Recreation Counselor (Part-time)
Listed compensation
$25-$34/hr
The week · per this posting
Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.
Job Description
Position: Recreation Counselor
The Recreation Counselor is responsible for all aspects of client recreational activities including planning, documenting and overseeing each function. The Recreation Counselor serves as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team.
Essential Duties
- Provide supervised highly structured indoor recreational activities to residents.
- Provide supervised highly structured outdoor recreational activities to residents.
- Provide supervised, highly structured indoor recreation in weight room with residents.
- Plan and oversee special events with residents and their families.
- Provide supervisor with scheduled activities for residents in orientation, early treatment, middle treatment, and late treatment phases of the program.
- Provide daily group note indicating activities and resident participation.
- Complete and accurate reporting of incidents, resident elopements, and crisis intervention.
- Participation in supervision.
- Communicate all pertinent information/incidents/emergencies via SAC book/House manager.
- Supervise residents in self-medication.
- Perform other duties assigned as related to role.
Minimum Requirements
- CASAC-T, CASAC, or higher preferred.
- 1 year of experience working with clients with substance abuse disorders.
- 1 year of experience working with adolescents with co-occurring mental health problems.
- 1 year of experience working in an OASAS funded facility a plus.
Preferred Qualifications
- Commitment to providing quality services and outcome driven performance measures.
- Excellent organizational management skills with the ability to coach staff, manage, and develop high-performance clinicians, set and achieve program objectives.
- Strong networking and public relations skills with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders, populations, and cultures.
- Action-oriented, adaptable, and innovative approach to program planning.
- Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people.
Key Responsibilities
The Recreation Counselor plans and oversees structured indoor and outdoor recreational activities for residents while serving as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team. They are responsible for documenting resident participation, managing incidents, and supervising self-medication.
Requirements
Candidates should have at least one year of experience working with adolescents with co-occurring mental health problems and substance abuse disorders. A CASAC-T, CASAC, or higher certification is preferred for this role.
Qualifications
- Education
- Professional certificate or licensure
Key Skills
Recreation Therapy — Counselor Career Context
Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 38% are remote, 26% have no call, 84% require no weekends.
In New York, the Counselor weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$70k (628 salary observations; 1,925 listings), vs ~$73k nationally (8,708 salary observations; 41,241 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2025-12-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.
The cost-of-living index for New York is 107.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$61k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $57k in an average-cost state. 64.6% of New York clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
Outreach Development ranks #6 of 11 employers hiring Counselor on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.
Counselor pay on WeekdayDoc is up 1.9% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).
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