Licensed Mental Health Professional Jobs for OPT Students
Licensed Mental Health Professional jobs on OPT require active state licensure, which can be a challenge on a tight OPT timeline. Most roles are STEM-ineligible, so your standard 12-month OPT window applies. Clinical supervision hours, licensure portability across states, and employer willingness to sponsor H-1B after OPT are all factors worth evaluating early.
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NaphCare is hiring Clinicians to join our highly regarded and specialized Jail Based Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) that operates as an adult male intensive mental health unit to promote wellness and recovery at the Forsyth County Law Enforcement and Detention Facility in Winston Salem, NC.
The position is full-time, day-shift hours Monday through Friday.
The Clinician will conduct mental health assessments, develop individualized treatment plans, evaluate treatment goals, and provide individual and group therapy using psychoeducation, evidenced-based therapies, coping and social skills building, and support to improve patients’ symptoms of mental illness and/or disability, functioning, and overall well-being. The ideal candidate has experience working with serious mental illness and/or in a correctional setting, and in working within a multidisciplinary team.
The BHU unit is a therapeutic environment, providing intensive partial day treatment. By providing patient-centered, evidenced-based, and holistic care, the BHU helps patients living with mental illness and/or disability understand their need for treatment and provides the opportunities needed for these individuals to learn how to maximize their wellness and functioning within the facility’s general population. Following an approximate 12-week mental health psychoeducational and clinical curriculum, BHU graduates learn the skills and insight needed to move forward with their lives in a healthier place.
NaphCare is partnered with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office to provide this program, and the Clinician is an employee or contractor of NaphCare, Inc.
The Clinician will work with a team of other clinicians, discharge planner, psychiatric nurse practitioner, and mental health director to provide comprehensive mental health services on the BHU.
Responsibilities:
- Serve as a contributing member of the multidisciplinary treatment team
- Conduct and document initial (or updates to existing) mental health assessments
- Perform and document treatment plans and treatment team review notes
- Maintain an individual caseload of BHU patients for individual treatment and documentation
- Conduct brief daily check-ins with individual caseload
- Provide group therapeutic and psychoeducational services
- Conduct crisis intervention and suicide/safety risk assessments as warranted
- Assist in outcomes assessments of the BHU patients (e.g., screening measures; data entry)
- Coordinate with health and correctional staff regarding patients’ mental health care
- Participate in educational and training activities related to mental health care for patients, security personnel, and healthcare staff
- Demonstrate knowledge of DSM-V-TR criteria and mental health practice standards
QUALIFICATIONS
- Masters prepared candidate with active, unrestricted licensure as a clinician (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LPC, etc.) in the state of North Carolina
- Knowledge of the DSM-V-TR criteria and conditions
- Knowledge of evidenced-based and/or empirically informed treatments for serious mental illness and major mental disorders (e.g., neurodevelopmental disorders)
- At least 1 year of experience, including working with adults living with serious mental illness and/or in a correctional or adult inpatient mental health environment, preferred but not required
WHY JOIN NAPCARE?
NaphCare is one of the largest providers of healthcare services to correctional facilities throughout the US, and we are growing. If you have never considered a career in correctional healthcare, now may be the time. In addition to competitive salaries and generous employee benefits, we strongly support career advancement within the company.
NAPCARE BENEFITS FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES INCLUDE:
- Health, dental & vision insurance that starts day one!
- Prescriptions free of charge through our health plan, beginning day one
- Lowest Cost Benefits!
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services
- 401K and Roth with company contribution that starts day one!
- Tuition Assistance
- Referral bonuses
- Term life insurance at no cost to the employee
- Generous paid time off & paid holidays
- Free continuing education and CMEs
WANT A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORK IN A JAIL? SEE WHAT OUR MHPS DO:
NaphCare - Life as a Mental Health Professional - YouTube
Equal Opportunity Employer: disability/veteran
Follow Us: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Advancing Correctional Healthcare | NaphCare
Overview:
NaphCare is hiring Clinicians to join our highly regarded and specialized Jail Based Behavioral Health Unit (BHU) that operates as an adult male intensive mental health unit to promote wellness and recovery at the Forsyth County Law Enforcement and Detention Facility in Winston Salem, NC.
The position is full-time, day-shift hours Monday through Friday.
The Clinician will conduct mental health assessments, develop individualized treatment plans, evaluate treatment goals, and provide individual and group therapy using psychoeducation, evidenced-based therapies, coping and social skills building, and support to improve patients’ symptoms of mental illness and/or disability, functioning, and overall well-being. The ideal candidate has experience working with serious mental illness and/or in a correctional setting, and in working within a multidisciplinary team.
The BHU unit is a therapeutic environment, providing intensive partial day treatment. By providing patient-centered, evidenced-based, and holistic care, the BHU helps patients living with mental illness and/or disability understand their need for treatment and provides the opportunities needed for these individuals to learn how to maximize their wellness and functioning within the facility’s general population. Following an approximate 12-week mental health psychoeducational and clinical curriculum, BHU graduates learn the skills and insight needed to move forward with their lives in a healthier place.
NaphCare is partnered with the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office to provide this program, and the Clinician is an employee or contractor of NaphCare, Inc.
The Clinician will work with a team of other clinicians, discharge planner, psychiatric nurse practitioner, and mental health director to provide comprehensive mental health services on the BHU.
