Juvenile Detention Counselor 1, 2 or 3 - Augusta YDC-Augusta, GA (CCR)

Counselor / TherapistIncludes weekendsFull-Time

Listed compensation

$41k-$51k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 24m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Explore a World of Opportunity with the State of Georgia!

We are the force that drives Georgia!

Georgia State Government is a large enterprise, composed of various agencies and entities with a common goal to improve the lives of Georgia's more than 10 million citizens!

Join Team Georgia and impact lives everyday while receiving a robust benefits package designed for every stage of your career!

Job Title

Juvenile Detention Counselor 1, 2 or 3 - Augusta YDC-Augusta, GA (CCR)

Agency

Department of Juvenile Justice

Job Requisition ID

JR0000007450

Shift: Any (United States of America)

Compensation Details

$41,040.00-51,040.00 (ANNUAL SALARY)

Job Description

Please Note: This position is scheduled to close at 12:00 a. m. on the closing date listed above. Applications must be submitted before that time to be considered.

Job Summary

Under supervision, plans, manages, and evaluates social services programs. Administers and coordinates the services and program activities in dependency, mental illness, youth development, or physical or developmental disability programs.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities

  • Performs and/or directs intake services to youth.
  • Provides counseling to individuals, groups, or families, to effect positive change in the youth’s behavior and/or social situations.
  • Provide collaborative meetings with other agency stake holders for discharge recommendations.
  • Leads or participates as a member of a multidisciplinary team to identify youths’ strengths, resources, symptoms, and behavioral challenges to develop and monitor an effective implementation of the service plan.
  • Prepares and submit required reports and other documentation.
  • Attend continuing education course geared towards trends and professional development in the field of Case Management Services.
  • Maintain confidentiality of Case Record and release information as required by policy.
  • Responsibility 1: Support of the delivery of programs & case management services in assigned facilities.
  • Works with program staff to ensure that services are in keeping with best practices and departmental policy.

Under limited direction, provides structured cognitive behavioral groups and/or life-skills group counseling sessions, documents all programmatic activities, and performs a variety of administrative duties designed to facilitate juvenile rehabilitation and ensure a safe and secure environment at a youth detention facility.

Some duties will include Facilitate or Co-facilitate Groups, participate in facility wide PBIS activities (if available), work hours to include Afternoon/evening/Holiday/Weekends and conduct parent/youth support (if needed).

  • Conduct youth assessments for housing plans, risk levels (risks/needs/responsivity) and treatment needs.
  • Responsible for completing code mandated youth progress reviews for local and state courts
  • Preparation reviews for youth early release and for alternative placements.
  • Manage and/or assist with facility quality assurance processes
  • Responsibility 2: Performs and/or directs intake services to youth.
  • Collects and assesses in-depth information about a client's situation and functioning in order to assess his/her abilities, needs, and eligibility for services.
  • Performs or directs admission and orientation of youth in accordance with policy

Thoroughly review collateral information and other background information to determine appropriate services as a program participant in program services.

Responsibility 3: Provides counseling to individuals, groups, or families, to effect positive change in the youth’s behavior and/or social situations.

  • Communicates clearly and accurately to the youth the goals and objectives of the program.
  • Conducts individual counseling sessions with youth on a regular basis.
  • Conducts group sessions in accordance with the program guidelines.
  • Demonstrates knowledge of appropriate usage of behavioral, cognitive restructuring and relapse prevention
  • Properly identifies high-risk situations and implements appropriate housing and/or safety plan.
  • Documents each group session, to include concepts taught and an assessment of participants' progress, in accordance with established time frames and guidelines.
  • Conducts rounds daily on the living unit to ensure youth needs are identified and addressed.
  • Provides evening and weekend coverage to provide for the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of youth.
  • Responsibility 4: Maintain confidentiality of Case Record and release of information as required by policy.

Observes rules of confidentiality as stated by departmental guidelines in the dissemination and interpretation of tests results

Provides information to educate the public, other agencies, vendors, and potential customers about case management services.

  • Minimum Qualifications: JDC Series Requirements and Salaries
  • SSP030 (JDC1)- Salary $41,040.00

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited college or university. Note: Some positions require eligibility for licensure.

Preferred Qualifications-

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the areas of: Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, Forensic Psychology, School Counseling, Rehabilitation Counseling, Criminal Justice or a directly related field.

