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Empath Health
Port Charlotte, Florida

PRN Children's Grief Counselor

Counselor / TherapistIncludes weekendsPer Diem

Compensation

Pay not listed

The week · per this posting

Ask the employer about the pay range, call expectations, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 10m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Make a Difference in the Lives of Children and Families! Join Empath Health as a Counselor for the Blue Butterfly Program!

Tidewell Hospice, a part of Empath Health, is currently seeking a (PRN) Children Grief Counselor to provide bereavement and grief support and healing during life’s toughest moments.

Since 1980, Tidewell Hospice has proudly served families across southwest Florida with compassionate, dignified care. As a member of Empath Health, we help patients with advanced illness live meaningfully while supporting their families with warmth, expertise, and respect.

What You'll Do

Conducts intake assessments of children and families to determine eligibility for grief support services and group readiness for the Blue Butterfly program and assesses need for counseling related to risk assessment for pathological grief, risk of suicide, abuse, or neglect.

Facilitates evening and weekend support groups for children, adults and families on an ongoing basis and assists with responsibility of overseeing group night execution including pre/post meetings, and family group placement.

Provides on-going case management, re-assessment and care plan updates for individual children, adults, and families.

Provides individual, group, and family grief counseling to children, teens, and adults from the Blue Butterfly program and helps maintain and nurture relationships with Blue Butterfly families between active sessions.

Assists with special events, outings, crisis interventions, and camps for bereaved children, adults and families and curriculum planning for grief support groups at all locations.

Why Join Empath Health?

  • Earn Competitive Pay: Your skills and contributions are recognized and rewarded.
  • Benefits & Wellness: Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, retirement with company match, plus wellness programs to support your mind and body.
  • Industry-Leading PTO: 5+ weeks to rest, recharge, and live your Full Life.
  • Grow Your Career: CEU support, tuition reimbursement, and advancement opportunities.
  • Make a Difference: Join a mission-driven team dedicated to kindness, compassion, and Full Life Care for All.

What You'll Need

Education & Experience

Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from a school of Social Work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education preferred; or Master’s degree from a clinical counseling program such as mental health or marriage and family therapy or Master’s of science degree in Child Life.

Licensure: Must hold one of the following Florida licenses or License eligible (Registered Intern) within 90 days of hire: Social Work (LCSW) or Social Work (RCSWI) Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) or Mental Health Counselor (RMHCI) Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) or Marriage and Family Therapist (RMFTI)

At least one year of social work/counseling experience in a healthcare setting post masters level internship. (The one-year Masters level internship may meet this requirement).

At least five years of counseling experience working with children, adolescents, teens and families.

Bilingual Preferred

Must have reliable transportation which will enable them to perform tasks and responsibilities in a timely and appropriate fashion. Must provide proof of valid automobile insurance, a copy of which will be placed in the employee’s HR file. This position requires travel between multiple locations.

Unified in empathy, we serve our communities through extraordinary Full Life Care for All.

Empath Health is a not-for-profit healthcare organization providing Full Life Care through a connected network of services across Florida—including hospice, home health, grief care, geriatric primary care, elder care (PACE), HIV and sexual health (EPIC), and dementia support.

Full Life Care means caring for the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—with empathy and dignity. Our care goes beyond medicine to help people feel seen, supported, and valued at every stage of life.

At Empath Health, you’ll find purpose, partnership, and possibility in a culture where compassion drives excellence and every team member helps make life’s journey more meaningful.

Empath Health is committed to complying with all applicable provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended ("ADA"), and applicable state and local laws.

It is Empath Health's policy not to discriminate against any qualified person or applicant with regard to any terms or conditions of employment on the basis of such individual's disability.

Consistent with this policy of non-discrimination, Empath Health will provide reasonable accommodations to an individual with a disability, as defined in the ADA or applicable law, who has made Empath Health aware of his/her disability, unless doing so would cause an undue hardship to Empath Health.

If you are an applicant and need a reasonable accommodation when applying for job opportunities within Empath Health or to request a reasonable accommodation to utilize Empath Health's online employment application, please contact HRTalentAcquisition@EmpathHealth.org.

Workplace Discrimination is Illegal. For more information, please refer to this machine-readable PDF to Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal. If viewing in HTML, please see Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal in English or Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal in Spanish.

Key Responsibilities

The counselor conducts intake assessments and facilitates support groups for children and families dealing with grief. They also provide ongoing case management, individual counseling, and assist with special events and crisis interventions.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in Social Work, Mental Health Counseling, or a related field and possess appropriate Florida licensure. A minimum of five years of counseling experience with children and families is required.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Intake assessmentCrisis interventionGroup facilitationChild life supportBereavement support

Grief Counseling — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 64% are remote, 26% have no call, 62% require no weekends.

Counselor pay on WeekdayDoc is down 2.0% vs. the prior quarter (through Oct 2026).

Counselor by the numbers
MeasureThis jobMarket
Listed paynot listedCounselor median $57k (middle half $45k–$80k)30 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingFlorida index 103.4US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
Counselor listings in Florida621 active13,592 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 64% remote · 26% no call · 62% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentnot statedFlorida Counselor listings: 6% state a sign-on bonus (median $5k) · 10% offer loan repayment621 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.

Location & Logistics

Florida has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states.

Top contract/1099 Counselor Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

50 jobs · 37 employers
17
<$75k
16
$75k-95k
8
$95k-115k
5
$115k-135k
4
$135k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

32 jobs
401k / retirement match
91%
CME allowance
34% this job
Sign-on bonus
13%
Loan repayment
13%
PSLF eligible
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Remote Licensed Mental Health TherapistContract

Adjuvant Behavior Health · Virginia Beach, Virginia

$66/hr
#2

Remote Licensed Professional TherapistContract

Adjuvant Behavior Health · Richmond, Virginia

$66/hr
#3

Mental Health Therapist

$65.61/hr
#4

Licensed Telehealth Therapist / Mental Health Counselor (Massachusetts)

$60-$65/hr
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 4.8
Better work-life than 40% of Counseling listings

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

  • On-site
  • Includes weekends
Empath Health logo

About Empath Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Clearwater, Florida
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical, dental, vision, life insurance
Retirement with company match
Wellness programs
5+ weeks PTO
CEU support
Tuition reimbursement
Advancement opportunities

Living in Port Charlotte

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$297k
Typical market rent
$1,741/mo
Residents’ average commute
25 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
100.5
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Punta Gorda, FL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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