How to hire a lead therapist

How to hire a lead therapist, step by step

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your lead 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 lead 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

   A lead therapist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, lead therapists 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 shows salaries for various types of lead therapists.

   Type of Lead Therapist	Description	Hourly rate
   Lead Therapist	Physical therapists, sometimes called PTs, help injured or ill people improve their movement and manage their pain. These therapists are often an important part of the rehabilitation, treatment, and prevention of patients with chronic conditions, illnesses, or injuries.	$21-59
   Director Of Physical Therapy	A Director of Physical Therapy manages physical therapy services through developing strategies, policies, and procedures for a hospital, clinic, managed care organization, or similar organization. They supervise and assess the activities of medical, nursing, technical, and other personnel.	$30-87
   Physical Therapy Internship	Physical therapist interns work with patients to determine and improve their function and movement. The interns assist in the rehabilitation process through body system development and storage... Show more	$25-46

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Social Work
   • Crisis Intervention
   • Autism
   • ABA
   • Substance Abuse
   • CPR
   • Physical Therapy
   • Behavior Analysis
   • Occupational Therapy
   • Mental Health
   • Patient Care
   • Clinical Supervision
   • Discharge Planning

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Help manage meetings in IEP settings with school staff and other therapy providers.
   • Help am individuals with autism learn to communicate and manage undesire behavior.
   • Train line therapists on implementing treatment plans; using apply behavior analysis (ABA) techniques and procedures.
   • Provide in-home behavior treatment program employing apply behavior analysis techniques working with children diagnose with autism.
   • Collaborate with regular education teachers assign to ABA students.
   • Develop and organize individualize vision therapy programs for all patients and assist other therapist on their patient developmental programs.

   More lead therapist duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, lead therapists' average salary in oklahoma is 53% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level lead therapists 64% less than senior-level lead therapists.
   • Certifications. A lead 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 lead therapist's salary.

   Average lead therapist salary

   $75,043yearly

   $36.08 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level lead therapist salary

   $45,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 19, 2026

   Average lead therapist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$91,043	$44
   2	Connecticut	$76,598	$37
   3	Rhode Island	$70,294	$34
   4	Virginia	$67,554	$32
   5	Oregon	$66,304	$32
   6	Arizona	$65,920	$32
   7	Indiana	$60,518	$29
   8	North Carolina	$59,333	$29
   9	Wisconsin	$59,200	$28
   10	West Virginia	$58,750	$28
   11	Ohio	$58,667	$28
   12	Texas	$57,935	$28
   13	Florida	$57,638	$28
   14	Mississippi	$54,038	$26
   15	Missouri	$51,269	$25

   Average lead therapist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of Maryland Medical System	$102,976	$49.51	80
   2	Auberge Resorts Collection	$84,952	$40.84	1
   3	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$84,054	$40.41
   4	Northwestern Medicine	$81,632	$39.25	119
   5	Alliance Co	$81,237	$39.06	8
   6	PeaceHealth	$78,211	$37.60	47
   7	Hendrick Health	$75,666	$36.38	13
   8	CaroMont Health	$72,997	$35.09	10
   9	Northern Arizona Healthcare Corporation	$70,182	$33.74	22
   10	Vibra Healthcare	$69,559	$33.44	172
   11	Advanced Recovery Systems	$69,193	$33.27
   12	Westcare Health Corporation	$68,049	$32.72	1
   13	HealthPRO	$68,031	$32.71	448
   14	Rawhide	$67,554	$32.48
   15	Vail Resorts	$65,109	$31.30
   16	West Virginia University	$65,003	$31.25
   17	Seneca Companies	$63,596	$30.57	4
   18	Care New England Health System	$63,389	$30.48	35
   19	Pyramid Healthcare	$59,300	$28.51
   20	Fairmont Schools	$59,054	$28.39

4. Writing a lead therapist job description

   A lead 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 lead therapist job description:

   Lead therapist job description example

   Mission:
   
   The mission of Catholic Charities is to provide for the needs of our community through selfless service under the sign of love.
   
