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University of Florida
Jacksonville, Florida

Licensed Mental Health Counselor - Child Protection Team - Jacksonville

CounselorFull-Time

Listed compensation

$67k-$75k

The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed

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

Posted 6mo ago

Job Description

Classification Title: Licensed Mental Health Counselor - Child Protection Team - Jacksonville Classification Minimum Requirements: Masters or Doctoral degree or in social work, psychology, mental health counseling, or related field. All State of Florida requirements met for a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), with two years post-degree supervised experience. Job Description:

This position is based in Jacksonville, Florida and includes the catchment area of Nassau, Duval, Baker, Clay and St. Johns counties. Functions as a lead member of a professional, multidisciplinary Child Protection Team organized to provide and coordinate services for victims of child abuse and neglect.

Assesses need and provides therapy to children and families verified as victims of abuse following CPT assessment. Serves as Program Coordinator for the Sexual Abuse Treatment Program providing oversight and supervision for staff and contracted therapists.

The position requires knowledge in the areas of child abuse and neglect and family dynamics, skills in the areas of assessing/case management, crisis intervention, trauma-based therapy, experience with the judicial system as advocate and expert witness, available community resources and making appropriate referrals. This position requires travel to other counties.

Provides supervision/oversight of Sexual Abuse Treatment program, staff, and contracted therapists.

Provides direct therapy and counseling services to child victims, siblings of victims, and non-offending caregivers. Provides crisis intervention to families.

Develops behaviorally specific treatment plans for all family members involved in the program. Completes safety planning to prevent continued or future abuse.

Coordinates intakes, evaluations, & interviews with children, family members to obtain psychosocial information for clinical evaluations. Develops and maintains relationships with staff and other agencies to provide coordination with needed services and support through advocacy, referral, and follow-up.

Attends case staffings and coordinates client services and community referrals.

Maintains client records, including documentation and tracking of treatment goals and objectives consistent with program requirements. Conducts training for the community as assigned. Provides depositions and court testimony as required.

Expected Salary

$66,500 to $75,000 depending on education and experience

Required Qualifications

Annually maintains the required annual training in accordance with Florida Administrative Rule 64C-9.002 to keep current on treatment issues pertaining to the child abuse population. A minimum of 8 hours continuing education annually in child abuse must be completed.

Requires a level 2 criminal background check

Preferred

Experience in Trauma focused care and planning.

Use of standardized assessment tools in determining a client’s current presenting problem(s)

One year of clinical counseling experience, six months of which must be in providing treatment to sexually abused children and their families

Special Instructions to Applicants:

This is a time-limited position. Time limited positions are based on circumstances, such as funding sources, which control the length of time for which the position is available.

Background Check is Required.

To be considered you must upload your Cover Letter, Resume/CV, and 3 References.

University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville: Visit this link to watch the video.

Application must be submitted by 11:55 p. m. (ET) of the posting end date.

Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at naces.org.

The University of Florida is a public institution and subject to all requirements under the Florida Sunshine and Public Records laws. If an accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call (352) 392-2HRS or the Florida Relay System at (800) 955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law.

This requisition has been reposted. Previous applicants are still under consideration and need not reapply.

Health Assessment Required: yes

Key Responsibilities

This role functions as a lead member of a multidisciplinary Child Protection Team, providing therapy and crisis intervention to child victims and their families. The position also serves as a Program Coordinator, overseeing staff and contracted therapists while managing clinical evaluations and court-related advocacy.

Requirements

Candidates must hold a Master's or Doctoral degree in a relevant field and possess a valid Florida LCSW or LMHC license. At least two years of post-degree supervised experience is required, along with the ability to pass a level 2 criminal background check.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
2+ years of experience

Key Skills

Child abuse assessmentExpert witness testimonyClinical evaluationTreatment planningPsychosocial assessmentStaff supervision

Counselor Career Context

University of Florida ranks #20 of 20 employers hiring Counselor on WeekdayDoc by average advertised pay.

The cost-of-living index for Florida is 103.4 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$71k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $68k in an average-cost state. 58.1% of Florida clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Of the 50 active Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) listings this role was benchmarked against, 40% are remote, 32% have no call, 64% require no weekends.

Location & Logistics

Florida has no state income tax, which can significantly increase take-home pay compared to high-tax states. At the posted ~$71k midpoint, that is roughly $3k–$5k a year versus a typical 4–7% state rate.

Top Counselor Jobs

40 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution40 jobs · 31 employers

15
<$75k
14
$75k-95k
5
$95k-115k
6
$115k-135k

Annual compensation range

Benefits & Perks27 jobs

401k / retirement match
93%
Sign-on bonus
41%
CME allowance
37% this job
PSLF eligible
22%
Loan repayment
19%

Share of similar jobs offering each benefit

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$74k-$126k
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+ 38 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

median 6.7this job 3.0
Below most Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) listings for work-life

Listing-based score, 0–10, across 209 comparable listings. Shaded area = the share scoring below this one.

Living in Jacksonville

Typical 3-bedroom home value
$271k≈ 4.1× annual pay
Typical market rent
$1,601/mo≈ 29% of gross pay
Residents’ average commute
24 min
Metro price indexU.S. average = 100
99.5
State income tax
None
Sources & methodology

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

BEA 2024 · Jacksonville, FL metro prices. Housing figures are city-level.

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