Salem, Oregon | 1099 Independent Contractor
Most of the people contacting our practice right now are asking to see someone in person.
We love telehealth, but it's clear that some people are longing to be in a room with another human being: to feel accompanied, noticed, and less alone.
Wholehearted Counseling is looking for one or two independently licensed Oregon therapists who genuinely want to build an in-person practice in Salem.
We are not simply looking for someone who can provide therapy. We are looking for someone who cares deeply about being a good therapist: someone thoughtful, curious, emotionally attuned, and willing to keep growing.
About Wholehearted
We believe people are already worthy before they change, heal, achieve, explain themselves, or become easier for others to understand.
We believe the parts of people that protect, avoid, please, shut down, become anxious, grow angry, or try to maintain control usually developed for understandable reasons. Good therapy does not begin by trying to eliminate those parts. It begins with curiosity about what they have been carrying and what they have been trying to protect.
Our practice is trauma-informed, relational, culturally responsive, LGBTQIA+-affirming, and grounded in self-compassion and social justice. Many of us are drawn to IFS, attachment-based work, EMDR, EFT, somatic approaches, and other models that understand people in context rather than reducing them to symptoms.
IFS training is welcome but not required. We are most interested in clinicians who share the underlying posture: compassionate, nonpathologizing, curious, and respectful of the many different parts and identities a person brings into therapy.
The Clinician We Hope to Meet
You may feel at home here if:
- You believe the relationship between therapist and client is central to healing
- You are interested in what lies beneath a behavior rather than quickly labeling or correcting it
- You care about doing meaningful clinical work, not simply completing sessions
- You value humility, authenticity, nuance, and ongoing self-reflection
- You provide affirming care to LGBTQIA+ clients and understand that identity and social context belong in the therapy room
- You want professional autonomy without feeling professionally alone
- You enjoy in-person therapy and want it to be a meaningful part of your practice
- You are independently licensed and comfortable managing the responsibilities of outpatient private-practice work
- You want to build and sustain approximately 20–25 completed sessions per week, with the option to offer more if that is healthy and sustainable for you
This may be particularly meaningful to therapists who have sometimes felt too sensitive, too queer, too earnest, too complex, or too unwilling to separate clinical work from the realities of culture and power. You do not need to become less human in order to be taken seriously here.
At the same time, warmth is not a substitute for professionalism. We value clinicians who are dependable, communicate clearly, complete documentation on time, practice within their competence, and respond thoughtfully when something is difficult.
The Opportunity
This is an in-person 1099 independent-contractor position in Salem.
Telehealth may be part of your schedule, but we are specifically hiring because the majority of our current inquiries are from people seeking face-to-face therapy. This will not be the right position for someone primarily looking for remote work or a very small supplemental caseload.
The opportunity is designed for a clinician who wants to build toward approximately 20–25 completed sessions per week. Contractors determine their own schedules, the appointment times they make available, and the referrals they accept.
We are especially interested in clinicians who enjoy working with one or more of the following:
- Trauma and complex trauma
- Relational trauma or emotional abuse
- Women’s mental health and major life transitions
- LGBTQIA+ clients
- Neurodivergent and highly sensitive clients
- Teens and young adults
- Couples and relationship concerns
- Attachment wounds
- EMDR, IFS, parts work, somatic approaches, or other depth-oriented therapies
You do not need to specialize in every area. We would rather know what work feels genuinely alive and meaningful to you.
What Wholehearted Provides
We provide the infrastructure that allows you to focus primarily on clinical work:
- Furnished professional office space in Salem
- A steady practice presence and established referral relationships
- Response to new-client inquiries and assistance matching clients with clinicians
- Insurance credentialing and enrollment support
- Claims submission, billing, payment posting, and follow-up
- TherapyNotes EHR
- Practice marketing
- Administrative and operational support
- Transparent collections and compensation reporting
- Opportunities for consultation and connection
- Coordination with psychiatric medication providers when appropriate and desired
- The option to provide telehealth services elsewhere in Oregon
We cannot guarantee a specific caseload, income, or pace of growth. We can say honestly that we are currently receiving more requests for in-person therapy than our existing clinicians can accommodate.
Compensation
Compensation begins at 60% of collected revenue.
Under our current commercial insurance contracts, this generally equals approximately $85–$119 for a collected 60-minute individual therapy session, with a current simple average of approximately $99 per session.
Actual compensation varies based on payer, service, client responsibility, and the amount collected. Contractors receive transparent reporting showing the revenue collected and the corresponding contractor payment.
About the 1099 Structure
This is a true independent-contractor opportunity, not a salaried employee role.
You choose your schedule, decide which referrals you accept, exercise independent clinical judgment, and may maintain other professional work. Contractors are responsible for their own taxes, liability insurance, licensing expenses, continuing education, and benefits. Hours, referrals, and income are not guaranteed.
Previous 1099 or private-practice experience is helpful but not necessary. We will explain our systems and compensation process clearly. We do, however, want someone who feels comfortable with the autonomy and responsibility of independent-contractor work rather than someone hoping it will function like a traditional employee position.
Qualifications
- Active, unrestricted independent Oregon clinical license
- Master’s or doctoral degree in an appropriate mental health field
- Ability to practice independently and manage routine outpatient clinical risk
- Professional liability insurance, or willingness to obtain it before beginning
- Timely and clinically sound documentation
- Commitment to culturally responsive and LGBTQIA+-affirming practice
- Genuine interest in recurring in-person work in Salem
- Interest in building a substantial, sustainable caseload
- Dependability, self-awareness, and respect for clients and colleagues
Applying
Please send your résumé and a brief introduction telling us:
- What kind of therapy work feels most meaningful to you
- Why you are interested in practicing in person
- Which clients you most enjoy working with
- What kind of weekly availability you could realistically offer
- What you hope to find in a group-practice culture
No formal cover letter is necessary. We are more interested in hearing from the actual person who may join us than in receiving a perfectly polished application.
Wholehearted Counseling welcomes clinicians of all races, ethnicities, religions, disabilities, body sizes, gender identities, sexual orientations, family structures, and lived experiences. Queer, trans, neurodivergent, disabled, and historically underrepresented clinicians are encouraged to apply.
Pay: $85.00 - $129.00 per hour
Expected hours: 20.0 – 30.0 per week
Work Location: In person
