Sentara Health logo
Sentara Health
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Licensed Behavioral Health Therapist-PERS

CounselorIncludes weekendsNo callFull-Time

Listed compensation

$76k-$114k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 22m ago · Verified live

Job Description

City/State

Virginia Beach, VA

Work Shift

Weekend Nights

Overview

Sentara Health is now hiring a Licensed Behavioral Health Therapist. This position will be a part of the Psychiatric Emergency Response team that assess patients in the Sentara Emergency Departments who present with behavioral/mental health concerns and will provide recommendations for treatment.

Education

Master’s Degree – Social Work, Counseling, or other related field – (Required)

Certification/Licensure

Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) - (Required)

Experience

  • At least 1 years of outpatient or inpatient experience (Preferred)
  • Crisis experience (Preferred)
  • Excellent clinical skills, documentation, and communication skills

Duties/Responsibilities

Assesses the social, psychological, cultural, environmental, and financial situation, as well as disposition needs, for each assigned patient.

Collaborates with patients, families, healthcare team members, and community agencies to develop and implement plans to address identified needs.

Evaluates effectiveness of developed plans and initiates change as needed.

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, and benefits. The base pay range for full-time employment is $75,712.00 - $114,420.80 annually.

Additional compensation may be available for this role, such as shift differentials, on-call pay, shift premiums, extra-shift incentives, or bonus opportunities. Compensation within the range may vary based on qualifications, experience, location, market conditions, and business needs.

Note: If an annual salary is posted, it is based on a full-time colleague working 2,080 hours annually.

Sentara offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance; 401(k)/403(b) with employer match; paid time off (vacation, sick time, and holidays); paid parental and military leave; educational assistance or student loan repayment; and voluntary benefits.

Benefits: Caring For Your Family and Your Career

  • Medical, Dental, Vision plans
  • Adoption, Fertility and Surrogacy Reimbursement up to $10,000
  • Paid Time Off and Sick Leave
  • Paid Parental & Family Caregiver Leave
  • Emergency Backup Care
  • Long-Term, Short-Term Disability, and Critical Illness plans
  • Life Insurance
  • 401k/403B with Employer Match
  • Tuition Assistance – $5,250/year and discounted educational opportunities through Guild Education
  • Student Debt Pay Down – $10,000
  • Pet Insurance
  • Legal Resources Plan
  • Colleagues have the opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus if established system and employee eligibility criteria is met.

Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, located in Virginia Beach, VA, is home to the region’s only Level III Trauma Center. Our 273-bed facility has a long history of commitment to our communities of Virginia Beach, Eastern Shore, and Northeastern North Carolina, offering specialized tertiary services as well as many advanced clinical services. We are located just 15 minutes from VA Beach Town Center and just a few minutes to the Oceanfront.

As a recognized accredited Primary Stroke Center, and Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, our hospital specializes in heart, vascular, neuroscience, neurosurgery, orthopedics and spine care, cancer care, advanced imaging, and behavioral health.

Sentara Health is an equal opportunity employer and prides itself on the diversity and inclusiveness of its close to an almost 30,000-member workforce. Diversity, inclusion, and belonging is a guiding principle of the organization to ensure its workforce reflects the communities it serves.

In support of our mission “to improve health every day,” this is a tobacco-free environment.

For positions that are available as remote work, Sentara Health employs associates in the following states:

Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

Key Responsibilities

The therapist assesses the social, psychological, and environmental needs of patients presenting with behavioral health concerns in the emergency department. They collaborate with healthcare teams and families to develop, implement, and evaluate effective treatment plans.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master’s degree in Social Work, Counseling, or a related field and possess an active LPC or LCSW license. At least one year of inpatient or outpatient experience is preferred, along with crisis intervention skills.

Qualifications

Education
Professional certificate or licensure

Key Skills

Behavioral health assessmentClinical documentationTreatment planningPatient assessmentCollaborationMental health evaluationDisposition planning

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Licensed Behavioral Health Therapist-PERS at Sentara Health a 6.1 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 35% of all Mental Health Therapy counselor listings evaluated on our platform. Contributing factors include no on-call duties.

Counselor Career Context

Sentara Health ranks #5 of 31 employers hiring Counselor on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

Of the 50 active Mental Health Therapy listings this role was benchmarked against, 50% are remote, 34% have no call, 56% require no weekends.

Mental Health Therapy pay on WeekdayDoc is down 1.2% vs. the prior quarter (through Sep 2026).

The cost-of-living index for Virginia is 101.1 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$95k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $94k in an average-cost state. 61.1% of Virginia clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Counselor Jobs

50 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution50 jobs · 39 employers

22
<$90k
14
$90k-110k
9
$110k-130k
2
$130k-150k
3
$150k+

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks45 jobs · 39 employers

401k / retirement match
98% this job
CME allowance
38%
Loan repayment
31% this job
PSLF eligible
18%
Sign-on bonus
16%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

#1

EAP Counselor

Booz Allen Hamilton · Springfield, Virginia

$69k-$158k
#2

Dental Therapist

InterDent Service · Salem, Oregon

From $155k
#3

Behavioral Health Therapist 4 Perinatal Care

$93k-$151k
#4

Outpatient Therapist (Licensed Psychologist or LICSW)

$125k-$140k
+ 48 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.2this job 6.1
Better work-life than 50% of Mental Health Therapy (Counseling) listings

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 8,029 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

  • No call
  • Includes weekends

Living in Virginia Beach

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$379k≈ 5.0× annual pay
Typical market rent
$2,086/mo≈ 33% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
23 min
State income tax
Up to 5.8%
Sources & methodology

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

Ratios use this listing’s gross annual pay. Not a cost-of-living guarantee.

Sentara Health logo

About Sentara Health

Hospitals and Health Care
Virginia Beach, Virginia
10,000+ employees

Benefits & Perks

Medical, Dental, Vision plans
Adoption, Fertility and Surrogacy Reimbursement up to $10,000
Paid Time Off and Sick Leave
Paid Parental & Family Caregiver Leave
Emergency Backup Care
Long-Term, Short-Term Disability, and Critical Illness plans
Life Insurance
401k/403B with Employer Match