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Highmark Health
Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania

Needs Assessment Counselor

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 35m ago · Verified live

Job Description

Company

Allegheny Health Network

Job Description

GENERAL OVERVIEW:

Provides initial needs assessment of individuals with possible mental health and/or chemical dependency problems. Determines appropriate services and facilitates referrals. Provides information and referrals to individuals or agencies about mental health problems, treatment, community resources and legal procedures. Assists the general public, police agencies and physicians in initiating and processing involuntary commitments.

Essential Responsibilities

  • Utilizes AHN’s Core Behaviors to collaborate for appropriate assessment, plan, and disposition ( 40%)
  • Engages as part of the unit team to provide coverage per Hospital responsibility. (10%)
  • Provides backup coverages to units including responding to organizational codes. (10%)

Effectively communicates all aspects of patient needs utilizing team collaboration, identifying appropriate referral, and disposition ( 40%)

Qualifications

  • Minimum
  • Bachelor's Degree in Mental Health, Counseling, Social Work, psychology or related field
  • 3-5 years’ experience in assessment, crisis intervention, working with individuals with mental health problems, addiction or developmental disabilities
  • Preferred
  • Master's degree.

Additional Employment Requirements

  • Act 34 Criminal Background Clearance Certificate
  • Act 33 Child Abuse Clearance Certificate
  • Act 73 FBI Fingerprinting Criminal Background Clearance Certificate

Disclaimer: The job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this job title. It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to do this job.

Compliance Requirement: This job adheres to the ethical and legal standards and behavioral expectations as set forth in the code of business conduct and company policies.

As a component of job responsibilities, employees may have access to covered information, cardholder data, or other confidential customer information that must be protected at all times. In connection with this, all employees must comply with both the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) as described in the Notice of Privacy Practices and Privacy Policies and Procedures as well as all data security guidelines established within the Company’s Handbook of Privacy Policies and Practices and Information Security Policy.

Furthermore, it is every employee’s responsibility to comply with the company’s Code of Business Conduct. This includes but is not limited to adherence to applicable federal and state laws, rules, and regulations as well as company policies and training requirements.

Highmark Health and its affiliates prohibit discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibit discrimination against all individuals based on any category protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

California Consumer Privacy Act Employees, Contractors, and Applicants Notice

Key Responsibilities

The counselor provides initial needs assessments for individuals with mental health or chemical dependency issues and facilitates appropriate service referrals. They also assist the public, police, and physicians in processing involuntary commitments while collaborating with the unit team.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Chemical dependency assessmentReferral facilitationInvoluntary commitment processingPatient assessmentTreatment planningCommunity resource coordinationAddiction counselingDevelopmental disabilities supportCommunicationHIPAA compliance

Counselor Career Context

In Pennsylvania, the Mental Health Counseling weighted monthly median benchmark on WeekdayDoc is ~$82k (13 salary observations; 84 listings), vs ~$77k nationally (464 salary observations; 2,113 listings). Monthly aggregates cover 2026-01-01 through 2026-10-01; these are not the modal's selected comparable-job medians.

The cost-of-living index for Pennsylvania is 97.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 61.7% of Pennsylvania clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Mental Health Counseling listings this role was benchmarked against, 48% are remote, 20% have no call, 62% require no weekends.

Mental Health Counseling pay on WeekdayDoc is up 16.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

Top Counselor Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 40 employers

19
<$75k
16
$75k-95k
8
$95k-115k
7
$115k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks39 jobs

401k / retirement match
92%
Sign-on bonus
28%
CME allowance
28%
Loan repayment
15%
PSLF eligible
13%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Psychotherapist, Behavioral Health

Sutter Health · Santa Clara, California

$94k-$132k
#2

Mental Health Therapist

Brightways Counseling Group · Portland, Oregon

$131k
#3

Clinical Supervisor & Therapist

#4

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

$92k-$125k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

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

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 737 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Jefferson Hills

Median resident rent
$1,355/mo
Residents’ average commute
25 min
State income tax
Up to 3.1%
Sources & methodology

Sources: U.S. Census ACS 2024 five-year.

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