Mental Health Counselor Jobs in Illinois

Are you a person of compassion? An advocate for justice? Someone who stands up for the rights of the vulnerable and speaks out for the marginalized, the exploited and the forgotten? Do you believe in our calling as Christians to welcome the least of these and love our neighbor?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, World Relief, and millions of people around the world need you.

At this pivotal moment in time, we are rapidly expanding and growing our team to meet the increasing needs of our world. We are looking for people who want to use their gifts and talents to make a real and tangible difference in our world and the lives of the suffering.

If you’re looking for a purpose-driven career in which you can grow your talents, while also standing up for the rights of the vulnerable, we want you to join us today.

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization whose mission is to boldly engage the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church. The organization was founded in the aftermath of World War II to respond to the urgent humanitarian needs of war-torn Europe. Since then, for 80 years, across 100 countries, World Relief has partnered with local churches and communities to build a world where families thrive and communities flourish.

Today, organizational programming focuses on humanitarian and disaster response, community strengthening and resilience, and refugee & immigrant services and advocacy.

Position Summary:

World Relief seeks a Bilingual (Spanish) Mental Health Counselor who provides culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate mental health services to refugees and immigrants through individual, family, and group counseling. This role delivers clinical assessment, treatment, and ongoing support to promote emotional well-being and stability. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, the counselor collaborates with colleagues to provide holistic, client-centered care through wellness, prevention, and supportive services. The counselor also facilitates therapy and wellness groups, which serve as key interventions in helping clients build resilience, achieve stability, and successfully integrate into their communities over the long term.

This position is full-time with 4 days in the office and 1 day of remote work.

ROLE & RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conduct client intake interviews and comprehensive assessments to identify needs and inform treatment planning.
• Establish and maintain positive, trusting, and culturally responsive therapeutic relationships with clients.
• Collaborate with clients to develop individualized treatment plans, including measurable goals and objectives tailored to their unique circumstances.
• Provide counseling and therapeutic interventions that align with client goals, strengths, and cultural backgrounds.
• Continuously evaluate client progress, adjust treatment approaches as needed, and provide ongoing support and care.
• Deliver crisis intervention services and appropriate referrals when necessary.
• Maintain strict confidentiality and ensure compliance with all HIPAA policies, procedures, and ethical standards.
• Partner with World Relief staff and external organizations to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate wellness programs, psychoeducational workshops, and community-based services that promote overall well-being. Supports referrals and follow-up for continuity of care.
• Build and maintain collaborative relationships with community organizations, healthcare providers, and county agencies to ensure continuity of care and access to supportive resources.
• Work closely with the Counseling Center Manager, and with the oversight of the Counseling Center Director to develop, implement, and evaluate new program initiatives, including group therapy services, while continuously enhancing service quality and effectiveness.
• Contribute expertise, clinical knowledge, and professional development resources to a multidisciplinary team environment.
• Participate regularly in internal and external trainings to maintain professional competencies and uphold high-quality service standards.
• Maintain accurate, timely, and thorough client records, including case files, treatment documentation, progress notes, and all required administrative paperwork.
• Coordinate a work schedule in collaboration with the Counseling Center Manager to meet client needs, including availability during two weekday evenings or one weekday evening and one weekend day as required.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Mature and personal Christian faith
• Committed to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief
• Desire to serve and empower the Church to impact vulnerable communities
• Able to affirm and/or acknowledge World Relief's Core Beliefs, Statement of Faith, Christian Identity and National Association of Evangelicals' For the Health of The Nation document
• Master’s Degree in Social Work, Counseling, Psychology or other relevant behavioral health field and two years of postgraduate direct service delivery experience.
• Currently licensed or license eligible in respective field and in the State of Illinois (to include but not limited to LPC, LCPC, LSW, LCSW)
• Fluency in Spanish required.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt therapeutic interventions and counseling approaches to meet the cultural, linguistic, and individual needs of diverse client populations.
• Experience applying trauma-informed care principles and leveraging client strengths, resilience, and protective factors throughout the treatment process is strongly preferred.
• Strong critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative solution-development skills, with the ability to respond effectively to complex client situations.
• Ability to conduct risk assessments related to suicide, self-harm, domestic violence, and other behavioral health concerns.
• Proficiency in utilizing telehealth platforms and maintaining accurate electronic documentation, with strong computer literacy and keyboarding skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Proficiency in Canva for creating educational materials, presentations, outreach resources, and workshop content. Experience using SharePoint for document management, collaboration, information sharing, and organizational communication.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage a caseload, prioritize tasks, and meet documentation deadlines.
• Highly adaptable and flexible, with the ability to thrive in a dynamic and evolving work environment while managing competing priorities effectively. Must possess a valid driver’s license and maintain an acceptable Motor Vehicle Record (MVR) in accordance with company standards

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Ability to learn to adapt therapeutic approach to cultural context
• Experience or interest in being trained in trauma-informed principles and building on the strengths and resilience of clients during treatment
• Good problem solving and creative thinking skills
• Proficiency with using telehealth platforms and moderate computer literacy & typing skills; familiarity with MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint a plus
• Adaptability: eager to work in a challenging, fluid and often changing environment

World Relief offers a competitive benefits package and employee discount program for full-time, Regular, employees.

World Relief is honored to be recognized with the Gold-level Cigna Healthy Workforce Designation for exceeding the core components of our well-being program including leadership and culture, program foundations and execution, and whole person health.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA employer M/F/D/V. We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.

For World Relief staff, strong commitment to the mission, vision, and values of World Relief is essential, and Christian faith is a prerequisite for employment, based upon United States federal guidelines provided in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.