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Highmark Health
Erie, Pennsylvania

Needs Assessment Counselor - Full Time - Rotational - SVHS

LPC / LMHCIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Company

Allegheny Health Network

Job Description

GENERAL OVERVIEW:

Provides initial needs assessment of individuals with possible mental health and/or chemical dependency problems. Determines appropriate services and facilitates referrals. Provides information and referrals to individuals or agencies about mental health problems, treatment, community resources and legal procedures. Assists the general public, police agencies and physicians in initiating and processing involuntary commitments.

Essential Responsibilities

  • Utilizes AHN’s Core Behaviors to collaborate for appropriate assessment, plan, and disposition ( 40%)
  • Engages as part of the unit team to provide coverage per Hospital responsibility. (10%)
  • Provides backup coverages to units including responding to organizational codes. (10%)

Effectively communicates all aspects of patient needs utilizing team collaboration, identifying appropriate referral, and disposition ( 40%)

Qualifications

  • Minimum
  • Bachelor's Degree in Mental Health, Counseling, Social Work, psychology or related field
  • 3-5 years’ experience in assessment, crisis intervention, working with individuals with mental health problems, addiction or developmental disabilities
  • Preferred
  • Master's degree.

Additional Employment Requirements

  • Act 34 Criminal Background Clearance Certificate
  • Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance Certificate
  • Act 73 FBI Fingerprinting Criminal Background Clearance Certificate

Working Schedule

  • Please note that this role is 40 Hours Per Week Rotational Shift.
  • You will need to be flexible to work, day, evening, overnight, and weekend coverage.

Disclaimer: The job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this job title. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job.

Compliance Requirement: This job adheres to the ethical and legal standards and behavioral expectations as set forth in the code of business conduct and company policies.

As a component of job responsibilities, employees may have access to covered information, cardholder data, or other confidential customer information that must be protected at all times. In connection with this, all employees must comply with both the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices and Privacy Policies and Procedures as well as all data security guidelines established within the Company’s Handbook of Privacy Policies and Practices and Information Security Policy.

Furthermore, it is every employee’s responsibility to comply with the company’s Code of Business Conduct. This includes but is not limited to adherence to applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations as well as company policies and training requirements.

Highmark Health and its affiliates prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on any category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

California Consumer Privacy Act Employees, Contractors, and Applicants Notice

Key Responsibilities

The counselor provides initial needs assessments for individuals with mental health or chemical dependency issues and facilitates appropriate service referrals. They also assist the public and authorities in initiating involuntary commitments while collaborating with the unit team to ensure patient care.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Chemical dependency assessmentReferral facilitationInvoluntary commitment processingPatient needs assessmentAddiction counselingDevelopmental disabilities support

Counselor Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Pennsylvania is 97.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 61.7% of Pennsylvania clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Mental Health Counseling listings this role was benchmarked against, 44% are remote, 30% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

What does the Mental Health Counseling market look like in Pennsylvania?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedMental Health Counseling median $68k (middle half $60k–$70k)12 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingPennsylvania index 97.6US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Mental Health Counseling listings in Pennsylvania28 active789 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 44% remote · 30% no call · 74% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedPennsylvania Counselor listings: 15% state a sign-on bonus (median $4k) · 14% offer loan repayment752 active listings, Nov 2026
New Mental Health Counseling listings326 in the last 30 days229 the 30 days before (+42%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Mental Health Counseling pay trend−10.6% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index, BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page.

Top Counselor Jobs

48 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

48 jobs · 38 employers
12
<$65k
14
$65k-80k
10
$80k-95k
8
$95k-110k
4
$110k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

39 jobs · 38 employers
401k / retirement match
92%
CME allowance
33%
Sign-on bonus
23%
Loan repayment
15%
PSLF eligible
3%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

Gotham Enterprises · Cartersburg, Indiana

$115k-$120k
#2

Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMFT, LCSW, LPC)

Gotham Enterprises · Anchorage, Alaska

$115k-$120k
#3

Licensed Clinical Therapist (LCSW, LPC, LMFT)

$84k-$113k
#4

Child and Adolescent Therapist - LCSW, LPC, LMFT

$50k-$110k
+ 46 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Mental Health Counseling listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 770 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes weekends

Living in Erie

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$202k
Typical market rent
$1,098/mo
Residents’ average commute
18 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
91.0
State income tax
Up to 3.1%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Erie, PA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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