How to hire a crisis counselor

How to hire a crisis counselor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step crisis 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 crisis counselor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new crisis counselor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the crisis counselor you need to hire. Certain crisis counselor roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A crisis counselor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, crisis counselors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of crisis counselor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Crisis Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   Crisis 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.	$17-33
   Family Therapist	A Family Therapist works with couples and families to help ameliorate marital and family issues. They can work in hospitals, treatment programs, government agencies, health organizations, and private practices.	$17-32
   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
   • Patients
   • Mental Health Crisis
   • Social Services
   • Crisis Management
   • Suicide Prevention
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Psychosis
   • Mental Illness
   • Community Resources
   • Group Therapy
   • Emergency Room
   • Crisis Calls
   • Community Outreach

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Conduct group check-in and co-lead group psychotherapy sessions to help clients identify and manage problems associate with psychiatric conditions.
   • Conduct mental health evaluations and behavioral health crisis assessments for determination of functioning and mental status of patients.
   • Provide education to patients about relevant aspects of mental illness and/or chemical dependency to support maximum utilization of treatment.
   • Train to use CPI, MOAB, and CPR as needed.
   • Aid callers/chatters suffering from various life crises by use of strong listening skills, empathy, and compassion.
   • Make patient referrals to outpatient medical clinics, community services, or rehabilitation facilities.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, crisis counselors' average salary in arkansas is 40% less than in maine.
   • Seniority. Entry-level crisis counselors 46% less than senior-level crisis counselors.
   • Certifications. A crisis counselor 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 crisis counselor's salary.

   Average crisis counselor salary

   $51,142yearly

   $24.59 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level crisis counselor salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 16, 2026

4. Writing a crisis counselor job description

   A crisis 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 crisis counselor job description:

   Crisis counselor job description example

   40 hrs./week exempt

   Reports to: Assistant Director of Client Services

   Sign on Bonus Offered after 6 months of employment

   Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Eligible Company

   Job purpose

   The counseling department at Crime Victims Assistance Center serves individuals who have been a victim of; any crime, domestic violence, sex trafficking, child sexual abuse, sexual assault and/or a witness to violence.

   Duties and responsibilities

   • Program: Provide services to primary and secondary victims by facilitating intake process. Complete a psychosocial intake, identify treatment needs, and initiate counseling on an individual basis with group therapy as needed. Provide supportive counseling, information and referral to crisis line callers and backup to local medical and law enforcement facilities; protect confidentiality of client information; accompany clients through the criminal justice and/or Family Court system; serve as liaison and advocate for clients with other agencies (e.g. police, District Attorney, DSS); coordinate and facilitate victim support groups; assist in volunteer and human service agency training and community outreach.

   • Administrative: Gather statistics related to services provided; keep up-to-date and accurate case records; assist in the preparation of agency statistical and program reports and other projects as needed.

   • Agency: Answer crisis line as needed; nighttime on-call responsibilities as needed; represent agency on certain community/state committees or task forces; other responsibilities as required.

   • Certification: Must complete 40 hour crisis line training and additional 10 hours annually provided by the agency.

   Qualifications

   • Bachelor's Degree Required in Social Work or Counseling; Master’s Degree preferred.
   • One year of counseling experience in a human services setting.
   • A sound knowledge of victimization issues, a general knowledge of various treatment modalities (e.g. trauma treatment models, domestic violence treatment models).
   • Must complete 40-hour rape crisis counselor training and an additional ten hours of ongoing, professional education each subsequent calendar year.

   Working conditions

   The work is highly confidential and sensitive in nature. Occasional work evenings and weekends is required (on call).

   Physical requirements

   This position lends itself to a sitting, walking, and some occasional light lifting.

   
   

   Directly reports to: Assistant Director of Client Services

   Approved by:

   Jessica Hyatt, Chief Operations Officer

   Date approved:

   August 10, 2022

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right crisis 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 crisis counselor job on Zippia to find and recruit crisis counselor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with crisis counselor candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 crisis counselor

   Once you've decided on a perfect crisis counselor 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 employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

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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