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

Awake Overnight Counselor

Counselor Above average in CounselingFull-Time

Listed compensation

Salary Range: $20 - $22/hr

Listing transparency3 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage and nights and shift pattern.

Employment & setting
Full-Time · on-site
Call expectations
Not specified
Weekends
Not specified
Posted 2mo ago

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

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 13,338 active Counseling listings on WeekdayDoc.

Developmental Disabilities — Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Counselor listings this role was benchmarked against, 42% are remote, 28% have no call, 74% require no weekends.

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).

Top Counselor Jobs

38 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution38 jobs · 27 employers

13
<$75k
12
$75k-95k
6
$95k-115k
7
$115k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks34 jobs · 27 employers

401k / retirement match
91% this job
CME allowance
38%
Sign-on bonus
35%
Loan repayment
12% this job
PSLF eligible
6% this job

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT)

Gotham Enterprises · Centerton, Arkansas

$115k-$120k
#2

Licensed Mental Health Therapist (LMFT, LPC, LCSW)

Gotham Enterprises · Cambridge, Massachusetts

$115k-$120k
#3

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)

$115k-$120k
#4

Remote Mental Health Counselor (LMFT, LCSW, LMHC)

$115k-$120k
+ 36 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.4this job 6.6
Higher than about 6 in 10 of 13,338 Counseling listings

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

  • On-site

Living in Chelsea

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$614k
Typical market rent
$2,667/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 (Aug 2026), Zillow market rents (Aug 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.

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