Sail Future logo
Sail Future
St. Petersburg, Florida

Mental Health Counselor

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$44k-$55k

The week · per this posting

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

Posted 1mo ago

Job Description

Mental Health Counselor

Are you a Registered Mental Health Counseling or Clinical Social Work Intern passionate about working with at-risk youth?

At SailFuture, you’ll find a mission-driven team that prioritizes quality care and low caseloads rather than maximizing billable hours.

  • Do you view yourself as an agent of change committed to helping people transform their life outcomes?
  • Do you desire a professional setting that is outdoors, dynamic, and includes international travel?
  • You may be reading the description of your dream job.

Position Summary

The Counselor serves up to 20 youth living in SailFuture’s two residential foster care homes and (8) students at the SailFuture Academy.

  • You’ll provide individual and family therapy, group counseling, and Sunday adventure therapy sessions.
  • You will also provide overall support to the houses through twice weekly family dinners and other activities.
  • Finally, you will lead the mental health curriculum during international sailing expeditions, flying in and out ports while students sail from Florida to Nova Scotia and Florida to Trinidad and Tobago.
  • This is a salaried position with a 45-hour work week and is not eligible for overtime pay.

Traditional Responsibilities

  • Coordinate all therapeutic services for all youth in residential care and independent living program
  • Work in partnership with psychiatrist to monitor and coordinate medication management for all youth in residential care
  • Provide therapeutic house support up to twenty hours per week
  • Provide 1:1 therapeutic services to up to 20 youth per week (1-hour session)
  • 6 youth in Waterfront House
  • 6 youth in White House
  • Up to 8 youth attending the SailFuture Academy
  • Develop treatment plans in partnership with Residential Change Agents, Program Director, Case Manager, and other stakeholders
  • Provide in-depth assessments to all youth who enter the SailFuture home
  • Provide assessments to all youth at-risk who present self-harming or homicidal behaviors
  • Create initial and master treatment plans and lead 30-day treatment team meetings and 6-month treatment plan reviews
  • Provide training and youth-specific feedback to staff across all teams

Qualifications

  • Master’s Degree, or higher, from an Accredited College or University in related field
  • Team player committed to doing whatever it takes for youth in their care
  • Experience working with at-risk youth, specifically teenagers
  • Excellent communicator and problem solver
  • Passion for adventure

Compensation and Benefits

  • $44,000 - $55,000 annual salary depending on experience
  • $250 monthly health insurance contribution
  • Membership at the Clearwater Sailing Center & use of SailFuture kayaks and equipnent
  • 401k with up to 6% employer match
  • 10 days PTO per year (accrual based)
  • Work cell phone
  • Work laptop

Key Responsibilities

The counselor provides individual, family, and group therapy to youth in residential foster care and academy settings. They also lead mental health curriculum during international sailing expeditions and coordinate therapeutic services with a multidisciplinary team.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Individual therapyTreatment planningCrisis assessmentCommunicationProblem solvingAt-risk youth support

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Counseling listings this role was benchmarked against, 42% are remote, 36% have no call, 66% require no weekends.

Mental Health Counseling pay on WeekdayDoc is up 5.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Florida is 103.4 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$50k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $48k in an average-cost state. 58.1% of Florida clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Location & Logistics

Florida has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$50k midpoint, that is roughly $2k–$3k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Counselor Jobs

31 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution31 jobs · 25 employers

15
<$75k
5
$75k-95k
5
$95k-115k
6
$115k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks20 jobs

401k / retirement match
90% this job
CME allowance
50%
Sign-on bonus
35%
Loan repayment
25%
PSLF eligible
10%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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

LifeStance Health · Madison, Wisconsin

$92k-$125k
#2

Remote Licensed Talk Therapist - Fee For Service

Thriveworks · Massachusetts

$124k
#3

Licensed Talk Therapist - Fee For Service

$124k
#4

Remote Mental Health Counselor (LMFT, LCSW, LMHC)

$115k-$120k
+ 29 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 3.3
Better work-life than 20% of Mental Health Counseling listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 632 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in St. Petersburg

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$428k≈ 9.7× annual pay
Typical market rent
$2,058/mo≈ 56% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
26 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
100.9
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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

Sail Future logo

About Sail Future

Civic and Social Organizations
St Petersburg, Florida
11-50 employees

Benefits & Perks

$250 monthly health insurance contribution
Membership at Clearwater Sailing Center
Use of SailFuture kayaks and equipment
401k with up to 6% employer match
10 days PTO per year
Work cell phone
Work laptop