Hiring Now :
Associate Therapist
Associate Therapist Position in SF/Oakland - July 2025
SF Bay Play Therapy Family Counseling Center is hiring one associate or licensed MFT who is interested in joining our team of dedicated play therapists and building up a full caseload of child and family clients out of our San Francisco location. This is NOT a “get your kid hours and get out” position! It’s more of a “OMG I found other play therapists who get the struggle and passion to work with kids and can support me!!” position.
SF Bay Play Therapy Family Counseling Center was created with the intent to provide holistic, in-depth play therapy services and education for families with young children in a private practice setting in the Bay Area. We combine individual and family play therapy with children ages 4-12 with parent coaching that focuses on attachment, play, and healing our hurts through healthy supportive relationships. Based in the cities of San Francisco and Oakland we aspire to provide a supportive hand in the difficult job of growing up and the hard work of parenting in a society that does not value emotions or understand the language of children: PLAY! Through education and support of our clinicians, we empower clients to create sustainable change for a lifetime that will change this world’s future. As Hand in Hand Parenting’s motto says: Change parenting, and change the world.
As an employer and supervisors we value connection, authenticity, equity, and continued growth as therapists, humans, and playing people!
A bit more about the job and perks:
More about the job and perks
Training start date: June 2025
Clinical start date: July 7 2025
Work Schedule:
See child and family clients in the San Francisco Office: Tuesdays 2-8pm and Sundays any 6-8 hour window of your choosing and that works with clients. Option to see clients Saturdays and/or Sundays in Oakland office.
Parent collateral sessions: 10 per week via telehealth, flexible schedule
Group supervision and training hour at Oakland office (every other week virtual): Thursday 11am-2pm Consult Group with Karen Wolfe: Every other Monday 1-2pm
5 hours of Child Centered Play Therapy Training with Nauser Wolfe in person in the Oakland office: Scheduled directly with Nauser
5 hours of Filial Therapy Training scheduled with Nauser or Karen Wolfe
Office locations
San Francisco (for in-person clients) : 2354 Post St, San Francisco 94115 Oakland (for group supervision): 3655 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610 Orinda (for gatherings): Greenwood Court, Orinda, CA 94563
Compensation
Starting Pay: $35-$40 per clinical hour to start. Raises are entertained based on review at 3 months of employment (pay: $40-$50), 6 months of employment ($50-$60), and annually thereafter
$20 per admin/supervision/mandatory training (5-10 hrs/wk)
Job Type: Full Time/Hybrid
Qualifications to Apply:
If you are interested fill out the screening questions and email them along with your cover letter and resume to [email protected] with the title "Associateship for SF Bay Play Therapy Family Counseling Center”
Screening Questions
1. Why do you want to join a group private practice focusing on doing play therapy with children ages 5-10 at this time?
2. What is your experience with using child-centered play therapy with children ages 5-10?
3. What is your experience with therapist-directed therapies (both expressive arts and CBT) with children ages 5-12?
4. Are you interested in being part of a community of close-knit play therapists and training in Sand Tray, Hand in Hand Parenting, and Child-Centered Play Therapy?
5. Does the schedule work for you?
Office locations:
2354 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94 3655 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610 Greenwood Ct, Orinda, CA 94563
6. . Are you able to come to Oakland or Orinda for group supervision/training/business meeting on Thursdays 11am-2pm as well as an additional hour of individual/triadic supervision virtually scheduled with your supervisor on a Monday-Friday?
7. Are you able to build up to 25 clients per week (onboarding 2 per week until your caseload is full. Referrals will come through the practice. No need to market yourself unless you desire to)?
8. What do you think clinically and how do you feel about rough house play with children in therapy (e.g. pillow fights, a child using a foam sword to pretend to cut off your limbs, nerf gun fights, figurine wars in which the child has you always lose by blowing up your house, killing your guy, etc)?
9. Are you interested in seeing couples? Are you interested in learning Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy? What training/experience with couples do you have?
10. When do you anticipate getting your license?
11. When are you available to begin?
SF Bay Play Therapy Family Counseling Center was created with the intent to provide holistic, in-depth play therapy services and education for families with young children in a private practice setting in the Bay Area. We combine individual and family play therapy with children ages 4-12 with parent coaching that focuses on attachment, play, and healing our hurts through healthy supportive relationships. Based in the cities of San Francisco and Oakland we aspire to provide a supportive hand in the difficult job of growing up and the hard work of parenting in a society that does not value emotions or understand the language of children: PLAY! Through education and support of our clinicians, we empower clients to create sustainable change for a lifetime that will change this world’s future. As Hand in Hand Parenting’s motto says: Change parenting, and change the world.
