How to hire a community health counselor

How to hire a community health counselor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step community health counselor hiring guide:

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

What does a community health counselor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The community health counselor hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect community health counselor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of community health counselors.

   Type of Community Health Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   Community Health Counselor	Mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists help people manage and overcome mental and emotional disorders and problems with family and other relationships. They listen to clients and ask questions to help the clients understand their problems and develop strategies to improve their lives.	$13-30
   Counselor/Art Therapist	A counselor/art therapist is responsible for conducting art sessions as part of patients' therapy treatments, letting them express their human nature and emotions through artistic discovery. Counselors/art therapists guide the patients throughout their recovery process, identifying their needs and conditions by analyzing their crafts... Show more	$26-52
   Counselor Internship	When it comes to Counselor Internship, among the primary responsibilities is to assist in dealing with various activities such as preparing and verifying necessary documentation, observing consultations and outreach programs, guide clients and help develop multiple helpful strategies, and provide assessments. Furthermore, one can conduct counseling and consultation only under supervision... Show more	$14-31

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Social Work
   • Behavioral Health
   • Patients
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Rehabilitation
   • Discharge Planning
   • Community Resources
   • Mental Health Issues
   • Mental Illness
   • Family Therapy
   • Community Agencies
   • Eating Disorders
   • Direct Patient Care
   • CPR

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide group and individual therapy along with social service coordination for patients in short term stabilization psychiatric unit.
   • Train in medication administration, therapeutic holds and CPR.
   • Maintain cleanliness of home provide assistance with cleaning rooms and common areas.
   • Train in MNT, TCI, first aide and CPR with several other essential trainings.
   • Complete insurance verification information for Medicaid participants.
   • Maintain caseload paperwork in accordance with Georgia Medicaid requirements.

   More community health counselor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your community health counselor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A community health counselor salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, community health counselors' average salary in south carolina is 43% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level community health counselors earn 54% less than senior-level community health counselors.
   • Certifications. A community health counselor with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a community health counselor's salary.

   Average community health counselor salary

   $43,304yearly

   $20.82 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level community health counselor salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average community health counselor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$60,020	$29
   2	Washington	$57,280	$28
   3	Oregon	$56,839	$27
   4	Arizona	$56,159	$27
   5	Maryland	$52,595	$25
   6	District of Columbia	$52,048	$25
   7	Massachusetts	$49,894	$24
   8	Colorado	$48,911	$24
   9	New York	$48,332	$23
   10	Pennsylvania	$43,680	$21
   11	Virginia	$43,032	$21
   12	New Jersey	$42,506	$20
   13	Illinois	$40,258	$19
   14	Iowa	$39,690	$19
   15	New Mexico	$39,064	$19
   16	Florida	$38,483	$19
   17	Wisconsin	$37,965	$18
   18	Georgia	$36,907	$18
   19	Texas	$36,444	$18
   20	North Carolina	$34,622	$17

   Average community health counselor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Apple	$81,819	$39.34	22
   2	Sandia National Labs	$63,701	$30.63
   3	Cook Children's Medical Center	$61,690	$29.66	9
   4	Boston Medical Center	$61,421	$29.53	27
   5	Outside In	$56,988	$27.40	8
   6	PeaceHealth	$56,455	$27.14	20
   7	Tenet Healthcare	$55,849	$26.85	43
   8	MaineGeneral Health	$55,754	$26.80	6
   9	Nebraska Methodist Health System	$55,010	$26.45
   10	Family & Children Assoc	$54,708	$26.30
   11	UCHealth	$54,687	$26.29	24
   12	LifePoint Health	$54,411	$26.16	233
   13	Hospital Sisters Health System	$52,580	$25.28	7
   14	Kaiser Permanente	$52,288	$25.14	165
   15	National Women's Law Center	$51,819	$24.91	2
   16	University of California-Berkeley	$51,400	$24.71	2
   17	University of Maryland Medical System	$51,037	$24.54	21
   18	Leidos	$50,914	$24.48	153
   19	University of California	$50,634	$24.34	55
   20	Royal Canin USA Inc	$50,143	$24.11

4. Writing a community health counselor job description

   A community health counselor 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 community health counselor job description:

   Community health counselor job description example

   Earn $47,476 - $70,000 annually, plus 3 weeks vacation, 10 calendar holidays (Includes 1 floating holiday), 24 hours personal time, and up to 80 sick days
   
   JOIN OUR TEAM AS A COMMUNITY BASED SUPPORT COUNSELOR AND HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF CHILDREN IN OUR COMMUNITY!
   
   Share our commitment to helping children, youth and families build strong/life changing relationships and avoid hospitalization or placement. Bring your experience, compassion, and energy to the team and make a difference in the lives of children, youth and families!
   
   Cayuga Centers is looking for an individual who is passionate about strengths-based, youth and family centered work within the Children and Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS) team. The intention of Community Based Support Counselor is to reduce crises associated with behavioral and psychiatric challenges. Provide community-based services to children and families who may have difficulty engaging in formal office settings to help achieve stability and improve daily living skills and improve their interpersonal relationships at home, in school, and in the community. This program provides ample opportunities to expand your application and experience of evidence based practice while supporting program growth within the agency and community.
   
   Does this sound like it interests you? We'd love for you to join our team in helping children and families create a safe, happy and healthy environment for them.
   SCHEDULE: Looking for an applicant who is willing to work with the youth/families at a time that suits the youth and family needs on a flexible schedule. This is a full-time, 40 hour a week position that includes some evening and weekend flexibility. How you get to use your skills….. * Demonstrate your areas of clinical strength by implementing a variety of therapeutic interventions/modalities in your practice * Become a primary support in helping children/youth and families to develop preventative and responsive skills to use during crisis situations. * Utilize a strengths-based and trauma informed practice to help families recognize and work through issues that have been identified. * Enhance the functioning of youth and their families while helping them build stronger relationships * Demonstrate an inclusive practice both in the office and in the field to support a diverse and accepting culture * Contribute to a multidisciplinary team that shares your passion for children and families.
   
   * Master's degree in social work, psychology, or in related human services, plus one year of applicable experience or who have been certified in an Evidence Based Practice (in lieu of one-year experience requirement). These practitioners may also include: Registered Professional Nurses with one year of behavioral health experience, Licensed Occupational Therapists, and Licensed Creative Arts Therapists (LCAT) to the extent they are operating under the scope of their license. * Bachelor's degree and certification in an Evidenced Based Practice consistent with the CPST component being delivered. * Bachelor's degree and three years applicable experience in children's mental health, addiction, and/or foster care/child welfare/juvenile justice or other related human services field and no certification in an Evidenced Based Practice * Experience working with children and families in a community-based or 'in-home' setting * Experience with foster care system; specifically with foster parents and youth preferred * Excellent communication, organizational and collaboration skills * A strong belief in the capacity of people to grow and change * Possess the knowledge, skills, and attitude needed to appreciate and encourage diversity, and understand the concept of cultural trauma as it applies to individual and family functioning
   
   Benefits: As a full time benefits position, staff is eligible to enroll in medical, dental, vision, FSA, supplemental life insurance, critical illness, enhanced short-term disability, and 401(k) benefits. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment drug testing.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right community health counselor for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your community health counselor job on Zippia to find and recruit community health counselor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting community health counselors 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.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   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 community health counselor

   Once you have selected a candidate for the community health counselor position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new community health counselor. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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