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Newport Healthcare
Costa Mesa, California

Primary Therapist (Licensed or Non-Licensed)

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 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

What You’ll Do

The Primary Therapist conducts assessments, develops treatment plans, and facilitates therapy sessions. You’ll collaborate with your clients’ treatment teams and connect directly with families. Key responsibilities include:

  • Serving as a compassionate, informative point of contact for clients’ family members
  • Facilitating individual, group, and family therapy sessions, within the framework of Newport Healthcare’s clinical model and the Attachment-Based Family Therapy model
  • Leading family orientations, welcome presentations, and family support groups
  • Conducting intake assessments and developing individualized treatment and safety plans
  • Participating in treatment team meetings, staff meetings, and clinical supervision sessions

What Makes You a Great Fit

Master’s degree in psychology, counseling, social work, or related field; or enrollment in a doctorate program from an accredited or state-approved graduate school (required)

Board registered (APCC, LAPC, ASW, AMFT, MHCA) or Psychologic Associate in the state where services are provided (required)

  • Experience facilitating therapy with young adults and/or adolescents
  • A patient-first mindset that inspires you to reach the highest standards in delivery of care
  • Cultural sensitivity and interpersonal savvy that allow you to build constructive and effective relationships with colleagues, clients, and families
  • A problem-solver who digs deep and uses all the information available to craft skillful solution.

Compensation for a licensed therapist ranges from $X - $X depending on education, licensure and experience. Non-licensed therapist compensation ranges from $X-$X an hour.

Key Responsibilities

The Primary Therapist conducts intake assessments, develops individualized treatment plans, and facilitates individual, group, and family therapy sessions. They also collaborate with treatment teams and serve as a primary point of contact for clients' families.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's degree in psychology, counseling, social work, or a related field and possess current board registration or licensure. Experience facilitating therapy for adolescents or young adults is required.

Qualifications

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

Key Skills

Therapy facilitationTreatment planningClinical documentationCrisis interventionIndividual therapyGroup therapyPatient careInterpersonal skillsProblem solvingCollaboration

Counselor Career Context

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 52% are remote, 36% have no call, 58% require no weekends.

The cost-of-living index for California is 110.7 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 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 Distribution50 jobs · 40 employers

12
<$85k
16
$85k-100k
10
$100k-115k
12
$115k-130k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks41 jobs · 40 employers

401k / retirement match
90%
Sign-on bonus
41%
CME allowance
41%
Loan repayment
22%
PSLF eligible
12%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

Clinical Supervisor & Therapist

Mindfully Behavioral Health · Longmont, Colorado

#2

Licensed Mental Health Clinician (LMFT/LCSW/MHP) - Juvenile Facility

CHP Health · Auburn, California

$54.95-$61.81/hr
#3

Clinical Director - LMFT, LCSW, LPCC

$112k-$126k
#4

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

$92k-$125k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.1this job 3.0
Better work-life than 20% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 7,961 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Costa Mesa

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$1.35M
Typical market rent
$3,148/mo
Residents’ average commute
22 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
113.6
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.

BEA 2024 · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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