North Suffolk Community Services logo
North Suffolk Community Services
Chelsea, Massachusetts

Awake Overnight Counselor

Counselor / TherapistFull-Time

Listed compensation

$20 - $22/hr

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 3mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

North Suffolk is looking for Awake Overnight Counselors to join our team! Overnight Residential Counselors are members of a team responsible for providing high quality direct care services to adults with developmental disabilities.

As a nonprofit organization, we believe that every individual deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. We are looking for both entry level and experienced individuals to work as Awake Overnights in our residential homes.

The right candidates will be responsible for providing care and assistance to Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. If you have experience working with developmentally disabled adults, or are willing to learn, we encourage you to apply.

Full and part time positions available in Chelsea, Winthrop, Revere, Waltham, West Roxbury, Hyde Park and Saugus. Please indicate preference for location and shift.

Salary Range: $20 - $22 / hour depending on program placement

What You’ll Do

  • Be awake and available to persons during overnight shift until persons have left residential program, or until the morning staff person arrives.
  • Perform security checks on an hourly basis to ensure safety of individuals and facility.
  • Document each person’s progress in the confidential record.
  • Perform tasks on the cleaning checklist and all duties based on individual’s needs and schedule.
  • Write daily notes at end of shift if needed, noting any incidents and maintain regular communication with other team members.
  • Complete medication counts.

What You’ll Need

Education

  • High School diploma or GED required.
  • Bachelor’s degree in any related field preferred.

Experience

  • Zero to six years related experience (depending on DSP level) providing child care/elder care/direct support to developmentally disabled persons or previous experience supporting individuals in a mental health/special education or other human services setting is required.

Skills

  • Must have valid Massachusetts Driver’s license.
  • Must be or able to become MAP certified
  • CPR/First Aid certified within five months of hire (training provided).

Competitive & Comprehensive Benefits

  • Paid Time Off – Two weeks’ Vacation per year (three weeks after 2 years of service), 12 Sick Days per year, and 11 Paid Holidays per year
  • Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program
  • Health & Dental Insurance, with generous employer contribution
  • Employer Paid Life Insurance
  • 403 (b) Retirement Plan with employer matching
  • Voluntary Short and Long Term Disability Insurance
  • Medical & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Access to Credit Union Banking
  • Access to State Tuition Remission Program (Worksite Specific)
  • Employee Referral Bonus Program
  • Discounted Movie Tickets
  • Comprehensive Training Program
  • Internal Advancement Opportunities

Key Responsibilities

Provide high-quality direct care and assistance to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities during overnight shifts. Responsibilities include performing hourly security checks, documenting progress, and managing medication counts.

Requirements

Requires a high school diploma or GED, with a bachelor's degree preferred. Candidates must have a valid Massachusetts driver's license and be able to obtain MAP and CPR/First Aid certifications.

Qualifications

Education
Bachelor degree
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Crisis InterventionMedication AdministrationDocumentationPatient SafetySecurity Monitoring

Developmental Disabilities — Counselor Career Context

The cost-of-living index for Massachusetts is 105.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 63.2% of Massachusetts clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 80% are remote, 36% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

What does the Counselor market look like in Massachusetts?
MeasureThis jobMarket
Work-life score6.6 / 10 · above average in counselingranked against 12,758 Counseling listingslisting-based score, 0–10
Listed paynot listedCounselor median $67k (middle half $48k–$77k)19 comparable listings, Nov 2026
Cost of livingMassachusetts index 105.8US average = 100BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)
All counselor listings in Massachusetts514 active12,843 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026
Work settingon-sitepeers: 80% remote · 36% no call · 64% no weekends50 benchmarked listings
Sign-on & loan repaymentloan repaymentMassachusetts counselor listings (all specialties): 12% state a sign-on bonus (median $3k) · 15% offer loan repayment514 active listings, Nov 2026
Counselor pay trend (all specialties)−1.6% vs prior quarter—through Oct 2026
Sources: WeekdayDoc live listing index (12,758 Counseling listings), BEA Regional Price Parities (2024); as of Nov 2026. Same values as the Weekday Verdict and Market Insights on this page. Massachusetts figures use all counselors: too few Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities postings state pay.

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Awake Overnight Counselor at NORTH SUFFOLK COMMUNITY SERVICES a 6.6 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the Above average in Counseling — ranked against 12,758 active Counseling listings on WeekdayDoc.

Top Counselor Jobs

45 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution

45 jobs · 21 employers
10
<$80k
4
$80k-95k
7
$95k-110k
19
$110k-125k
5
$125k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks

41 jobs · 21 employers
401k / retirement match
93% this job
Sign-on bonus
46%
CME allowance
22%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Mental Health Therapist

LifeStance Health · Lake Oswego, Oregon

$123k-$141k
#2

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)

LifeStance Health · West Linn, Oregon

$123k-$141k
#3

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC)

$117k-$134k
#4

Licensed Mental Health Clinician (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC)

$117k-$134k
+ 43 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.0this job 6.6
Better work-life than 70% of Counseling listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 12,758 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • On-site
North Suffolk Community Services logo

About North Suffolk Community Services

Mental Health Care
Chelsea, MA
501-1,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Paid Time Off
Vacation (2 weeks/year)
Sick Days (12/year)
Paid Holidays (11/year)
Public Service Loan Forgiveness Eligibility
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Life Insurance

Living in Chelsea

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$605k
Typical market rent
$2,632/mo
Residents’ average commute
33 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
108.3
State income tax
Up to 5%
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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