SSP031 (JDC2)- Salary $46,040.00

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related field from an accredited college or university and two (2) years of job-related experience; or two (2) years of experience at the lower level Social Svcs Prgm Coord 1 (SSP030) or position equivalent. Note: Some positions require eligibility for licensure.

Preferrerd Qualifications

Master’s Degree in a related field from an accredited college or university in a related field from an accredited college or university

Graduate coursework in treatment and assessment methods, group counseling, rehabilitation, adolescent development, and risks/needs/responsivity focuses on the needs of specific adolescent populations.

One (1) year of experience in mental health/substance abuse treatment settings/juvenile justice/residential setting.

Professional and/or general counseling experience in a mental health/substance abuse treatment/juvenile justice/residential setting.

  • Knowledge and experience of risk reduction principles and assessments with the juvenile or adult population.
  • SSP032 (JDC3)- Salary $51,040.00

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in a related field from an accredited college or university and four (4) years of job-related experience; or two (2) years’ experience at the lower level Social Svcs Prgm Coord 2 (SSP031) or position equivalent. Note: Some positions require eligibility for licensure.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary & benefits, GA Department of Juvenile Justice is part of a statewide initiative called Total Rewards that seeks to attract and retain employees by supplementing their base pay and benefits with programs designed to improve the quality of their work environment and lead to greater job satisfaction and work/life balance.

Eligible employees are offered generous benefits, including health and dental insurance; retirement and savings plan options; and paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave. We are a qualified employer for the Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program.

For more information, visit djj.georgia.gov

This Is an Internal and External Job Announcement

  • THIS IS AN UNCLASSIFIED POSITION.
  • THE SELECTED APPLICANT FOR THE POSITION WILL BE SUBJECT TO A REFERENCE CHECK AND CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK, WHERE APPLICABLE
  • PLEASE INCLUDE ALL RELEVANT JOB INFORMATION ON THE APPLICATION FOR CONSIDERATION.

All Applications Will Be Prescreened.

DJJ IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in a related field from an accredited college or university and two (2) years of job-related experience; or two (2) years of experience at the lower level Social Svcs Prgm Coord 1 (SSP030) or position equivalent. --Note: Some positions require eligibility for licensure.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer

The State of Georgia does not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, or other protected categories in employment or the provision of services.

Qualified applicants may request reasonable accommodation when needed during the application and/or screening process by contacting the appropriate agency Human Resources department.

Key Responsibilities

The counselor manages social services programs and provides individual or group counseling to youth to facilitate positive behavioral change. They also conduct intake assessments, monitor progress, and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to develop effective rehabilitation and discharge plans.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a bachelor's degree in a related field, with higher-level positions requiring up to four years of job-related experience. Preferred qualifications include a master's degree and experience in mental health, substance abuse, or juvenile justice settings.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Crisis interventionBehavioral assessmentRisk assessmentGroup facilitationConflict resolutionRehabilitation planningMultidisciplinary collaborationCognitive behavioral therapy

Juvenile Counseling — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 56% are remote, 22% have no call, 62% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Georgia is 96.3 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$46k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $48k in an average-cost state. 59.8% of Georgia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

How many Counselor jobs are remote?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed pay$41k–$51kCounselor median $118k (middle half $54k–$118k)13 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost-of-living adjusted pay~$48k in purchasing powerGeorgia index 96.3 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Counselor listings in Georgia326 active13,598 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 56% remote · 22% no call · 62% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentloan repaymentGeorgia Counselor listings: 6% state a sign-on bonus · 17% offer loan repayment326 active listings, Nov 2026
Counselor pay trend−2.0% 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

38 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

38 jobs · 27 employers
17
<$80k
8
$80k-95k
9
$95k-110k
3
$110k-125k
1
$125k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

26 jobs
401k / retirement match
88% this job
CME allowance
42% this job
Sign-on bonus
31%
Loan repayment
8% this job
PSLF eligible
4% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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#4

Licensed Clinical Therapist (LSCSW, LCPC, LCMFT) Sign-on Bonus $5,000

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Work-life snapshot

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

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 13,476 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • Includes weekends
Georgia Department of Revenue logo

About Georgia Department of Revenue

Government Administration
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Health and dental insurance
Retirement and savings plan options
Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave
Federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program eligible

Living in Augusta

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$178k≈ 4.3× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,344/mo≈ 39% of gross pay
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
91.9
State income tax
Up to 5.8%
Sources & methodology

Sources: Zillow home values (Sep 2026), Zillow market rents (Sep 2026).

BEA 2024 · Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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