School Based Mental Health Therapist

School Based Mental Health Clinician

Baltimore, MD; Columbia, MD; Salisbury, MD

Bring Mental Health Care Where Kids Need It Most

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.

If you're looking for a role that combines purpose, flexibility, competitive compensation, and real community impact, we'd love to have you join us.

Compensation + Monthly Bonus Potential

This is a Fee-for-Service W-2 position designed to provide competitive earning opportunities while maintaining flexibility.

Your Compensation:

$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

Additional 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

⏰ The 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

You'll have the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with students while maintaining flexibility throughout the school year.

What You'll Do

As a School-Based Mental Health Clinician, you'll provide individual, group, and/or family therapy to students both at assigned school sites and through Backpack's secure telehealth platform.

Your day-to-day will include:

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

What We're Looking For

We're seeking clinicians who bring both clinical expertise and a genuine passion for helping young people.

Required:

• 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.

At Backpack, we're not just offering a job. We're offering purpose, flexibility, professional growth, and the opportunity to change lives every day.

Why Join Backpack?

When you join Backpack, you become part of a team that values:

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.

Ready to Make an Impact?

If you're ready to bring mental health care directly into schools, build meaningful relationships with students and families, and join a team that believes in both clinician wellbeing and better outcomes for kids, we'd love to hear from you.

Bring your clinical expertise. Bring your passion. We'll bring the support, referrals, and opportunity to grow.

Backpack Healthcare is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe the strength of our care depends on the diversity and wellbeing of our team. We celebrate differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, national origin, physical and mental ability, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, and other traits that make each person unique. We welcome and encourage diverse candidates to apply for any position for which they are qualified and to bring their unique perspectives, experiences, and talents to our team.