   Summary:
   
   The Lead Therapists Responsible for supervising the delivery of counseling services. This position is responsible for recruitment, hiring and training of all staff under their supervision. The Lead Therapists supervises all assigned program therapists within all Shelter and Community Programs. The Lead Therapist will monitor program progress, successes and challenges. Lead Therapist is responsible for providing required reports and correspondence to funding sources and the agency. The Lead Therapist will also act as a therapist by providing services to participants' onsite and/or other locations throughout the Archdiocese. The Lead Therapist will assist the Director of Counseling Services and Outreach in managing the budget, including monitoring expenses, reimbursement billing, grant writing, and fund development. The Lead Therapist acts as a representative of the Counseling Department and the agency at community meetings and events.
   
   Position Responsibilities:
   
   * *The Lead Therapist will be responsible for recruitment, interviewing, hiring and training new employees under their supervision. Will make recommendations for termination.
   * *Clinical supervisor for all Associates and interns within the program. Train new hires and all assigned staff including agency procedures and protocols
   * *Ensure the counseling program adheres to procedures and protocols of designated funding entity (i.e. Texas Pregnancy Care Network, VOCA)
   * Disseminates program information to other community programs, agencies and entities by phone, mail, email, and via community meetings and events.
   * Attend grant-related and collaborative meetings for counseling program
   * Assist with grant proposals and present information to potential funding sources as required
   * Review resumes, perform interviews and make recommendations for new hire
   * Review program monthly budget, incoming revenue, and expenditures with Director of Counseling Services and Outreach
   * Provide specified monthly/quarterly reports for counseling program to funding source and/or agency.
   * Attendance and successful completion of a 10- day New Employee Orientation is mandated for the position. The inability to meet this requirement will conclude employment with the Agency.
   
   Competencies:
   
   * Focus
   * Building Collaboration
   * Performance Management
   * Developing Others
   * Leadership
   
   Requirements
   
   Minimum Qualifications:
   
   * Education
   * Master's Degree from school accredited in licensure discipline.
   
   * Experience
   * Minimum of 5 years' experience as a Licensed Clinician in individual, family, and/or group therapy.
   * Experience supervising client service team is preferred
   
   * License and Credentials
   * Reliable transportation
   * Valid driver license
   * Valid vehicle insurance
   * Licensed in one or more of the following:
   * Professional Counselor (LPC)
   * Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
   * Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
   
   Minimum Knowledge and Skills:
   
   * Minimum of 5 years' experience as Licensed Clinician in counseling adults, teens, children, couples, and/or families;
   * Extensive working knowledge of the process of change, and trauma informed care;
   * Experience and proficiency with computer software: email, internet, Word, Publisher, PowerPoint, and Excel.
   * A solid grasp of public speaking
   * Must be skilled in time management and ability to work on multiple projects at the same time.
   * Must be detail oriented, organized, self-motivated, work well independently and on a team;
   * Must have good written and verbal skills;
   * Must have good critical thinking and problem solving skills.
   
   Disclaimer:
   
   This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills, duties, requirements, efforts or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job description or to require that other or different tasks be performed when circumstances change (e.g., emergencies, changes in personnel, workload, etc.) This is a Grant funded position and salary is dependent on funding availability. Position can be eliminated at any time because of lack of funding to support this position.
   
   Catholic Charities is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To view this and other employment opportunities please visit our website at www.ccaosa.org. You must apply through our website and complete the application and upload your resume. No phone calls please. If you are chosen for an interview, you will be contacted.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right lead therapist 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.

   To find lead therapist candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as healthcarejobsite, health jobs nationwide, hospitalcareers, medreps.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit lead therapists, 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 lead therapist

   Once you've decided on a perfect lead 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 important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is 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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