As an employer and supervisors we value connection, authenticity, equity, and continued growth as therapists, humans, and playing people!
A bit more about the job and perks:
More about the job and perks
Training start date: June 2025
Clinical start date: July 7 2025
Work Schedule:
See child and family clients in the San Francisco Office: Tuesdays 2-8pm and Sundays any 6-8 hour window of your choosing and that works with clients. Option to see clients Saturdays and/or Sundays in Oakland office.
Parent collateral sessions: 10 per week via telehealth, flexible schedule
Group supervision and training hour at Oakland office (every other week virtual): Thursday 11am-2pm Consult Group with Karen Wolfe: Every other Monday 1-2pm
5 hours of Child Centered Play Therapy Training with Nauser Wolfe in person in the Oakland office: Scheduled directly with Nauser
5 hours of Filial Therapy Training scheduled with Nauser or Karen Wolfe
Office locations
San Francisco (for in-person clients) : 2354 Post St, San Francisco 94115 Oakland (for group supervision): 3655 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610 Orinda (for gatherings): Greenwood Court, Orinda, CA 94563
- Small group of dedicated play therapists. We strive to create a family feel!
- Large fully stocked play therapy offices
- Flexible telehealth hours in addition to your dedicated in-person hours
- Connect to a team of other play therapists as well as our extended network to collaborate and share the joys and challenges of doing play therapy with kids!
- Targeted tools for including parents in therapy!
- Deep training in Hand in Hand Parenting through one 8-week, 22 CEU's, intensive taught by Karen Wolfe, LMFT ($900 retail value) as well as training throughout the year to integrate into practice
- Annual training and semi-annual consultation in Treating Internalized Oppression by Heidi Stauber, LMFT (retail value $1000)
- Quarterly trainings by specialists in topics of interest to the team (retail value $500-$1000)
- Weekly group supervision
- Individual or Triadic telehealth supervision with Chheng Ear, LCSW once clinician has onboarded 10 clients
- Weekly training hour led by Karen Wolfe, LMFT or guest trainer on Hand in Hand Parenting tools, Directive Play Therapy Techniques, and topics of interest that can include Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique for Adults, Somatic Inquiry for Adults, Collaborative Problem Solving for Parents, etc etc
- Bi-weekly Consult hour with Karen Wolfe, LMFT
- Semi-annual team outings and gatherings
- Access to extensive online training library
Compensation
Starting Pay: $35-$40 per clinical hour to start. Raises are entertained based on review at 3 months of employment (pay: $40-$50), 6 months of employment ($50-$60), and annually thereafter
$20 per admin/supervision/mandatory training (5-10 hrs/wk)
Job Type: Full Time/Hybrid
Qualifications to Apply:
- Master’s Degree
- Active AMFT license in CA
- Minimum of one school year experience doing play therapy with children age 5-12 (no exceptions. Work with children beyond this preferred)
- Able to see clients in person in San Francisco and attend group supervision in Oakland every other week (every other week is virtual) as per available office days (see below) as well as over Telehealth
- Personable, energetic and compassionate personality
Availability Needed: Full Time
25 Clinical Hours/week:
8-10 Administrative/Supervisory Hours per week:
**It can take anywhere from 3-6 months to build up to 25 clinical hours weekly**
Example of a Full Schedule, including admin and supervision (from a real clinician’s calendar)
Sunday (in office) 11am-6pm (lunch break 1-2pm)
Monday(all telehealth): 11am-3pm. Every other week Consultation group with Karen Wolfe 1-2pm.
Tuesday (in office): 11:30-7:30pm
Wednesday (all telehealth): 11:30-3:30pm, 5-6pm
Thursday: 10am-10:45am (telehealth) 11am-2pm (in person supervision in oakland), 4-5pm (Telehealth)
Friday and Saturday: OFF
Other Benefits - Opportunity to contribute to a retirement plan and 2% total wage matching from employer
- Sick Time accrual (1 hour per 30 hours worked)
- Malpractice insurance coverage
- Built-in pipeline of child clients
- Opportunity to focus on clients without marketing, creating forms, online presence, etc
- Online presence on the website and groups/offerings you create marketed through our social media and newsletter accounts
Applicant Requirements:
- Must have a minimum of one school year's experience doing play therapy with children ages 5-10
- Must have a passion for working with children and families (it is unlikely you will see adult individuals in this practice so you must love play therapy with kids!)
