State of Montana logo
State of Montana
Boulder, Montana

Clinical Therapist

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$1/hour

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations, weekend coverage and time off.

Posted 4mo ago

Job Description

Clinical Therapist

RIVERSIDE

Boulder, MT

The Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) is creating a safer Montana through Accountability, Rehabilitation and Empowerment. If you want to work making positive changes in your community, the Montana Department of Corrections is the place for you!

The Rehabilitation and Enterprise Division ensures the physical and mental well-being of inmates, delivers educational and vocational opportunities within prisons, and oversees community facilities dedicated to successfully reintegrating offenders into Montana communities. Join the team responsible for building better tomorrows today!

As a Clinical Therapist working within a secure prison, you will play a pivotal role in addressing the complex mental health and behavioral needs of an incarcerated population. Your work will directly support institutional safety by reducing crisis incidents, improving emotional regulation, and fostering pro-social behavior among residents.

Through the delivery of evidence-based and trauma-informed therapeutic services, you will help individuals confront the underlying factors contributing to criminal behavior, including trauma, substance use, and chronic mental illness. Your interventions will promote accountability, enhance coping skills, and support long-term behavior change within a highly structured environment.

Operating as part of a multidisciplinary team alongside security staff, medical providers, and case managers, you will help create a safer and more rehabilitative facility culture. Your ability to balance clinical care with security protocols, maintain strong professional boundaries, and build trust in a correctional setting will be essential to your success.

The impact of your work extends beyond the facility walls. By preparing individuals for eventual reentry, you will help reduce recidivism, strengthen community outcomes, and contribute to the long-term safety and well-being of communities across Montana.

The hourly rate of this position will increase by $1.00 per hour or 2.5%25, whichever is greater, effective July 1, 2026, in accordance with HB13.

Qualifications

The knowledge, skills and abilities for this position are typically acquired through a combination of education and experience equivalent to:

  • Master’s degree in social work, psychology or counseling.
  • 1 year of job-related experience.
  • Must be licensed or able to be dually licensed as a Licensed Addiction Counselor (LAC) and a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor(LCPC) or a Licensed Social Worker (LCSW).
  • May consider a candidacy license if able to receive either license within one year.
  • Alternative combinations of education and experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Benefits

Your service is rewarded with competitive compensation and generous State of Montana Benefits.

State of Montana employment may qualify for student loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

Application Instructions

Only online applications are accepted. By applying online, you are able to receive updates and monitor the status of your application.

To initiate an application and be considered, you must attach your resume, cover letter, and mark the attachments as a “Relevant File”. In your cover letter, state why you are applying for the position and anything that makes you uniquely qualified. Applications missing required documentation may not be considered.

Successful Applicants Will Be Subject To

  • Criminal history check
  • Child/patient/offender abuse registries
  • Reference checks

Medicaid Fraud Background Check

The Department of Corrections participates in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. After accepting a job offer and completing form I-9, your information will be submitted to the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration for verification. For more information about E-Verify, please visit the E-Verify website found here, e-verify.gov.

Notices

Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) - Any person who has 1) engaged in sexual abuse in a prison, jail, lockup, community confinement facility, juvenile facility, or other institution; 2) been convicted of engaging in or attempting to engage in sexual activity in the community facilitated by force, overt or implied threats of force, or coercion, or if the victim did not consent or was unable to consent or refuse; or 3) been civilly or administratively adjudicated to have engaged in activity as described in the latter, are not qualified for this position.

Tobacco Free - The use of all tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco products and tobacco substitutes is prohibited in Department of Corrections buildings. In secure care facilities possession of tobacco products is prohibited.

Key Responsibilities

Provide evidence-based and trauma-informed therapeutic services to incarcerated individuals to address mental health and behavioral needs. Collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to reduce crisis incidents and support successful reentry into the community.

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Clinical TherapyTrauma-Informed CareCrisis InterventionBehavioral HealthSubstance Use TreatmentCase ManagementEvidence-Based PracticeMultidisciplinary Collaboration

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Clinical Therapist at State of Montana a 7.2 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as very good. This places the position in the top 25% in Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) — ranked against 7,956 active Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc.

Counselor Career Context

Of the 40 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 78% are remote, 10% have no call, 78% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for Montana is 94.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 59.2% of Montana clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution20 jobs · 18 employers

6
<$80k
0
$80k-105k
8
$105k-130k
6
$130k-155k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks22 jobs · 18 employers

401k / retirement match
86%
CME allowance
36%
Sign-on bonus
18%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Florida-Licensed Couples & Individual Therapist (Remote, Contract)Contract

Paired · Florida

$70 - $80/session
#2

Mental Health Therapist, Contractor - LA / (Remote)Contract

Cartwheel · Cambridge, Massachusetts

$60-$70/hr
#3

Psychotherapist Outpatient Clinic – LCSW / LMHC / LMFT/Full-Time Employment/Signing Bonus 5000USD

$60-$70/hr
#4

Licensed Therapist

$60-$70/hr
+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 7.2
Better work-life than 80% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,956 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Boulder

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$371k
Median resident rent
$928/mo
Residents’ average commute
25 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
95.7
State income tax
Up to 6.8%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Helena, MT metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

State of Montana logo

About State of Montana

Law Enforcement
Helena, Montana
51-200 employees

Benefits & Perks

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) eligible