Post job

How to hire a milieu therapist

Milieu therapist hiring summary. Here are some key points about hiring milieu therapists in the United States:

  • In the United States, the median cost per hire a milieu therapist is $1,633.
  • It takes between 36 and 42 days to fill the average role in the US.
  • Human Resources use 15% of their expenses on recruitment on average.
  • On average, it takes around 12 weeks for a new milieu therapist to become settled and show total productivity levels at work.

How to hire a milieu therapist, step by step

To hire a milieu therapist, you should create an ideal candidate profile, determine a budget, and post and promote your job. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to hire a milieu therapist:

Here's a step-by-step milieu 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 milieu therapist job description
  • Step 5: Post your job
  • Step 6: Interview candidates
  • Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new milieu therapist
  • Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist
jobs
Post a milieu therapist job for free, promote it for a fee
  1. Identify your hiring needs

    Before you post your milieu 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 milieu 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?

    You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a milieu therapist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a milieu therapist that fits the bill.

    This list shows salaries for various types of milieu therapists.

    Type of Milieu TherapistDescriptionHourly rate
    Milieu TherapistPhysical 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.$14-25
    Mental Health TechnicianA mental health technician's primary responsibility is to provide care and assistance to patients with mental health issues. Their tasks mainly revolve around administering scheduled and prescribed medication, monitoring vital signs, assisting during therapy sessions, and assessing patients' progress and behavior... Show more$12-18
    Director Of Physical TherapyA 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
  2. Create an ideal candidate profile

    Common skills:
    • Patients
    • Mental Health
    • Clinical Interventions
    • Therapeutic Environment
    • Interdisciplinary Meetings
    • Social Work
    • Crisis Management
    • Crisis Intervention
    • Behavior Programs
    • CPR
    • Crisis Situations
    • Direct Patient Care
    • Autism
    • Group Therapy Sessions
    Check all skills
    Responsibilities:
    • Lead parent shadowing training and meal educations, facilitate family visitations and provide crisis management and safety planning for at-risk patients.
    • Demonstrate working knowledge of community mental health services identify in the Medicaid guidelines and attain contractual outcomes within designate time frames.
    • Participate in and frequently run DBT base programs and meetings.
    • Provide assistance with ADL's (shower, hygiene, assistance with eating).
    • Provide group therapy using different modalities: art therapy, DBT skills, process.
    • Use quick problem-solving and refine interpersonal communication to provide direct, trauma-inform care for pediatric patients on an acute psychiatric unit.
  3. Make a budget

    Including a salary range in your milieu therapist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A milieu therapist salary can vary based on several factors:
    • Location. For example, milieu therapists' average salary in tennessee is 49% less than in massachusetts.
    • Seniority. Entry-level milieu therapists earn 42% less than senior-level milieu therapists.
    • Certifications. A milieu therapist 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 milieu therapist's salary.

    Average milieu therapist salary

    $40,611yearly

    $19.52 hourly rate

    Entry-level milieu therapist salary
    $31,000 yearly salary
    Updated December 17, 2025
  4. Writing a milieu therapist job description

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

    Milieu therapist job description example

    Pay: $24-26/hour

    More about this opportunity: All the benefits you expect-PTO, Health, Vision & Dental Insurance, 401(k) match, HSA & FSA, Company Paid Life Insurance & Long Term Disability, Supplemental insurance for full time positions

    *The estimated compensation range displayed represents the typical wage range of candidates hired. Factors that may be used to determine your actual salary may include your education level, specific skills, years of experience and comparison to other employees already in this role. The final salary could be higher or lower than the reflected salary range posted.

    Summarized Duties and Responsibilities:

    1. Demonstrates knowledge of and practice of effective counseling skills and ability to build therapeutic rapport..

    2. Facilitates meals with patients in a fashion consistent with current policies and procedures. Models appropriate eating behaviors during assigned mealtimes with patients.

    3. Contributes clinical information and observations about patients in weekly staffing.

    4. Facilitates integration of new patients into the program by demonstrating knowledge of all aspects of the clinical program.

    5. Facilitates groups with expertise, demonstrating ability to engage, set limits and monitor the group process.

    6. Maintains group curriculum for psychoeducational groups according to EDCare clinical standards.

    7. Is creative in therapeutic interventions to maintain a safe, supportive, clinically sound milieu.

    8. Maintains daily program structure.

    Minimum Qualifications:

    1. Master's degree in behavioral health field required.

    2. Minimum of six months experience working in therapeutic milieu preferred.

    3. Clinical conceptualization of the treatment of eating disorders and dual diagnosis preferred.

    4. Good oral, written, and interpersonal communication skills preferred.

    5. Treatment orientation that align with that of EDC, LLC preferred.

    6. Ability to work as part of a team with coworkers preferred.

    Computer Skills:

    1. Must be able to effectively maneuver within an office scheduling system.

    2. Minimum of intermediate skills in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

    3. Must be able to efficiently learn and effectively work within an electronic medical records system.

    About EDCare-Denver

    Are you looking to work with a high quality, collaborative team within a privately held growing eating disorder company? Are you passionate about patient recovery? Do you want compassionate, enthusiastic and engaged co-workers? EDCare can provide this for you and more!

    EDCare, established in 2001, is a privately held, Joint Commission Accredited eating disorder program with locations in Denver, Colorado Springs, Kansas City and Omaha. We offer evidence-based PHP, IOP (both adult and adolescent), and OP treatment for patients struggling with various eating disorders. EDCare Denver also specializes in eating disorders combined with our Specialty Programs: Athletic, Substance Use, Binge Eating and Trauma.

    Physical Demands and Environment:

    Physical demands of this job include but are NOT limited to:

    • Sitting frequently, standing occasionally, walking occasionally, talking occasionally, hearing constantly, seeing constantly, reaching with arms and hands occasionally, crouching occasionally and using fingers intricately. This position requires lifting/carrying up to 10 pounds occasionally.

    Environmental conditions of this job include but are NOT limited to:

    • 95% inside, 99% normal temperature and 99% normal noise as expected in a medical office environment.

    Keywords: Counselor, Behavioral Health Tech, Program Therapist, #zr

  5. Post your job

    To find the right milieu therapist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

    • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
    • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with milieu therapists they would recommend.
    • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit milieu therapists who meet your education requirements.
    • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.
    To find milieu 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 milieu 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.

    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 milieu therapist

    Once you've decided on a perfect milieu 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 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 milieu therapist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

  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

How much does it cost to hire a milieu therapist?

Before you start to hire milieu therapists, it pays to consider both the one-off costs like recruitment, job promotion, and onboarding, as well as the ongoing costs of an employee's salary and benefits. While most companies that hire milieu therapists pay close attention to the initial cost of hiring, ongoing costs are much more significant in the long run.

You can expect to pay around $40,611 per year for a milieu therapist, as this is the median yearly salary nationally. This can vary depending on what state or city you're hiring in. If you're hiring for contract work or on a per-project basis, hourly rates for milieu therapists in the US typically range between $14 and $25 an hour.

Find better milieu therapists in less time
Post a job on Zippia and hire the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Hiring milieu therapists FAQs

Search for milieu therapist jobs

Ready to start hiring?

Browse healthcare practitioner and technical jobs