How to hire a child and adolescent therapist

How to hire a child and adolescent therapist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step child and adolescent therapist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a child and adolescent therapist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new child and adolescent therapist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a child and adolescent therapist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your child and adolescent therapist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a child and adolescent therapist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a child and adolescent therapist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a child and adolescent therapist that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of child and adolescent therapists and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Child And Adolescent Therapist	Description	Hourly rate
   Child And Adolescent Therapist	Social workers help people solve and cope with problems in their everyday lives. One group of social workers—clinical social workers—also diagnose and treat mental, behavioral, and emotional issues.	$11-52
   Intensive In-Home Counselor	An Intensive In-Home Counselor conducts individual counseling sessions for parents and deals with delicate issues like sexual addiction. They also prepare progress reports for clients.	$19-31
   Clinician	A clinician specializes in providing diagnosis, treatment, and direct care to patients with different illnesses. A clinician's duties mainly revolve around conducting extensive research and analysis, providing medical care through various therapies, and improving one's overall health condition... Show more	$16-49

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Patients
   • Substance Abuse
   • Community Resources
   • Group Therapy Sessions
   • Mental Health Assessments
   • Discharge Planning
   • Clinical Supervision
   • Eating Disorders
   • Therapy Services
   • Rehabilitation
   • Compassion
   • Family Therapy Sessions
   • Mental Health

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Develop and lead DBT base therapy groups for children and adolescents in residential treatment.
   • Create and lead PTSD group for women, depression and stress management groups for men and women.
   • Conduct pre-authorization assessments for clients receiving Medicaid services to ensure continuation of services need for rehabilitation.
   • Provide supervisor for applicants for LCSW and LPC.
   • Assist in establishing a newly create PHP program.
   • Work with both treatment IOP programs, facilitating individual and group therapy.

   More child and adolescent therapist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your child and adolescent therapist job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A child and adolescent therapist can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, child and adolescent therapists' average salary in pennsylvania is 76% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level child and adolescent therapists 78% less than senior-level child and adolescent therapists.
   • Certifications. A child and adolescent therapist with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a child and adolescent therapist's salary.

   Average child and adolescent therapist salary

   $51,346yearly

   $24.69 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level child and adolescent therapist salary

   $24,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 23, 2026

   Average child and adolescent therapist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$115,971	$56
   2	Washington	$77,963	$37
   3	Oregon	$67,524	$32
   4	Utah	$46,696	$22
   5	Texas	$44,054	$21
   6	North Carolina	$41,248	$20
   7	Arizona	$40,258	$19
   8	New York	$39,608	$19
   9	Colorado	$39,306	$19
   10	New Hampshire	$37,410	$18
   11	Tennessee	$37,302	$18
   12	Oklahoma	$36,570	$18
   13	Ohio	$35,922	$17
   14	Alabama	$34,875	$17
   15	Georgia	$34,021	$16
   16	Wisconsin	$33,669	$16
   17	Florida	$33,346	$16
   18	New Jersey	$33,183	$16
   19	Connecticut	$31,711	$15
   20	Indiana	$31,194	$15

   Average child and adolescent therapist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Anchor Counseling Center	$198,424	$95.40	1
   2	Kaiser Permanente	$195,785	$94.13	135
   3	Terros Health	$148,083	$71.19	46
   4	Thriveworks	$132,804	$63.85	339
   5	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$125,835	$60.50
   6	HealthRIGHT 360	$125,389	$60.28	51
   7	Community Health Connections	$121,623	$58.47	1
   8	Baptist Health	$118,256	$56.85	14
   9	East Alabama Health	$95,187	$45.76	6
   10	Northwell Health	$95,164	$45.75	44
   11	Novant Health	$91,272	$43.88	31
   12	University of California-Berkeley	$89,967	$43.25
   13	Meridian Health Services	$89,908	$43.23	34
   14	National Medical Association	$89,162	$42.87
   15	Magellan Health	$83,422	$40.11	21
   16	Legacy Community Health	$81,500	$39.18	7
   17	Crossroads Center Rescue Mission	$80,527	$38.71
   18	Spring Care	$79,331	$38.14
   19	Summit Health Oregon	$77,605	$37.31
   20	Affinia Healthcare	$76,414	$36.74	3

4. Writing a child and adolescent therapist job description

   A child and adolescent therapist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a child and adolescent therapist job description:

   Child and adolescent therapist job description example

   Location – 1500 Route 88, Brick, NJ

   Position Type - Full Time

   Qualifications - Master’s degree in social work or mental health counseling with clinical licensure as LCSW or LPC, experience working with youth ages 5-16.

   Experience in modalities such as Play Therapy or Trauma Focused – CBT highly preferable

   Bilingual in English/Spanish a plus

   Job Description Summary

   The Child and Adolescent Therapist is a licensed clinician, who is recovery oriented in their trauma-informed approach to care of children and families. This professional possesses an expertise in treating children of all ages and exhibits an understanding of evidenced based practice. The Child and Adolescent Therapist is already trained or willing to get trained in Play Therapy in order to effectively treat trauma. This individual participates in the multidisciplinary team and seeks opportunities to learn and develop clinical skills. They also foster community relationships.

   Our comprehensive benefits package includes, but is not limited to:

   Medical and Dental Insurance

   403(b) Retirement Plan

   Generous Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays

   Disability and Life Insurance

   Employee Assistance Program with access to a robust Work-Life Website

   Voluntary Benefits, such as Vision Insurance, Aflac, Pet Insurance

   Training opportunities

   Employee Referral Bonus program

   Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account

   If you are looking to make an impact by helping others, then Preferred Behavioral Health Group is the place for you! By joining our award-winning team , you will be part of the premier behavioral health organization in Monmouth and Ocean counties; a dynamic and innovative non-profit that was proudly named “ Outstanding Employer of the Year ” by the New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA). We are a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center , and our mission is to deliver quality and compassionate behavioral health services to individuals and families through a Trauma Informed Care philosophy and approach.

   Our staff is at the core of everything we do. We are dedicated to building a diverse team, one where employees feel a sense of belonging and are valued for their contributions. We encourage and embrace staff development and growth. If you are ready for an exciting and rewarding career, please submit your resume.

   As a healthcare organization, Preferred Behavioral Health Group requires all qualified candidates to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 upon their first day of employment. Requests for reasonable accommodation due to medical condition or religious belief will be considered.

   EOE

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find child and adolescent therapists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any child and adolescent therapists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level child and adolescent therapists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your child and adolescent therapist job on Zippia to find and recruit child and adolescent therapist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting child and adolescent therapists requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new child and adolescent therapist

   Once you've decided on a perfect child and adolescent therapist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new child and adolescent therapist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a child and adolescent therapist?