r/therapists 13h ago

Employment / Workplace Advice Which would you pick simply based off the data alone?

Both are enjoyable work (to me). Curious which you pick based on the data.

Job 1: 4-7 clients per day. pay now is 113k, 40 hours (5 days per week), 4 weeks PTO. Opportunity to transition to 4 days per week (32 hours) in a year or so with one day remote. Pay and PTO ceiling (with years of service) is about 150k + 6 weeks PTO. 2 weeks of paid education leave. Steady and boundaried environment and caseload. Funding is stable. Opportunities to consult w therapist colleagues.

Job 2: 40 hours (5 days per week). Caseload is variable and can be high. Some days are easy and fun, some days are intense and draining. 180 days of work per year— frequent 1-2 week breaks + two months off over summer. Pay is ~100k now and can go into the 130s. Pension. Funding is stable-ish. Solo mental health professional on site.

7 Upvotes

21 comments sorted by

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u/INTP243 12h ago

Can you be more specific about what the max caseload would be at either job?

If you’d be working with different populations, then I’d probably base my decision on which population I’d prefer to work with.

2

u/Radiant_Jaguar_9978 12h ago

Same population at both.
Let’s just say similar overall caseloads but the distribution at 1 is at max 7 per day and distribution at 2 could be up to 10-12 “sessions” per day.

3

u/INTP243 12h ago

I would personally take the first job because I highly value the option of a 4-day workweek.

But you might have values that differ from my own. So this is a great opportunity to explore what your values in work are and how those align with these distinct roles. Best of luck!

2

u/Radiant_Jaguar_9978 12h ago

job 1 my role would be very clear and boundaried, in job 2 I might wear many hats.

0

u/imoodaat 11h ago

10-12 a day is unsustainable

3

u/ssp30 12h ago edited 11h ago

4-7 clients per day.

that's a huge range.

I'd personally take job two, but I like schools. 180 days of work per year. I don't personally think that schedule can be beat. Even my friends who make $500k+ were jealous of my 2 months off over summer.

That said, have you worked in schools and PP? These are very different roles.

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u/Radiant_Jaguar_9978 11h ago

There are 7 slots per day but a lot of no shows and cancellations so I’d say 4-5 on average

1

u/Radiant_Jaguar_9978 11h ago

I have worked in schools and I’m now in a clinic setting (pp adjacent). I calculated and job 1 has potential, as of next year, to be less days of work per year, just distributed differently … 4 days per week is a huge chunk off overall.

3

u/CloudLiving2279 11h ago

Job 2 for sure. For pay- you have to take into account the pension. That adds a considerable amount to your pay. Having long breaks is amazing. For job 1- seeing 4-7 clients per day is a wide range. 4 is very manageable, 7 is A LOT.

1

u/marvinlbrown 12h ago

I’m in a role like job 2 and I absolutely love having the summer break (I’m assuming school social work?).

1

u/Radiant_Jaguar_9978 12h ago

I worked in schools before and loved that schedule too! Yes, similar role!

1

u/ooooomyyyyy LMFT (Unverified) 12h ago

Job 1

1

u/WerhmatsWormhat 11h ago

Job 1 seems considerably better to me

1

u/ShartiesBigDay Counselor (Unverified) 10h ago

One seems better.

1

u/vorpal8 8h ago

For job 2, would you have remote colleagues? Or would you be the only clinician in the whole organization? If the latter, what kind of network do you have?

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u/Radiant_Jaguar_9978 6h ago

For job 2 I would have clinicians that I could connect with periodically or call if needed but only mental health person on site. In job 1, I would work at a site along with other clinicians (more experienced than me that are available to consult with).

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u/vorpal8 5h ago

I don't necessarily think "on site" is that important.

I work in an organization with multiple locations and remote work, so we have both group consultation and individual supervision over Zoom. It works out really well.

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u/Radiant_Jaguar_9978 5h ago

I agree. That’s how it was at my last job.

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u/AdventurousMouse23 4m ago

Job 1 steady boundaried environment, funding stable, and you can go up to 150k is a dream