Behavioral Health Specialist Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
California is one of the largest markets for behavioral health specialist roles in the U.S., with health systems like Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, and Dignity Health regularly hiring in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Sacramento. The state's Medi-Cal expansion and ongoing investment in community mental health programs have sustained steady demand for qualified candidates.
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INTRODUCTION
Founded in 1977 as the Senior Care Action Network, SCAN began with a simple but radical idea: that older adults deserve to stay healthy and independent. That belief was championed by a group of community activists we still honor today as the “12 Angry Seniors.” Their mission continues to guide everything we do.
Today, SCAN is a nonprofit health organization serving more than 500,000 people across Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, and Washington, with over $8 billion in annual revenue. With nearly five decades of experience, we have built a distinctive, values-driven platform dedicated to improving care for older adults.
Our work spans Medicare Advantage, fully integrated care models, primary care, care for the most medically and socially complex populations, and next-generation care delivery models. Across all of this, we are united by a shared commitment: combining compassion with discipline, innovation with stewardship, and growth with integrity.
At SCAN, we believe scale should strengthen—not dilute—our mission. We are building the future of care for older adults, grounded in purpose, accountability, and respect for the people and communities we serve.
THE JOB
The purpose of the Behavioral Health Specialist, Embrace is to collaboratively assess, plan, implement, coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the member’s mental health needs through a collaborative care model. Focusing on members’ behavioral and mental health serves to wholistically support the member and potentially prevent unwanted or unnecessary events across the continuum of care.
YOU WILL
The Behavioral Health Specialist, Embrace would function in the following ways:
- Provide short-term mental health treatment to members including assessment, diagnosis, treatment planning, interventions (individual and group), and discharge/aftercare planning.
- Manage members identified with mild to severe mental illness.
- Ensure and evaluate clinical appropriateness of care plan by incorporating assessment findings against evidence-based guidelines, clinical reasoning, clinical practice guidelines and/or best practices in the community.
- Provide education and coaching surrounding behavioral and mental health therapies, interventions, and pharmacological approaches.
- Create interventions and overall plan of care for members identified with a BH/MH diagnosis through risk stratification.
- Increase the ability of clients to live safely in the community by working collaboratively with family, caregivers, primary care team, psychiatrist, community resource providers and others involved in the life and well-being of the client.
- Enhance department and organization activities by identifying opportunities for improvement to existing processes.
- Participate in activities to support professional growth through education opportunities, reading professional publications, maintain professional networks, and participating in professional organizations.
- Maintain confidential information by following all HIPAA regulations, policy and procedures, compliance and regulatory directives and by completing required documentation in a timely, professional and accurate manner.
- Actively support and advance SCAN’s vision, mission, and strategic goals.
- Other duties as assigned.
- We seek Rebels who are curious about AI and its power to transform how we operate and serve our members.
YOUR QUALIFICATIONS
- Master’s Degree preferred.
- LCSW or LMFT, required.
- 2-5 years Behavioral and/or Mental Health Experience, required.
- 3+ Year post-Licensure Clinical Practice, preferred.
- Coaching.
- Motivational interviewing.
- Ability to build strong rapport.
WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?
- Base salary range: $34.47 to $49.87 hourly.
- Work Mode: Hybrid (Southern CA: Los Angeles, Orange County, San Bernardino).
- An annual employee bonus program.
- Robust Wellness Program.
- Generous paid-time-off (PTO).
- Eleven paid holidays per year, plus 1 floating holiday, plus 1 birthday holiday.
- Excellent 401(k) Retirement Saving Plan with employer match and contribution.
- Robust employee recognition program.
- Tuition reimbursement.
- An opportunity to become part of a team that makes a difference to our members and our community every day!
We're always looking for talented people to join our team! Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply now!
At SCAN we believe that it is our business to improve the state of our world. Each of us has a responsibility to drive Equality in our communities and workplaces. We are committed to creating a workforce that reflects our community through inclusive programs and initiatives such as equal pay, employee resource groups, inclusive benefits, and more.
SCAN is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action workplace. Individuals seeking employment will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, age, marital status, disability, protected veteran status or any other status protected by law. A background check is required.
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Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)
Behavioral Health Specialist Job Roles in California
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Search Behavioral Health Specialist Jobs in CaliforniaBehavioral Health Specialist Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for behavioral health specialists in California?
Large integrated health systems are the most active sponsors for behavioral health specialist roles in California. Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, Dignity Health, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center have established HR infrastructure to support H-1B visa and other work visa petitions. County behavioral health departments, federally qualified health centers, and large nonprofit providers like Telecare Corporation also sponsor international candidates, particularly for roles tied to underserved community mental health programs.
Which visa types are most common for behavioral health specialist roles in California?
The H-1B is the most common visa category for behavioral health specialists in California, provided the role requires a relevant bachelor's degree or higher in psychology, social work, counseling, or a related field. Some positions may qualify under the TN visa for Canadian and Mexican nationals if the role fits an eligible USMCA occupation. For candidates with exceptional credentials, the O-1 visa is another pathway, though it requires demonstrating sustained recognition in the field.
Which cities in California have the most behavioral health specialist sponsorship jobs?
Los Angeles and the broader Southern California region consistently post the highest volume of behavioral health specialist openings due to county mental health system scale and a large concentration of hospital networks. San Francisco and the Bay Area have strong demand driven by healthcare technology companies and community health organizations. San Diego, Sacramento, and Fresno also show meaningful hiring activity, with Sacramento-area roles often tied to state government behavioral health initiatives.
How to find behavioral health specialist visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate filters job listings specifically to roles where employers have a documented history of visa sponsorship, making it a practical starting point for behavioral health specialists targeting California. You can search by role and state to surface openings at health systems, county programs, and nonprofit providers that are open to sponsoring international candidates. Filtering for California directly narrows results to the markets with the most active hiring activity for this specialty.
Are there state-specific considerations for behavioral health specialists seeking sponsorship in California?
California requires behavioral health specialists to meet state licensure or certification standards, which vary by specific role title. Employers sponsoring an H-1B must pay the prevailing wage for the position and location as determined by the Department of Labor, and California's high cost-of-living metro areas generally produce higher prevailing wage benchmarks than national averages. Candidates should also be aware that licensure reciprocity is not automatic, and some international degree credentials may require evaluation before California licensing boards will accept them.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored behavioral health specialist jobs in California?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.