Sentara Health logo
Sentara Health
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Behavioral Health Therapist - Licensed (PERS)

CounselorFull-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 1mo ago

Job Description

City/State

Virginia Beach, VA

Work Shift

Rotating

Overview

Sentara Health is now hiring a Licensed Behavioral Health Therapist. This position will be a part of the Psychiatric Emergency Response team that assess patients in the Sentara Emergency Departments who present with behavioral/mental health concerns and will provide recommendations for treatment.

Education

  • Master’s Degree – Social Work, Counseling, or other related field – (Required)
  • Certification/Licensure
  • Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) - (Required)

Experience

  • At least 1 years of outpatient or inpatient experience (Preferred)
  • Crisis experience (Preferred)
  • Excellent clinical skills, documentation, and communication skills

Duties/Responsibilities

Assesses the social, psychological, cultural, environmental, and financial situation, as well as disposition needs, for each assigned patient.

Collaborates with patients, families, healthcare team members, and community agencies to develop and implement plans to address identified needs.

Evaluates effectiveness of developed plans and initiates change as needed..

Benefits: Caring For Your Family and Your Career

  • Medical, Dental, Vision plans
  • Adoption, Fertility and Surrogacy Reimbursement up to $10,000
  • Paid Time Off and Sick Leave
  • Paid Parental & Family Caregiver Leave
  • Emergency Backup Care
  • Long-Term, Short-Term Disability, and Critical Illness plans
  • Life Insurance
  • 401k/403B with Employer Match
  • Tuition Assistance – $5,250/year and discounted educational opportunities through Guild Education
  • Student Debt Pay Down – $10,000
  • Pet Insurance
  • Legal Resources Plan
  • Colleagues have the opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus if established system and employee eligibility criteria is met.

Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, located in Virginia Beach, VA, is home to the region’s only Level III Trauma Center. Our 273-bed facility has a long history of commitment to our communities of Virginia Beach, Eastern Shore, and Northeastern North Carolina, offering specialized tertiary services as well as many advanced clinical services. We are located just 15 minutes from VA Beach Town Center and just a few minutes to the Oceanfront.

As a recognized accredited Primary Stroke Center, and Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, our hospital specializes in heart, vascular, neuroscience, neurosurgery, orthopedics and spine care, cancer care, advanced imaging, and behavioral health.

Sentara Health is an equal opportunity employer and prides itself on the diversity and inclusiveness of its close to an almost 30,000-member workforce. Diversity, inclusion, and belonging is a guiding principle of the organization to ensure its workforce reflects the communities it serves.

In support of our mission “to improve health every day,” this is a tobacco-free environment.

For positions that are available as remote work, Sentara Health employs associates in the following states:

Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Key Responsibilities

The therapist assesses the social, psychological, and environmental needs of patients presenting with behavioral health concerns in the emergency department. They collaborate with healthcare teams and families to develop, implement, and evaluate effective treatment plans.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, or a related field and possess an active LPC or LCSW license. At least one year of clinical experience is preferred, with a focus on crisis or inpatient/outpatient settings.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Behavioral health assessmentCrisis interventionClinical documentationTreatment planningPatient assessmentCollaborationPsychological evaluation

Psychiatry — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Psychiatry listings this role was benchmarked against, 70% are remote, 36% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Virginia is 101.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 61.1% of Virginia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Sentara Health ranks #3 of 10 employers hiring Counselor on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

Top Counselor Jobs

41 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution33 jobs · 20 employers

9
<$85k
8
$85k-100k
10
$100k-115k
6
$115k-130k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks35 jobs · 20 employers

401k / retirement match
100% this job
Sign-on bonus
40%
CME allowance
31%
Loan repayment
11%
PSLF eligible
6%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Clinical Mental Health Therapist - LICSW/LPCC/LMFT

LifeStance Health · Saint Louis Park, Minnesota

$74k-$126k
#2

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT, LPC, LCSW)

LifeStance Health · Milwaukee, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#3

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LMHC, LCSW)

$115k-$120k
#4

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

$115k-$120k
+ 39 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 3.0this job 3.0
Better work-life than 50% of Psychiatry (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 58 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Virginia Beach

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$379k
Typical market rent
$2,086/mo
Residents’ average commute
23 min
State income tax
Up to 5.8%
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.

Sentara Health logo

About Sentara Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Virginia Beach, Virginia
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical, Dental, Vision plans
Adoption, Fertility and Surrogacy Reimbursement up to $10,000
Paid Time Off and Sick Leave
Paid Parental & Family Caregiver Leave
Emergency Backup Care
Long-Term, Short-Term Disability, and Critical Illness plans
Life Insurance
401k/403B with Employer Match