Seneca Family of Agencies logo
Seneca Family of Agencies
Oakland, California

Per Diem Therapist

CounselorIncludes callNo weekendsPer Diem

Listed compensation

$36.25-$38.75/hr

The week · per this posting · Monday – Friday

Ask the employer about the work setting, nights and shift pattern and time off.

Posted 1h ago · Verified live

Job Description

Looking for a flexible therapy role where you can make a difference?

Join our PHP team as a Per Diem Therapist and provide short-term, intensive mental health services that help clients achieve stability and move forward in their recovery. This position offers the opportunity to facilitate impactful group therapy sessions, collaborate with experienced clinicians, and contribute to a supportive, client-centered environment. This role requires you to be on call for at least 2 of these 3 STEP facility locations: Oakland, San Jose and Salinas

About the STEP Program

The STEP (Skills, Transitions, Exploration, and Progress) program provides Partial Hospitalization services to youth ages 12-17. The goal of the STEP program is to provide intensive, short-term stabilization services to enable our clients to step down to lower levels of outpatient mental health treatment.

All groups are designed to teach youth the skills necessary to help them learn about their mental health, provide psychoeducation, and help them learn skills to feel better and be safe. STEP consists of a multidisciplinary team of counselors, clinicians, a nurse, psychiatrist, and program supervisor.

About Seneca

Seneca Family of Agencies has been nominated among the Bay Area’s Top Workplaces for several consecutive years. We’re committed to providing traditionally marginalized communities with a network of excellent mental health, community-based, and educational services. We are committed to building a diverse staff and our programs deeply engage in conversations and training on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to bring equity and justice to the youth and families we serve.

Responsibilities

  • Hold clinical integrity for program
  • Maintain on-time clinical documentation
  • Facilitate group, individual, and family therapy
  • Facilitate risk assessments, case management, and discharge planning
  • Provide appropriate clinical trainings and information to staff when needed
  • Develop and maintain relationships with community members and providers
  • Proactively problem solving when identified issues arise
  • Assist with intakes, as needed
  • Support other Seneca programs when client enrollment permits
  • Utilize crisis communication and de-escalation techniques as per Seneca's crisis response training

Qualifications

  • Master’s degree in psychology, counseling, social work, or related subject area
  • Registered with California BBS: ACSW, AMFT, APCC, or fully licensed
  • Required to be on call for at least 2 of these 3 STEP facility locations:

Oakland, San Jose and Salinas

  • Seneca also additional locations in Concord, Fairfield and Petaluma with available per diem shifts
  • At least 21 years of age
  • TB test clearance, fingerprinting clearance, and any other state/federal licensing or certification requirements
  • Valid driver's license, clean driving record, and consistent access to a personal vehicle

Schedule

  • Per diem, on-site at one of Seneca's 6 STEP locations: Oakland, Concord, Fairfield, Petaluma, San Jose, and Salinas
  • Monday - Friday, 8am - 4pm

Benefits

  • Starting at $36.25 - $38.75 per hour
  • Actual salary is dependent on creditable experience above the minimum qualifications for the role
  • Salary increases each year
  • Additional compensation provided upon passing bilingual language proficiency exam
  • Abundant promotional opportunities across the agency

Seneca Supports Clinicians Towards Licensure and Beyond

  • We provide individual and group supervision, regular clinical case conferences, and licensure and renewal courses led by field experts

Qualifications

Education
Master's degree (postgraduate degree)

Key Skills

Individual therapyRisk assessmentIntake assessment

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 26% are remote, 38% have no call, 70% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is up 2.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$78k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $70k in an average-cost state. 63.6% of California clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution28 jobs

14
<$65k
5
$65k-90k
2
$90k-115k
7
$115k-140k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks34 jobs

401k / retirement match
82%
CME allowance
38%
Loan repayment
26%
Sign-on bonus
18%
PSLF eligible
12%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

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Two Chairs · Texas

$58.5-$85/hr
#2

Mental Health Therapist (Part-Time, W2)Contract

Two Chairs · Colorado

$58.5-$85/hr
#3

Licensed Therapist (LCSW, LMFT, LPCC, Psychologist) – Remote California – 1099

$70-$80/hr
#4

PT Evening IOP Therapist ( Group Facilitator)

$50-$75/hr
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.2this job 3.9
Better work-life than 30% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 8,062 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No weekends
  • Includes call

Living in Oakland

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$853k
Typical market rent
$2,735/mo
Residents’ average commute
30 min
State income tax
Up to 13.3%
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.

Seneca Family of Agencies logo

About Seneca Family of Agencies

Mental Health Care
Oakland, California
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Salary increases each year
Bilingual language proficiency exam compensation
Promotional opportunities
Individual and group supervision
Clinical case conferences
Licensure and renewal courses