Looking for a job in mental health as a therapist or counselor in the Lee’s Summit or Mid Missouri Area?

Aspire Counseling is looking for a compassionate therapist to work in our Lee’s Summit or Columbia Locations.

Clinicians applying must be committed to providing supportive, evidence-based care to help clients find healing.

Are you a licensed counselor, clinical social worker, or psychologist in Missouri who is tired of the daily grind at an agency job? Do you feel micromanaged, overwhelmed by huge caseloads, and frustrated with being given high acuity clients without the necessary support? Are you exhausted from feeling burnt out and unsupported? We understand how you feel, and we're here to help. You may not be ready to start your own practice or go out completely on your own, but you want to be part of a caring clinical team that values your expertise and experience.

At Aspire Counseling, we recognize that work-life balance is essential, especially for clinicians who work with high-stress clients. We prioritize professional excellence and effective communication, which is why we are seeking a mental health counselor who specializes in anxiety and trauma to join our team. Our team values diversity and the support of both clients and team members. We believe that our clinicians deserve a supportive work environment that encourages growth and professional development.

Why Work With Aspire Counseling

At Aspire Counseling, we believe in providing our clinicians with the support and resources they need to be successful. We offer our clinicians the flexibility to set their own schedule and choose their own clinical focus. We also believe in investing in our clinicians' professional development, which is why we provide ongoing training opportunities, including training in evidence-based treatment modalities such as DBT, EMDR, CBT, and ERP.

We understand that therapy can be emotionally challenging, which is why we prioritize taking care of our clinicians. We offer quarterly optional social gatherings, an annual one-day in-person retreat, and monthly meetings over Zoom. Our team is supportive and upbeat, and we believe in the importance of a positive work environment. We also recognize the importance of work-life balance, which is why we offer our clinicians a reasonable caseload that allows for flexibility and self-care.

Our Ideal Candidate

Our ideal candidate is a licensed counselor, clinical social worker, or psychologist in Missouri with experience working with anxiety and trauma. They are passionate about helping others and are committed to providing evidence-based treatments. They are able to work independently, but also value collaboration with our team. Our ideal candidate is someone who wants to make a difference in their clients' lives, but also values a supportive work environment.

If you're ready to take the next step in your career and join a caring clinical team, we encourage you to apply. At Aspire Counseling, we believe in providing our clinicians with the resources and support they need to be successful. We value work-life balance, professional excellence, effective communication, diversity, and the support of both clients and team members. Join us today and become part of a team that's making a difference in the lives of our clients.

Now Hiring: Part Time LCSW or LPC in Lee’s Summit or Columbia, MO

Location: Columbia, MO / Lee's Summit, MO
Position: Part-time Therapist
Client Load: 12-15 clients per week, option to build up to Full Time (23+ clients per week)
Hours: Flexible (Morning, Evening, and Weekend hours available)

Your Role
You will work with a diverse client base, providing therapy for 12-15 clients per week. If you’d like, you can build up to full time hours which are seeing 23-30 clients per week. This role requires a commitment to evidence-based counseling techniques such as EMDR, CPT for PTSD, ACT, and Exposure and Response Prevention. We are looking for someone who can bring their personality and expertise into the therapy room to meet clients exactly where they are, fostering meaningful change.

Requirements for current open position

Full licensure as an LCSW or LPC
Demonstrated experience or training in evidence-based techniques
Willingness to offer some sessions during highly requested times: early mornings (7-9 AM), evenings (4 PM and later), or weekends
Participation in weekly team check-ins every Monday from 11AM-12PM Central Time
Capability to provide the majority of client sessions in-person at our Columbia or Lee's Summit locations

Compensation
Compensation is competitive and will be determined collaboratively based on your set full fee rates, number of reduced rate slots offered per week, and other factors. This will be finalized after the second interview. However, the clinical rate is typically $46.50-$58.50 per hour starting out.

Benefits

A supportive and collaborative team environment
Regular team interactions via Zoom to foster connection and professional support
Reduced administrative burden as we do not work directly with insurance companies & have an excellent administrative staff
Access to an out-of-network reimbursement system to help make therapy more accessible to our clients
The ability to move toward full time status over time if desired, but this is not required if you’d prefer to stay at part time

Apply Now
If you are passionate about making a difference and want to work in a place that values your expertise and personal growth, please send your resume and a cover letter detailing your experience with evidence-based techniques and your upcoming training plans to info@aspirecounselingmo.com. Please highlight your availability for the requested hours and your commitment to developing your skills in trauma and anxiety treatment.

Join Aspire Counseling and be part of a team that not only supports its clients but each other, too.

**Please note that we are NOT hiring a virtual only therapist at this time and are only looking for clinicians who can be in one of our physical office locations at least a couple days per week.**

The Aspire Counseling Story

Aspire Counseling was founded by me, Jessica Tappana, in May 2017. I started Aspire Counseling shortly after having my second child. In fact, I sat in the bank signing a business loan and made phone calls to get a business license when my daughter was only weeks old! I decided to add more therapists when my caseload filled up in only a couple of months.

