Associate Behavioral Health Counselor
Listed compensation
$22.5-$36/hr
The week · per this posting
Ask the employer about the work setting, nights and shift pattern, benefits and time off.
Job Description
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland.
Work Shift
Varies (United States of America)
Scheduled Weekly Hours
0
Compensation
Salary Range: $22.50 - $36.00
Union Position
No
Department Details
This is an oncall position, with flexibility in scheduling. Does requiring working overnights, weekends and some holidays. This is a great team who work well together and are willing to help each other out. Interested parties can have to option of working primarily of out Roseau County or Pennington County. This position does not require a college degree, must meet criteria for a Mental Health Practitioner as defined by Minnesota Department of Human Services.
Summary
The Associate Behavioral Health Counselor requires a broad, yet solid, understanding of human behavior and theories of counseling. May work with a wide range of patient populations and presenting issues, requiring a foundation in a variety of treatment modalities. This role is a team-based role where responsibility for patient well-being is diffused among the treatment team and the overall responsibility lies with a clinical supervisor or admitting provider.
Job Description
The Associate Behavioral Health Counselor assesses patient needs, develops treatment plans, and implements treatment interventions specific to patient needs. Continually assesses patients' progress and revises treatment plans and interventions accordingly. Documents treatment sessions.
Provides patient progress updates to interdisciplinary team, as needed. May educate patient support members about patient issues and interventions. May refer for additional clinical services or to specialists, as needed. Must stay current on emerging issues in the profession.
The Associate Behavioral Health Counselor may work in a variety of settings, with duties varying by setting.
In a clinic setting (other than primary care), the Associate Behavioral Health Counselor conducts scheduled face-to-face counseling sessions designed to assess and improve patients' emotional, mental, and behavioral health.
In a hospital setting, the Associate Behavioral Health Counselor may have a broad scope of duties, depending upon assignment. Hospital assignments include psychiatric inpatient treatment and/or specific hospital units.
Psychiatric inpatient treatment duties include development, implementation, and evaluation of treatment plan, individual and family counseling, and consultation with all Mental Health Professionals. Hospital unit duties include crisis intervention, assessment, and referral.
In a community setting, the Associate Behavioral Health Counselor coordinates and provides treatment for patients with severe and persistent mental illness. This may include community-based interventions aimed at improving daily living skills, social skills, and self-regulation skills.
The community-based Associate Behavioral Health Counselor consults with a multi-disciplinary team to ensure treatment compliance.
In a residential setting, the Associate Behavioral Health Counselor coordinates and provides treatment for patients requiring a higher level of care than outpatient therapy; however, do not meet the criteria for psychiatric inpatient treatment.
Treatment occurs at the residential treatment facility and includes a broad range of duties: assessment and screening, individual and group counseling, development, implementation, and evaluation of treatment programs, and consultation and coordination with a multi-disciplinary team.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in behavioral sciences or related field preferred, and completion of a practicum or internship. In Minnesota, must follow Minnesota State statute defining Mental Health Practitioner.
At least 4,000 hours of supervised experience in the delivery of services to persons with: mental illness, substance use disorders or emotional disturbances, traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities, OR, Has at least 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours in behavioral sciences or related fields and at least 2,000 hours of supervised work experience in the delivery of services to persons with: mental illness, substance use disorders or emotional disturbances, traumatic brain injury or developmental disabilities.
Sanford is an EEO/AA Employer M/F/Disability/Vet.
If you are an individual with a disability and would like to request an accommodation for help with your online application, please call 1-877-949-5678 or send an email to talent@sanfordhealth.org.
Key Responsibilities
The Associate Behavioral Health Counselor assesses patient needs, develops treatment plans, and implements interventions across various clinical settings. They also document sessions, provide progress updates to the interdisciplinary team, and coordinate care for patients with mental health or substance use issues.
Qualifications
- Experience
- 2+ years of experience
Key Skills
Behavioral Health — Counselor Career Context
The cost-of-living index for Minnesota is 98.6 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$61k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $62k in an average-cost state. 63.4% of Minnesota clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
Of the 50 active Behavioral Health listings this role was benchmarked against, 54% are remote, 12% have no call, 46% require no weekends.
| Measure | This job | Market |
|---|---|---|
| Work-life score | 6.4 / 10 · top 25% in behavioral health (counseling) | ranked against 340 Behavioral Health (Counseling) listingslisting-based score, 0–10 |
| Cost-of-living adjusted pay | ~$62k in purchasing power | Minnesota index 98.6 (US = 100)BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) |
| Behavioral Health listings in Minnesota | 7 active | 333 nationallylive on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| Work setting | on-site | peers: 54% remote · 12% no call · 46% no weekends50 benchmarked listings |
| Sign-on & loan repayment | not stated | Minnesota Counselor listings: 15% state a sign-on bonus (median $2k) · 29% offer loan repayment238 active listings, Nov 2026 |
| New Behavioral Health listings | 833 in the last 30 days | 532 the 30 days before (+57%)U.S., first seen on WeekdayDoc, Nov 2026 |
| Behavioral Health pay trend | −6.5% vs prior quarter | —through Oct 2026 |
Work-Life Balance Analysis
WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Associate Behavioral Health Counselor at Sanford Health a 6.4 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Behavioral Health (Counseling) — ranked against 340 active Behavioral Health (Counseling) listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no on-call duties.
Top contract/1099 Counselor Jobs
49 matches · ranked by paySalary Distribution
27 jobsAnnual compensation range
Benefits & Perks
28 jobsShare of similar jobs offering each benefit
Outpatient Therapist TF-CBT
Northeast Family Services · New Rochelle, New York
Outpatient Therapist TF-CBT
Northeast Family Services · Bronx, New York
Part Time Remote Group Therapist - Texas Licensed
$62-$96/hrMental Health Therapist - Illinois (Part-Time)
$58.5-$85/hr