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UHS
Chicago, Illinois

INTAKE COUNSELOR (DEGREED) - FLEX/PRN (WEEKEND DAYS)

CounselorIncludes weekendsPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the pay range, the work setting, call expectations and time off.

Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Responsibilities

Join Our Team!

Emergency Service Intake Counselor responds to inquiry calls regarding services. Provides appropriate information and referrals.

Oversees the admission process including appropriateness of the admission, completion of all required admission paperwork, pre-certifications and benefit verifications and coordination with the Physician, Social Worker, U.R. Coordinator and treatment team.

Obtains billing and insurance information, unit/program assignment, etc. Knowledgeable and able to explain Hospital programs and services. Understands and considers basic growth and development needs specific to the age and population served.

Provides accurate and complete information to Hospital Administration and physicians regarding admissions, referrals, discharges, etc. Conducts tours of the Hospital. Trains other staff in the admission process, policies and procedures.

Assures compliance with all applicable laws, codes, rules and regulations that pertain to psychiatric admissions. Maintains all data/records regarding the intake and admission process.

Obtains, organizes and has current information regarding discharges, bed availability, admission times, etc., level of care assessments as needed. Has a strong understanding of the department computer systems. Assures that maintenance of a safe and sanitary environment.

Conducts the initial assessment which includes prior treatment history, previous medications, health screen, family dynamics and risk factors.

Hartgrove Behavioral Health System is a 160-bed leading psychiatric hospital dedicated to providing quality behavioral health services for its diverse population of children, adolescents and adults.

Hartgrove Hospital has become the flagship behavioral health facility within Universal Health Services, Inc., its parent company.

As a leader in behavioral health within UHS and in the Chicago area, Hartgrove Hospital is a state-of-the-art facility offering some of the most advanced technologies and programs found in the behavioral health field.

We are dedicated to our teamwork approach and provide a compassionate and therapeutic environment, as well as offering a continuum of specialty programs throughout our inpatient, partial and outpatient services.

Hartgrove is a Joint Commission approved and state licensed facility focused on short-term crisis stabilization programs. We provide fully accredited educational programs, comprehensive Activity Therapy, Pet Assisted Therapy, Art Therapy, Horticultural Therapy and Dance Movement while utilizing a holistic treatment approach.

Flex position - no beneftis.

Qualifications

JOB SPECIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each primary duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions.

  • Education: Masters Degree in Psychology or Social Work required
  • Experience: Two years of psychiatric experience preferred.
  • Licensure/Certification: Licensure or eligibility for licensure preferred.

Knowledge: Working knowledge of Illinois Confidentiality Act, Illinois Mental Health Code, EMTALA and ILPA progress. Detailed understanding of psychiatric criteria for various levels of care. Thorough understanding of DSM-IV criteria. Computer training/experience, crisis intervention and risk assessment, customer service skills, leadership skills.

  • Supervision Received: Director of Emergency Services, Assistant Director, and/or Supervisor
  • Supervision Exercised: None
  • Line of Promotion: Assistant Director or Supervisor

Working Conditions: Works in the Emergency Services area, the inpatient units and other areas of the Hospital. Hazards include risk of exposure to communicable disease and risks associated with managing psychiatric patients with the potential to lose control and risks associated with the use of electrical equipment.

Physical Requirements: Ability to communicate verbally and in writing. Physical agility to manage patients. Push, pull and lift up to 40 pounds. Intermittent sitting, standing, walking, bending, reaching and stooping.

The physical requirements described here are representative of those which must be met by an employee to successfully perform the functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary functions.

Job Classification: Non-Exempt

This job classification in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by this employee. The Emergency Services Counselor will be required to follow any other instructions and to perform any other duties requested by the Director of Emergency Services, Assistant Director, and/or Supervisor.

EEO Statement

All UHS subsidiaries are committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates. UHS subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers and as such, openly support and fully commit to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

We believe that diversity and inclusion among our teammates is critical to our success.

Notice

At UHS and all our subsidiaries, our Human Resources departments and recruiters are here to help prospective candidates by matching skillset and experience with the best possible career path at UHS and our subsidiaries. We take pride in creating a highly efficient and best in class candidate experience.

During the recruitment process, no recruiter or employee will request financial or personal information (Social Security Number, credit card or bank information, etc.) from you via email.

The recruiters will not email you from a public webmail client like Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc. If you are suspicious of a job posting or job-related email mentioning UHS or its subsidiaries, let us know by contacting us at: uhs.alertline.com or 1-800-852-3449.

Pay Transparency

To encourage pay transparency, promote pay equity, and proactively address regulations, UHS and all our subsidiaries will comply with all applicable state or local laws or regulations which require employers to provide wage or salary range information to job applicants and employees. Salary offers may be based on key factors such as education and related experience.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Psychiatric assessmentAdmission coordinationBenefit verificationTreatment planningHealth screeningDocumentationRegulatory compliancePatient intakeInterdisciplinary collaborationMental health code knowledge

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates INTAKE COUNSELOR (DEGREED) - FLEX/PRN (WEEKEND DAYS) at UHS a 6.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 35% of all counselor listings evaluated on our platform.

Counselor Career Context

In Illinois, the Counselor weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$66k (551 salary observations; 1,745 listings), vs ~$73k nationally (9,535 salary observations; 41,945 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2025-12-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 28% are remote, 26% have no call, 68% require no weekends.

Counselor pay on WeekdayDoc is up 2.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

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Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks41 jobs · 38 employers

401k / retirement match
88%
Sign-on bonus
39%
CME allowance
29%
Loan repayment
27%
PSLF eligible
20%

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Work-life snapshot

6.2/ 10
Listing-based score
  • Includes weekends

Living in Chicago

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$356k
Typical market rent
$2,342/mo
Residents’ average commute
33 min
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

City-level figures. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.