School Based Mental Health Therapist
About the Role
Backpack Healthcare is bringing behavioral healthcare directly into Maryland schools, and we're looking for clinicians who want to make a meaningful difference where it matters most. This is more than a therapy role. You'll have the opportunity to build relationships with students, families, educators, and school teams while providing accessible, trauma-informed mental health care both in person and through telehealth. As a clinician-led, minority-owned organization, we believe when clinicians thrive, kids thrive.
Compensation
This is a Fee-for-Service W-2 position designed to provide competitive earning opportunities while maintaining flexibility.
- $65 per session hour — fully licensed clinicians
- $45 per session hour — provisionally licensed clinicians
- $30 per hour — administrative time
- Monthly bonus potential — eligible clinicians can earn additional monthly incentive compensation based on applicable clinical and performance metrics
Benefits
- Medical, dental & vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid holidays & PTO
- CEU reimbursement
- Clinical supervision for eligible pre-licensed clinicians
- Professional growth and advancement opportunities
- Supportive clinical and operational team
Schedule
This is a hybrid role designed to combine the connection of in-person school-based care with the flexibility of telehealth.
- Minimum 3 in-person school days per week
- 8 hours per in-person school day
- Telehealth days available to support flexibility and continuity of care
- Telehealth allows continued care during school breaks and closures
Responsibilities
- Conducting intake evaluations and risk assessments
- Developing individualized, trauma-informed treatment plans
- Providing individual, group, and family therapy
- Maintaining a consistent in-person schedule at assigned school site(s)
- Providing telehealth services to maintain continuity of care
- Completing accurate, timely clinical documentation in Backpack's EHR
- Collaborating with school staff, pediatricians, families, and Backpack's interdisciplinary clinical team
- Supporting school teams with behavioral health challenges and crisis response
- Conducting wellness workshops for caregivers, educators, and administrators
- Participating in individual and group supervision if pre-licensed
Requirements
- Master's degree in Counseling, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy, or a related field
- Active Maryland license: LCSW-C, LMSW, LCPC, LGPC, LCMFT
- Minimum 1 year of experience providing therapy to children and adolescents
- Familiarity with trauma-informed care and school-based systems
- Commitment to culturally responsive care
- Strong interpersonal, organizational, and clinical documentation skills
- Passion for increasing access to mental healthcare for underserved youth
Who We Are
We all walk around with an invisible backpack. It carries our emotional experiences, traumas, stress, and unresolved feelings. Just like a physical backpack, it can become heavy when filled with too many things. We created Backpack Healthcare to help lighten the load. We're reimagining mental healthcare for children, teens, and young adults by making high-quality behavioral health services more accessible where kids already live, learn, and grow. As a clinician-led, minority-owned organization, our mission is simple: When clinicians thrive, kids thrive.
Why Join Backpack
- Clinical Support — You're never expected to navigate challenging cases alone.
- Growth & Education — CEU reimbursement, supervision, consultation, and advancement opportunities.
- Collaboration — Work alongside clinicians, school teams, families, and care partners.
- Flexibility — Combine in-person connection with telehealth flexibility.
- Earning Potential — Competitive fee-for-service compensation plus monthly bonus potential.
- Purpose — Help make mental healthcare more accessible to children and families who need it most.