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Program Counselor

City of New York

New York, NYJob$63–72K/yrSeen 5 days agoSeen in employer's feed 5 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$63–72K/yr
Location
New York, NY
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

The New York City Department of Correction seeks Program Counselors for its Counseling Services Unit. The role provides behavior-modification programming to people in custody and supports rehabilitation through individual and group treatment activities, mentoring, conflict de-escalation, and coordination with correctional staff and providers. Counselors document treatment progress, recommend treatment-plan changes, and help maintain safe, hygienic housing areas.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Juvenile CounselingWorking RelationshipsIndependent JudgmentReport WritingHuman DevelopmentBehavioral CounselingBehavior ModificationIntervention TechniquesMentoringCommunicationInterpersonal SkillsAnalytical SkillsResearchProblem SolvingOrganizational Skills

Qualifications

Bachelor's Degree or EquivalentCommunity Work ExperienceHigh School or EquivalentSix Years Community WorkOne Year Community Work

Full job description

Job Description

The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) is an integral part of the City’s evolving criminal justice system, participating in reform initiatives and strategies aimed to move the city towards a smaller jail system without compromising public safety. The DOC is responsible for maintaining a safe and secure environment for our employees, visitors, volunteers, and people in our custody. Importantly, safe jails enable DOC to provide people in custody with the tools and opportunities they need to successfully re-enter their communities. The DOC operates facilities and court commands across the five boroughs with more than 7,500 diverse professionals and knowledgeable experts.

DOC seeks to recruit Programs Counselors assigned to the Counseling Services Unit within the Division of Programs and Community Partnerships. Under direction of the Executive Director, Deputy Directors, and Program Managers assigned to the Counseling Services Units, the Program Counselor will provide behavior modification programming to individuals in custody located in correctional custody. Additional typical duties for this position include but are not limited to:

  • Daily interaction with individuals on assigned housing units for extended periods of time

  • Implementation of rehabilitative and behavioral modification programs and services

  • Coordination of daily living activities

  • Enforce behavioral modification program and facility rules

  • Actively participate and facilitate individual and group treatment activities

  • Support and promote rehabilitation and treatment programs

  • Attend training sessions, workshops, and staff meetings to improve knowledge, skills, and abilities

  • Work in a multidisciplinary team with uniformed correctional staff and providers to achieve rehabilitative program goals

  • Prepare reports and document inmate treatment progress, group interaction, and positive behavior

  • Recommend modifications to treatment plans

  • Mentor and intervene with individuals exhibiting behavioral problems

  • Assist with deescalating conflicts and manage non-compliance with program rules

  • Encourage individuals to have positive interactions, behaviors, attitudes, ethics, and morals

  • Motivate individuals to maintain general sanitation and hygienic living quarters

  • Respond alongside uniformed correctional staff to manage incidents in designated housing areas to ensure safety and security

  • Perform related duties as assigned.

Preferred Skills

  • Experience working directly with juveniles (ages 10-18), young adults, or adults in a group, community, educational, or

institutional setting is preferred.

  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of correctional staff.

  • Ability to exercise independent judgment, prepare written reports and documents.

  • Knowledge of human development and behavior, counseling techniques, behavior modification and intervention techniques.

  • Ability to mentor and provide positive interaction, guidance and leadership to people in custody.

  • -Excellent writing, communication, inter-personal, analytical, research, problem-solving, and organizational skills

COMMUNITY COORDINATOR - 56058

Qualifications

  1. A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or

  2. High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or

  3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

Salary Min: $ 62,868.00

Salary Max: $ 72,298.00

How this job compares

Set against the 2,008 open Counselor jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 27, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$63–72K/yr
  • New York median$55–66K/yr126 salary ranges
  • US median$62–80K/yr681 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $68K, is 9% above the New York median midpoint ($62K) — in the middle half of Counselor salary ranges in New York.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 419 open Counselor jobs in New York and 2,008 across the US. 11% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Experience
This posting asks for at least 1 year of experience; Counselor postings that state a minimum ask for 2 years at the median (752 postings).
Education
1,125 of the 2,008 open Counselor jobs (56%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 27, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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