There was clearly a huge need for quality mental health services in Columbia, MO. I realized that a group practice would benefit my colleagues (they could try private practice without taking on as much risk as I had), myself (I get awesome people to work with and consult with), and my clients (Aspire could serve more people).

Over the last few years, I’ve brought on amazing therapists who have different training, skills and expertise from myself. They’ve given me honest feedback and together we’ve built something amazing. We have a unique, positive, supportive and no drama counseling clinic. Aspire Counseling has an amazing team that I fully trust, caseloads full of the clients we each want to serve and are constantly expanding our contacts in the local community.

In February 2023, we officially opened our Lee’s Summit office and are excited to help even more clients at this new location.

Therapist Benefits at Aspire Counseling

At Aspire Counseling, we know you do your best work when you feel supported and empowered. So, we do everything we can to make that happen.

Here are some of our benefits all of our clinicians enjoy:

Freedom to choose your own clients. Have a client who’s not a good fit? It’s ok to refer them to someone else!
Freedom to choose your own schedule. And that includes making changes to your schedule! If you’re offering in person sessions, you may be limited at times by openings on the schedule. However, there are no requirements about working specific days or times. You’re encouraged to consider both the needs of your clients AND your own needs when setting or changing your work schedule.
A No-Drama Work Culture
Collaboration/Consultation including quarterly social get together, consultation teams for EBPs (EMDR, DBT, CPT & soon ERP)
Snacks & drinks for when you’re in the office
Access to excellent tools (books, an EMDR light bar, TONS of sand tray miniatures, etc)
Traditional Benefits for *Full Time Clinicians
- Health Insurance (paid at 50%)
- Vision Insurance (100% covered by Aspire)
- PTO paid at your administrative rate
- 8 Holidays paid your administrative rate
- Paid bereavement leave should it ever be necessary
- Higher pay for any clients you see beyond 23 per week

*A “Full Time” clinician is someone who regularly has 23 paid client sessions per week. This is set purposefully lower than many other settings to allow clinicians to meet their own work/life needs, have time for appropriate consultation and continuing education and avoid burnout

What Aspire Counseling Expects of Mental Health Therapists

Evidence Based Practice

Every single clinicians at Aspire Counseling is trained in and able to provide at least one well researched treatment for their ideal client population. However, evidence based practice is truly about the balance and THAT is what sets Aspire Counseling apart. Our clinicians make treatment decisions based on balancing clinical expertise (including your own training, personality & experience), the best available research and the values/needs/preferences of your individual client.

Clinical Expertise & Focus

Every single therapist we have on staff is different. We each have a different personality, different strengths and different ideal clients. You bring your training, experience and personality to the table each time you meet with a client. We aren’t interested in cookie cutter therapists. We’re interested in compassionate, skills therapists.

Ideal Team Player

We cannot overstate how important it is to us that we have a supportive, collaborative team environment. We want everyone to feel welcome in our team, be able to communicate with one another as needed and generally like interacting with our colleagues. To be more specific, an ideal team player has three important characteristics:

Hard Working. This means that everyone is a hard worker and self starter. Our therapists are self motivated to seek out training and constantly improve, grow their own caseload, start new groups/projects/services, complete paperwork in a timely manner and consult with other therapists.

Humble.It is important that all of our team members be able to admit their own mistakes and weaknesses. We need to know when we need some support and to be able to seek out the consultation of other therapists.

People Smart. All of our therapists are considerate and kind to one another. They have a basic understanding of people and a general awareness about how their own actions impact others.However, every single Aspire Counseling team member has at least two of these important character traits. It is essential that we bring on true team players to keep that drama free, supportive culture described above.

Open Communication

At Aspire Counseling, we value open communication. This means that we expect therapists to be self aware enough to acknowledge their own weaknesses or struggles. We ask that you attend monthly staff meetings as often as possible and participate in both formal and informal consultation opportunities. It’s essential you be able to reach out and ask for consultation when needed.

We also ask for open communication about non clinical issues. You might talk to your office mate about re-arranging furniture or point out during a staff meeting that the carpet isn’t getting vacuumed often enough. Problems are addressed openly and respectfully. Being able to discuss these issues helps avoid resentment among team members or larger problems down the road.

Are you a fit for Aspire Counseling?

Aspire Counseling, a well-regarded practice with locations in Columbia and Lee's Summit, MO, is seeking a dedicated and skilled LCSW or LPC to join our team. We specialize in treating trauma and anxiety through evidence-based practices, and we are committed to creating a supportive, drama-free work environment where work-life balance is truly valued.

Apply to Join the Aspire Counseling Team!

If you are looking for a position as a mental health counselor in Missouri and think you’d go a good fit for Aspire Counseling, please let us know! Even if we’re not looking to expand at that exact moment, we will always consider bringing on the perfect candidate. Please e-mail Jessica Tappana at Jessica@aspirecounselingmo.com with your resume and cover letter.

From there, our hiring process will include some or all of the following components:

A phone screening/first interview with one of our team members
A full interview with a member of our clinical leadership team
An office tour with a clinician at the location you would practice
Reference & Background Check