge of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and other research supported or evidence based treatments.

EOE/ADA/DFW Smoke Free Campus IND123 info.flclearinghouse.com For the safety of all clients and team members, please remember that Directions for Living is a private business and weapons or firearms are not permitted in any of our facilities. If you carry a weapon, it must remain secured in your vehicle (ref: Fla. Stat. 790.251).

Key Responsibilities

The counselor provides clinical assessments and short-term counseling to individuals in Mental Health Court to facilitate their connection to long-term service providers. They work within a team to address unmet needs and provide regular progress reports to the court.

Requirements

A Master's degree in Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, or a related field is required. Candidates must possess clinical knowledge of mental illness, co-occurring substance use disorders, and evidence-based treatments like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Clinical assessmentSubstance use disorder treatmentCase managementCrisis interventionDocumentationCourt reportingTreatment planningInterdisciplinary collaboration

Clinical Psychology — Counselor Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Florida is 103.4 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$76k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $73k in an average-cost state. 58.1% of Florida clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Clinical Psychology listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% are remote, 32% have no call, 62% require no weekends.

Clinical Psychology pay on WeekdayDoc is up 11.6% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Counselor Mental Health Court at Directions for Living a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 25% in Clinical Psychology (Counseling) — ranked against 352 active Clinical Psychology (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Location & Logistics

Florida has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$76k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Counselor Jobs

34 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution34 jobs · 27 employers

16
<$75k
9
$75k-95k
3
$95k-115k
6
$115k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks23 jobs

401k / retirement match
91% this job
Sign-on bonus
43%
CME allowance
30%
Loan repayment
26%
PSLF eligible
17%

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

Clinical Director - LMFT, LCSW, LPCC

Seneca Family of Agencies · Salinas, California

$112k-$126k
#3

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

$92k-$125k
#4

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
+ 32 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 7.2this job 7.2
Better work-life than 60% of Clinical Psychology (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 352 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Clearwater

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$422k≈ 5.8× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,963/mo≈ 32% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
23 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
100.9
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Directions for Living logo

About Directions for Living

Mental Health Care
Clearwater, Florida
201-500 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
Dental
Vision
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
5 Days PTO
16 Paid Wellness Days/Holidays
403b Retirement