How to hire an intensive in-home counselor

How to hire an intensive in-home counselor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step intensive in-home counselor hiring guide:

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

What does an intensive in-home counselor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The intensive in-home 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

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   Hiring the perfect intensive in-home 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.

   Here's a comparison of intensive in-home counselor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Intensive In-Home Counselor	Description	Hourly rate
   Intensive In-Home 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.	$19-31
   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
   Mental Health Worker	A mental health worker is a professional who provides basic care and therapy to patients who are inflicted with mental disabilities or developmental disabilities. Mental health workers assist patients with their daily activities, monitor their conditions, and administer therapeutic care... Show more	$13-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Family Therapy
   • Mental Health Issues
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Intensive In-Home
   • Community Resources
   • Therapeutic Interventions
   • Discharge Planning
   • at-Risk Youth
   • Out-of-Home Placements
   • Anger Management
   • Medication Management
   • Community Services
   • Group Therapy
   • Treatment Strategies

   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.
   • Assist in preventing altercations between the youth by using TCI.
   • Complete the required MANDT training, medical tech and CPR training.
   • Coordinate with ABA program consultants, other teachers and parents of the child.
   • Learned TCI techniques, consistently pass out medications, and maintain current CPR/ first aid certifications.
   • Maintain a caseload of adolescent youth diagnose with autism, conduct disorder, ADHD, or bipolar disorder.

   More intensive in-home counselor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your intensive in-home counselor job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An intensive in-home counselor salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, intensives in-home counselor' average salary in louisiana is 36% less than in maine.
   • Seniority. Entry-level intensives in-home counselor earn 39% less than senior-level intensives in-home counselor.
   • Certifications. An intensive in-home 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 an intensive in-home counselor's salary.

   Average intensive in-home counselor salary

   $51,428yearly

   $24.73 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level intensive in-home counselor salary

   $40,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 17, 2026

   Average intensive in-home counselor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$62,260	$30
   2	District of Columbia	$60,128	$29
   3	Rhode Island	$58,487	$28
   4	Massachusetts	$58,285	$28
   5	Michigan	$58,185	$28
   6	Missouri	$56,841	$27
   7	New York	$55,576	$27
   8	Ohio	$54,009	$26
   9	Kansas	$53,406	$26
   10	New Hampshire	$53,048	$26
   11	Pennsylvania	$52,265	$25
   12	Virginia	$52,104	$25
   13	Kentucky	$51,876	$25
   14	West Virginia	$51,633	$25
   15	Indiana	$50,639	$24
   16	New Jersey	$48,796	$23
   17	Tennessee	$47,709	$23
   18	Illinois	$46,458	$22
   19	Georgia	$44,582	$21
   20	Utah	$44,094	$21

   Average intensive in-home counselor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Family & Children Assoc	$60,044	$28.87
   2	Beazer Homes	$59,391	$28.55	18
   3	Brookfield Properties	$58,753	$28.25	5
   4	State of West Virginia	$54,780	$26.34	111
   5	Lifetime Assistance	$52,372	$25.18	4
   6	BetterHelp	$51,241	$24.64	20
   7	ADP	$50,607	$24.33	20
   8	The Mentoring Alliance	$50,256	$24.16	11
   9	Bay State Community Services	$49,953	$24.02	35
   10	Summit Educational Group	$49,335	$23.72
   11	Five Acres--the Boy's And Girl's Aid Society Of Los Angeles	$48,476	$23.31
   12	The Children's Village	$48,080	$23.12	57
   13	Liberty Mutual Insurance	$47,187	$22.69	10
   14	Oaks Integrated Care	$46,596	$22.40	50
   15	Washington County Mental Health Services	$42,461	$20.41	21
   16	Jewish Community Center	$37,616	$18.08	11

4. Writing an intensive in-home counselor job description

   An intensive in-home 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 an intensive in-home counselor job description:

   Intensive in-home counselor job description example

   EMS of Virginia has been in business since 2005 serving the mental health needs of the Tri-Cities area. We pride ourselves in being a "boutique" style agency. We have a solid foundation and are continually looking for ways to offer quality in the services we offer. We are constantly looking for ways to be different, to provide services to clients in a way that tailors to their specific needs, and to provide a positive, comfortable, and fun work environment for our team members. We expect hard work, but hard work pays off at EMS of Virginia! We invest in our staff so that you can progress in your career. We can offer licensure supervision toward LPC or LCSW, in addition to offering leadership opportunities within the organization.

   Duties include (but are not limited to):

   • Seeing clients in the community such as the client's home
   • Providing 1-1 mental health counseling related to goals
   • Working with family systems
   • Case Management to ensure client's basic needs are met
   • Providing individual and family counseling to children and adolescents
   • Completing individualized services plans
   • Completing quarterly reports
   • Completing progress notes for each session with a client
   • Providing information for authorization of services
   • Meeting regularly for supervision
   • Attendance at team meetings
   • Maintaining ongoing communication with your Clinical Supervisor

   EMS of Virginia has been in business for 15 years. We strive to hire invested individuals who are willing to help the company reach our goals so that we can help you reach your goals. In addition to a competitive hourly wage, we offer: health insurance to full-time team members (30+ billable hours per week), accrued PTO, flexible schedules, CEUs, paid supervision time, paid team meeting time, bonus incentives, retirement planning with company match, and training toward QMHP licensure.

   We pride ourselves in being able to provide good clinical work to clients and seek to hire individuals who are licensed or licensed-eligible as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). **If you are on this path, we will work with you to provide your supervision experience toward licensure** This is a great opportunity for a recent or upcoming graduate who has enough experience to qualify as a QMHP.

   If you are a QMHP with experience with children, we want to hear from you! Please visit our website: www.emsofvirginia.com, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to get a sense of who we are!

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5. Post your job

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

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit intensives in-home counselor, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete 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 intensive in-home counselor

   Once you've decided on a perfect intensive in-home 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 equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new intensive in-home counselor. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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