Residential Behavioral Health Counselor (Weekend)

Reports To: Residential Operations Director
Status: Part-Time, 20 hours per week; Weekend Position

Compensation: $40-$70 per hour, depending on qualifications, licensure, and experience

Position Summary

Rimrock Trails is seeking a motivated and experienced behavioral health professional to provide clinical leadership and therapeutic support within our adolescent residential treatment program on weekends. This position plays a critical role in maintaining a safe, structured, and treatment-focused environment while providing therapeutic groups, crisis intervention, family support, and guidance to residential staff.

Unlike traditional outpatient counseling positions, this role functions as a key clinical presence within the residential milieu, helping youth practice recovery skills, emotional regulation, healthy communication, and behavioral management in real-time.

The ideal candidate will bring experience working with adolescents in residential, milieu-based, inpatient, or other intensive behavioral health settings and possess the confidence to lead during complex situations while maintaining a calm, supportive, and trauma-informed approach.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Therapeutic Programming

• Facilitate social-emotional learning, emotional regulation, communication, and skills based, psychoeducational groups.
• Lead SMART Recovery and recovery-oriented programming.
• Support implementation of the residential treatment curriculum.
• Reinforce treatment goals throughout daily programming.
• Assist youth in applying therapeutic skills in real-world situations.

Milieu Leadership

• Serve as the primary clinical resource during weekend shifts.
• Maintain a structured, therapeutic, and engaging treatment environment.
• Provide coaching and guidance to youth during behavioral challenges and interpersonal conflicts.
• Help youth develop accountability, problem-solving skills, emotional regulation, and healthy communication.
• Promote a positive peer culture and therapeutic community.

Crisis Intervention

• Respond to behavioral, emotional, and interpersonal crises.
• Assess situations and provide appropriate therapeutic intervention.
• Offer clinical guidance and support to residential staff during critical incidents.
• Assist with de-escalation while maintaining treatment expectations and safety standards.
• Support for continuity-of-care planning and community transitions for unplanned discharges on the weekends.

Family Engagement

• Support family involvement in the treatment process.
• Facilitate family/parent education and skill-building activities as assigned.
• May facilitate a weekly parent support or educational group.
• Assist in supporting communication between youth, families, and treatment providers.

Residential Activities

• Support therapeutic recreational activities and community outings.
• Assist with implementation of Collaborative Problem Solving and Positive Reinforcement Behavior Management systems.
• Encourage youth participation in treatment, activities, and community responsibilities.
• Promote healthy relationship-building and prosocial behavior.

Team Collaboration

• Communicate significant clinical concerns to treatment team members.
• Participate in treatment planning and clinical consultation as requested.
• Document services provided in accordance with agency and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate effectively with counselors, treatment aides, nursing staff, and leadership.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Successful candidates will demonstrate:

• Strong therapeutic boundaries.
• Excellent crisis management skills.
• Ability to build rapport with adolescents and Families
• Leadership and decision-making abilities.
• Confidence directing staff and managing complex situations.
• Ability to balance empathy with accountability.
• Commitment to trauma-informed and strength-based care.
• Ability to maintain professionalism under pressure.
• Strong written documentation skills.

Physical and Environmental Requirements

• Ability to actively engage with youth throughout a residential setting.
• Ability to participate in recreational activities and community outings.
• Ability to respond appropriately during behavioral crises and emergency situations.
• Ability to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.

What We Offer

• 401(k) with employer match
• Sick leave accrual

Minimum Required Qualifications

• CADC II or higher certification.
• Minimum of three (3) years of experience working with adolescents, behavioral health populations, or substance use treatment clients.
• Experience working in residential, inpatient, or other milieu-based treatment settings.
• Experience facilitating groups and family programming.
• Knowledge of adolescent development, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and behavioral health treatment.
• Ability to lead effectively during high stress situations.
• Strong verbal communication and interpersonal skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in counseling, Social Work, Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy, or related fields. Licensed or licensed-eligible behavioral health professional.
• 5 years in related experience.
• Experience implementing evidence-based practices including:
• Motivational Interviewing
• CBT
• DBT-informed interventions
• Relapse Prevention
• SMART Recovery