Mental Health and Substance Use Counselor- School Based

CounselorIncludes callFull-Time

Listed compensation

starting at $56K

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about weekend coverage, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 5mo ago

Job Description

Join our Riverstone Counseling, Spectrum Youth & Family Services outpatient counseling program, as a Mental Health and Substance Use Counselor working in our clinic and in partnership with local schools!

This position is responsible for providing comprehensive mental health and substance use screening, assessment and integrated co-occurring individual, group, and family therapy for adolescents and young adults aged 12-30. This position will spend at least 2 days per week at school based sites.

This full time exempt position offers an annual salary starting at $56,000 for unlicensed applicants and $60,000 for licensed. The position is eligible for a robust benefits package, including health, HRA, dental, vision, life insurance, STD, LTD, accrued vacation, accrued health leave, and a 403(b) retirement plan. Please submit a cover letter and resume to be considered for this position.

Essential Functions

Screening, Intake & Referral Coordination

  • Receive, review, track, and coordinate referrals with Riverstone and school partners.
  • Create and maintain youth profiles in the electronic record systems.
  • Communicate with referral sources.
  • Screen referrals for eligibility and appropriateness.
  • Support youth and families with intake paperwork.
  • Conduct biopsychosocial and needs assessments.
  • Maintain documentation in EHRs.
  • Serve as a community-facing resource.
  • Make internal and external referrals.
  • Participate in supervision and meetings.
  • Deliver data for grant and funder reporting.

Clinical Services

  • Perform MH/SUD screenings including SBIRT-based protocols.
  • Conduct clinical assessments.
  • Provide individual, group, and family therapy.
  • Facilitate psychic-educational or resource groups for parents and students at school based-sites.
  • Provide brief interventions and support as needed to youth,
  • Create SMART treatment plans.
  • Manage a caseload as outlined by supervisor
  • Utilize Feedback-Informed Treatment.
  • Respond to crises and participate in on-call rotation.
  • Maintain clinical documentation.
  • Maintain community partner relationships.

Professional Responsibilities

  • Establish and maintain close working relationships with school based partners including communication about availability and scheduling, clinical consultation and support to guidance and administrative teams.
  • Maintain licensure and CEUs.
  • Engage in professional learning.
  • Contribute to a collaborative team.
  • Support quality improvement efforts.
  • Participate in DEI training.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Knowledge and Skills Required

  • Master’s degree in counseling, social work, or related field.
  • Rostered or license-eligible with VT OPR.
  • AAP certification, or ability to obtain within 90 days
  • Experience serving adolescents and young adults.
  • Knowledge of trauma-informed care.
  • Crisis intervention skills.
  • Knowledge of youth development and co-occurring disorders.
  • Ability to collaborate across programs.
  • Strong documentation and communication skills.
  • Commitment to DEI.
  • Current licensure in mental health counseling, social work, or other relevant degree and/or LADC.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Independent licensure (LCMHC, LICSW, LADC).
  • Training in evidence-based practices (MI, CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, CAMS, etc.).

Working Environment

Office and community settings including drop-in centers, schools or other community settings. Requires sitting, standing, lifting up to 10 lbs, and local travel.

Key Responsibilities

Provide comprehensive mental health and substance use screening, assessment, and integrated therapy for adolescents and young adults. Coordinate referrals and maintain clinical relationships with local school partners and community resources.

Requirements

Requires a Master's degree in counseling or social work and eligibility for licensure with VT OPR. Candidates must have experience serving youth and knowledge of trauma-informed care and co-occurring disorders.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Substance Use CounselingBiopsychosocial AssessmentIndividual TherapyGroup TherapyCase ManagementTreatment PlanningSBIRT ProtocolsCollaborationDEI Commitment

Addiction Medicine — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Addiction Medicine listings this role was benchmarked against, 70% are remote, 28% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Vermont is 98.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$58k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $59k in an average-cost state. 62.3% of Vermont clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

How many Addiction Medicine jobs are remote?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$56k–$60kAddiction Medicine median $63k (middle half $56k–$69k)218 comparable listings, Oct 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$59k in purchasing powerVermont index 98.0 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Work settingon-sitepeers: 70% remote · 28% no call · 74% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Addiction Medicine pay trend+2.3% vs prior quarter—through Sep 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Oct 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Counselor Jobs

37 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

37 jobs · 16 employers
10
<$80k
1
$80k
6
$95k-110k
17
$110k-125k
3
$125k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

31 jobs · 16 employers
401k / retirement match
97% this job
Sign-on bonus
39%
CME allowance
13% this job
Loan repayment
6%
PSLF eligible
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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From $155k
#2

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW/LPCC/LMFT

LifeStance Health · Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

$74k-$126k
#3

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

$92k-$125k
#4

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
+ 35 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 3.9
Better work-life than 30% of Substance Use / Addiction Counselor listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 1,008 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
  • Includes call
Spectrum Youth and Family Services logo

About Spectrum Youth and Family Services

Civic and Social Organizations
Burlington, VT
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health Insurance
HRA
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Short-Term Disability
Long-Term Disability
Accrued Vacation

Living in Burlington

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$504k≈ 9.0× annual pay
Typical market rent
$2,329/mo≈ 50% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
19 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
100.9
State income tax
Up to 8.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Burlington-South Burlington, VT metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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