Responsibilities:
- Serve as a contributing member of the multidisciplinary treatment team
- Conduct and document initial (or updates to existing) mental health assessments
- Perform and document treatment plans and treatment team review notes
- Maintain an individual caseload of BHU patients for individual treatment and documentation
- Conduct brief daily check-ins with individual caseload
- Provide group therapeutic and psychoeducational services
- Conduct crisis intervention and suicide/safety risk assessments as warranted
- Assist in outcomes assessments of the BHU patients (e.g., screening measures; data entry)
- Coordinate with health and correctional staff regarding patients’ mental health care
- Participate in educational and training activities related to mental health care for patients, security personnel, and healthcare staff
- Demonstrate knowledge of DSM-V-TR criteria and mental health practice standards
QUALIFICATIONS
- Masters prepared candidate with active, unrestricted licensure as a clinician (LCSW, LMHC, LMFT, LPC, etc.) in the state of North Carolina
- Knowledge of the DSM-V-TR criteria and conditions
- Knowledge of evidenced-based and/or empirically informed treatments for serious mental illness and major mental disorders (e.g., neurodevelopmental disorders)
- At least 1 year of experience, including working with adults living with serious mental illness and/or in a correctional or adult inpatient mental health environment, preferred but not required
WHY JOIN NAPCARE?
NaphCare is one of the largest providers of healthcare services to correctional facilities throughout the US, and we are growing. If you have never considered a career in correctional healthcare, now may be the time. In addition to competitive salaries and generous employee benefits, we strongly support career advancement within the company.
NAPCARE BENEFITS FOR FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES INCLUDE:
- Health, dental & vision insurance that starts day one!
- Prescriptions free of charge through our health plan, beginning day one
- Lowest Cost Benefits!
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services
- 401K and Roth with company contribution that starts day one!
- Tuition Assistance
- Referral bonuses
- Term life insurance at no cost to the employee
- Generous paid time off & paid holidays
- Free continuing education and CMEs
WANT A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO WORK IN A JAIL? SEE WHAT OUR MHPS DO:
NaphCare - Life as a Mental Health Professional - YouTube
Equal Opportunity Employer: disability/veteran
Follow Us: Instagram | Facebook | LinkedIn | Advancing Correctional Healthcare | NaphCare
How to Get Visa Sponsorship in Licensed Mental Health Professional
Confirm licensure requirements before applying
State licensure requirements vary significantly. Verify that your degree meets the supervised hours and exam requirements for the state where you plan to work before accepting any offer, since unlicensed practice is not permitted in most clinical roles.
Target employers with H-1B sponsorship history
Hospitals, federally qualified health centers, and large behavioral health networks have stronger H-1B sponsorship track records than private practices. Prioritize employers with infrastructure for immigration paperwork, since solo practitioners rarely have experience sponsoring foreign national clinicians.
Understand your OPT timeline relative to licensure
Obtaining full licensure often takes 12 to 24 months of post-graduation supervised hours. If your OPT window expires before you complete those hours, your work authorization gap could disrupt the licensure process, so plan timelines carefully with your employer.
Ask about cap-exempt H-1B sponsorship
Universities, nonprofit research institutions, and government-affiliated mental health agencies may qualify as cap-exempt H-1B employers. These roles bypass the H-1B lottery entirely, which is a meaningful advantage for clinicians whose OPT is expiring before the next cap season.
Clarify supervision hours count toward licensure during OPT
Confirm with your state licensing board that hours accrued under OPT will count toward your licensure requirements. Some boards scrutinize the employment authorization type, and getting clarity in writing before you start protects your hours from being invalidated later.
Address H-1B sponsorship in your interview strategically
Raise the sponsorship conversation after you have demonstrated clinical fit, not as an opener. Frame it as a long-term retention question. Employers invest significantly in hiring and training clinicians, and sponsorship is often easier to justify once they see your value to the team.
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Get Access To All JobsFrequently Asked Questions
Can I work as a Licensed Mental Health Professional on OPT?
Yes, but you must hold valid state licensure for the role you are performing. OPT authorizes employment in your field of study, and most licensed mental health roles require a state-issued license as a baseline condition of employment. If you are still accumulating supervised hours toward full licensure, your job title and scope of practice must reflect your current unlicensed or provisionally licensed status.
Are Licensed Mental Health Professional jobs STEM OPT eligible?
Most licensed mental health roles are not STEM OPT eligible because the underlying degree programs, such as counseling, social work, and marriage and family therapy, are not on the USCIS STEM designated degree list. Clinical psychology doctorates may qualify in some cases depending on the CIP code assigned by your institution. Check with your DSO to confirm your specific degree classification before assuming STEM extension eligibility.
How do I find Licensed Mental Health Professional jobs that sponsor OPT workers?
Migrate Mate is the recommended starting point. It focuses specifically on employers open to sponsoring international candidates, which filters out the significant portion of mental health employers, particularly small private practices, that will not consider OPT workers. Larger health systems, federally qualified health centers, and university counseling centers are the employer types most likely to appear in that pool.
What happens to my supervised clinical hours if my OPT expires before I complete licensure?
If your OPT expires and you do not have a bridge visa such as an H-1B or a cap-exempt alternative, you lose work authorization and cannot legally continue accruing supervised hours. Depending on your state, an extended gap in supervised practice may require you to restart your supervision clock. It is important to begin the H-1B or alternative sponsorship conversation with your employer well before your OPT end date.
Can a private practice or solo practitioner sponsor my H-1B after OPT?
Technically yes, but it is uncommon. H-1B sponsorship requires the employer to file a Labor Condition Application with the Department of Labor, pay USCIS filing fees, and work with an immigration attorney. Most solo practitioners and small group practices lack the administrative capacity or budget for this process. Your strongest sponsorship prospects are with health systems, nonprofits, and institutions that have existing HR and legal infrastructure.
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