How to hire a group counselor

How to hire a group counselor, step by step

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

Post a group counselor job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a group counselor, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A group counselor's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, group 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.

   This list presents group counselor salaries for various positions.

   Type of Group Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   Group 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.	$6-52
   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:

   • Mental Health
   • Patients
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Social Work
   • Rehabilitation
   • Group Therapy Sessions
   • CPR
   • Substance Abuse
   • Independent Living
   • Residential Facility
   • Group Discussions
   • Incident Reports
   • Role Model
   • Direct Care

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Administer first aid and CPR when need.
   • Develop leadership skills while training younger counselors.
   • Execute leadership skills by planning and facilitating activities.
   • Work towards empowering juveniles and their families to support a positive lifestyle by providing strength base intensive intervention and rehabilitation services.
   • Provide behavior modification and social skills training to children and adolescents with ADHD and other behavioral and emotional disorders.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, group counselors' average salary in wyoming is 57% less than in arizona.
   • Seniority. Entry-level group counselors 87% less than senior-level group counselors.
   • Certifications. A group 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 group counselor's salary.

   Average group counselor salary

   $40,155yearly

   $19.31 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level group counselor salary

   $14,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

4. Writing a group counselor job description

   A group 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a group counselor job description:

   Group counselor job description example

   The Counsel III- Litigation position is responsible for managing TPMG's litigation, including employment litigation.
   
   Provides legal advice and counsel as requested to TPMG Physicians, Executives, Managers, Administrators and other internal constituents concerning general and specific health care, business, and corporate issues, as well as on a variety of other legal issues. Works independently with minimal supervision, and handles increasingly complex legal matters.
   Essential Responsibilities:
   
   + Monitors, manages, and reviews all work and expenditures for outside counsel to ensure quality and efficacy of legal services.
   
   + Provides day to day legal advice to TPMG, including operations and physician leaders on a wide range of health care, corporate, and other legal issues, including issues specific to physician groups and physician practice.
   
   + Conducts legal research, prepares legal documents and recommends courses of action to ensure appropriate compliance with existing laws, regulations, and accreditation standards.
   
   + Provides advice and drafting assistance on policies and procedures, and on proposed communications that may have legal implications.
   
   + Reviews and advises TPMG management on relevant new and proposed statutes, regulations, and judicial decisions affecting TPMG operations.
   
   + Provides negotiation assistance, reviews, develops, drafts, and prepares contracts with organizations with which TPMG conducts business.
   
   + Develops and presents legal advice and opinions relative to TPMGs operations and regulatory requirements.
   
   + Provides/contributes to educational programs for TPMG physicians and other employees on legal issues pertaining to TPMG and Kaiser Permanente.
   
   + Kaiser Permanente conducts compensation reviews of positions on a routine basis. At any time, Kaiser Permanente reserves the right to reevaluate and change job descriptions, or to change such positions from salaried to hourly pay status. Such changes are generally implemented only after notice is given to affected employees.
   
   Basic Qualifications:
   
   Experience
   
   + Minimum seven (7) years of experience as a practicing attorney analyzing and applying health care or employment, contract, and/or corporate laws, regulations and guidelines to the practice of law.
   
   Education
   
   + Law degree required.
   
   License, Certification, Registration
   
   + Registered In House Counsel (California) within 12 months of hire OR State Bar License (California) within 12 months of hire
   
   Additional Skills Required:
   
   + Litigation experience, including employment litigation
   
   + Minimum of three (3) years of California-specific litigation experience
   
   + Strong client service skills required with demonstrated excellent client satisfaction.
   
   + Demonstrated ability to determine key business issues and develop appropriate action plans from multi-disciplinary perspectives.
   
   + Demonstrated ability to define the strategy of and provide overall direction to a specified practice area.
   
   + Excellent skills in complex analytic problem solving, project management, change management, and group process.
   
   + Superior communication, consulting, facilitation, negotiation, conflict management, problem resolution, change management skills and consensus building skills.
   
   + Ability to adapt to constantly changing priorities in managing a wide range of projects.
   
   + Demonstrated ability to guide professionals through influence and collaboration.
   
   + Understanding of Health Care operations and KP competitors, and economic, social, and legal environment.
   
   + Excellent leadership and project management skills. Demonstrated ability to bring projects/initiatives to completion.
   
   + Must be able to work in a Labor/Management Partnership environment.
   
   COMPANY: KAISER
   
   TITLE: Counsel III The Permanente Medical Group - Litigation
   
   LOCATION: Oakland, California
   
   REQNUMBER: 1105381
   
   External hires must pass a background check/drug screen. Qualified applicants with arrest and/or conviction records will be considered for employment in a manner consistent with Federal, state and local laws, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran, or disability status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find group counselors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with group 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. 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 group counselor

   Once you've decided on a perfect group 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.

   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 group 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.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a group counselor?