LOWNDES APEX - Therapist

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

Starting at $70K

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

  • Fully Licensed: Starting at $70,000
  • Associate Licensed: $57,000
  • Master's Level/ New Graduates: $43,990
  • Working Together for A Better Tomorrow!

Are you passionate about mental health and looking for a meaningful career where you can make a real impact? Legacy Behavioral Health is seeking an APEX Therapist to join our team in Lowndes County.

In this role, you’ll play a key part in supporting individuals and families throughout South Georgia with compassionate, high-quality behavioral health services. Duties include completion of complex psychosocial assessments, treatment team participation, treatment planning/monitoring and discharge planning.

Our therapists provide individual, family, and group counseling to consumers and their families. Must be familiar with all populations within the outpatient clinic including Child & Adolescent, Adult MH and Adult SA.

Individuals in this position must be able to collaborate with community referral sources and physicians to ensure continuity of care.

The APEX Therapist will be supervised by the OP MANAGE

Master’s degree in social work, psychology, or counseling with a supervised clinical practicum

Degree Must Be License Eligible

  • Clinical license (LCSW, LMSW, LMFT, LAMFT, LPC, LAPC) and have experience working in the social services field; preferred
  • Someone who is dedicated to quality work
  • Someone who is a self-starter and goal orientated

A Valid Georgia Driver’s License

Excellent problem-solving and interpersonal skills including verbal and written communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork

Computer experience.

Benefits

  • Health insurance: Quality, affordable coverage through State of Georgia employee benefit plans.
  • Competitive pay
  • 24 Days of paid leave in your first year
  • Retirement Plans: Automatic 2% employer contribution to your 401(k), plus a 3% match after one year.

Why Legacy?

Legacy Behavioral Health Services is a leading provider of mental health and substance use services across 10 counties in South Georgia. Our mission is rooted in transforming lives through compassionate, individualized care.

Working Conditions: Must be physically and emotionally fit to work in a stress-filled environment to meet deadlines and deal with routine and crisis situations. May have extended periods of sitting, walking, and standing. Requires varying hours of duty to provide monitoring, educational and/or crisis handling, as well as travel to off campus locations in BHSGA or personal vehicle.

Work Environment: Employee works in a locked facility with patients who can be a danger to themselves and others. He/she must be able to restrain patients in crisis and other situations, and to work shifts.

Employees in this position may be exposed to virus, disease and infection from persons served or the working environment. Incumbents may be required to work extended periods of time at computer terminals. They may experience traumatic situations, including psychiatric and /or deceased patients.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job: Must be able to lift fifteen to twenty-five pounds and endure extended periods of standing on a daily basis.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. This position is very active and requires standing, walking, bending, kneeling, stooping and crouching as well as lifting and supporting the individuals served.

All Relevant Information Is Subject to Verification

  • Position opened to: ALL QUALIFIED APPLICANTS
  • Internal Applicants must be in their current position for 6 months with no disciplinary action unless the position available is within your current department and you have been employed in your current position for 1 month without any disciplinary action.
  • Drug-Free and Smoke Free Workplace/ Equal Opportunity Employer

Key Responsibilities

The therapist will conduct complex psychosocial assessments, develop treatment plans, and provide individual, family, and group counseling services. They are also responsible for collaborating with community referral sources and physicians to ensure continuity of care for patients.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in social work, psychology, or counseling and be license-eligible in Georgia. Experience in social services is preferred, along with strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a high-stress, locked facility environment.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Individual counselingFamily counselingCrisis interventionComputer literacyCase management

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 36% are remote, 30% have no call, 76% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 4.1% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Georgia is 96.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$57k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $59k in an average-cost state. 59.8% of Georgia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

23 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution23 jobs · 20 employers

7
<$80k
6
$80k-95k
6
$95k-110k
4
$110k-125k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks20 jobs

401k / retirement match
100% this job
CME allowance
35%
Sign-on bonus
15%
PSLF eligible
15%
Loan repayment
10%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

Gotham Enterprises · Rome, New York

$115k-$120k
#2

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

Gotham Enterprises · Gastonia, North Carolina

$115k-$120k
#3

Licensed Counselor (LPC, LCSW, LMFT)

up to $115,000
#4

Licensed Clinical Therapist (LCSW, LPC, LMFT)

$84k-$113k
+ 21 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.2this job 1.5
Below most Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,911 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Valdosta

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$217k≈ 4.9× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,349/mo≈ 37% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
16 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
88.3
State income tax
Up to 5.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Valdosta, GA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Legacy Behavioral Health Services Human Resources logo

About Legacy Behavioral Health Services Human Resources

Mental Health Care
Valdosta, Georgia
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health insurance through State of Georgia employee benefit plans
Competitive pay
24 days of paid leave in first year
Retirement Plans: Automatic 2% employer contribution to 401(k), plus 3% match after one year