- Must have interest and stamina to have 25 clinical hours with children/families per week
- Must maintain a minimum of 5 clients per office day and 10 Telehealth sessions per week
- Must be able to attend group supervision/training on Thursdays in 11am-2pm (every other week in Oakland or Orinda, the other weeks via zoom)
- Must be able to attend individual/triadic supervision scheduled with supervisor on a Monday-Friday as required by the BBS
- Must have an active AMFT number in good standing to apply
- Must be able to onboard a minimum of 2 clients per week until caseload is full
- We ask for an intention to stay with our group for a minimum of 1 year (we ideally like to work with clinicians 2+ years). We offer licensed positions for those who would like to stay on
- Contact clients within 24 business hours to schedule intake sessions after the intake coordinator connects you
- Promptly create and keep all billing and client documentation up to date, accurate and complete in a manner that meets the industry regulations including progress notes, consent forms, good faith estimates, etc.
- Provide therapeutic treatment services and/or interventions such as, but not limited to; skills-training, psychoeducation, psychotherapy (individual, family, and/or group), crisis services, linkages, and referrals.
- Attend weekly group supervision/Training and Business Meeting Thursdays 11am-2pm. Every other week is virtual, and the other weeks are in Oakland or Orinda.
- Must weekly individual or triadic supervision (triadic begins after 6+ months when you and your supervisor agree)
- Abide by all laws, rules, regulations, and code of ethics as set forth by the BBS, CAMFT, and other associated regulating bodies.
- Track hours using payroll system and submit payroll information by the 2nd of every month
- Master's Degree in Psychology, Social Work, or Marriage and Family Counseling (required)
- A minimum of one year experience working with school-age children and families providing individual
and family play therapy - Prefer if you have experience working with children with learning differences such as sensory processing disorder, ADHD, and high functioning Autism, or at least a desire to learn
- Strong ability to personally relate one-on-one with each client and build solid relationships
- Strong interest in working with supervisors to vulnerably self-reflect and grow as a person and therapist
- You have a passion for supporting and working with children
- Willing to work after school hours and evenings
- Ability to commit to working with a family on a continuous basis for 6 months at a minimum (we do long term person-centered therapy).
- Ability to manage client-induced anxiety and set boundaries with intrusive clients in a loving and healthy manner
- Ability to tolerate the stress of being a new therapist and ask for help during designated supervision times
If you are interested fill out the screening questions and email them along with your cover letter and resume to [email protected] with the title "Associateship for SF Bay Play Therapy Family Counseling Center”
Screening Questions
1. Why do you want to join a group private practice focusing on doing play therapy with children ages 5-10 at this time?
2. What is your experience with using child-centered play therapy with children ages 5-10?
3. What is your experience with therapist-directed therapies (both expressive arts and CBT) with children ages 5-12?
4. Are you interested in being part of a community of close-knit play therapists and training in Sand Tray, Hand in Hand Parenting, and Child-Centered Play Therapy?
5. Does the schedule work for you?
Office locations:
2354 Post St, San Francisco, CA 94 3655 Grand Ave, Oakland, CA 94610 Greenwood Ct, Orinda, CA 94563
6. . Are you able to come to Oakland or Orinda for group supervision/training/business meeting on Thursdays 11am-2pm as well as an additional hour of individual/triadic supervision virtually scheduled with your supervisor on a Monday-Friday?
7. Are you able to build up to 25 clients per week (onboarding 2 per week until your caseload is full. Referrals will come through the practice. No need to market yourself unless you desire to)?
8. What do you think clinically and how do you feel about rough house play with children in therapy (e.g. pillow fights, a child using a foam sword to pretend to cut off your limbs, nerf gun fights, figurine wars in which the child has you always lose by blowing up your house, killing your guy, etc)?
9. Are you interested in seeing couples? Are you interested in learning Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy? What training/experience with couples do you have?
10. When do you anticipate getting your license?
11. When are you available to begin?