#PostThePay - Resources for Therapists and Counselors
Background | Resources for Employers | Resources for Therapists and Counselors
Ask employers to #PostThePay
Too many job listings for counselors and therapists fail to include specific information about what the job pays. This leads applicants to wonder whether they're wasting their time applying for jobs that pay less than they would accept. It's part of the broader employment culture for mental health professionals that keeps wages low. It also raises concerns about possible wage discrimination.
Applicants and employers benefit when employers #PostThePay. They too avoid wasting time on applicants who would not actually take the job if offered. They demonstrate that they are willing to compete for the most qualified applicants. They also are protected against wage inequity or discrimination concerns.
Here's what you can do to push employers of counselors and therapists to #PostThePay.
Responding to job announcements on social media
Employers that don't post pay aren't breaking the law. They're just doing something that puts applicants in a difficult place, that we believe contributes to the ongoing problems of underpaid positions in mental health and clinicians not feeling empowered to openly discuss wage and employment issues.
Many employers are clinicians themselves, and want to do right by our field. They often will post pay information -- we just have to ask for it. So here are some good ways to respond to job postings online that do not include pay information. Feel free to copy and paste:
This sounds like a great opportunity! Please #PostThePay for announcements like this, as that's a key consideration for me and many other potential applicants.
Please #PostThePay in support of fair wage and employment practices for counselors and therapists.
Thank you for sharing this opportunity! I would respectfully ask you to please #PostThePay. It matters.
Sharing your story
Many of us have important stories to tell about our employment experiences in mental health. Please feel free to share your story on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hashtag #PostThePay (and you of course can tag us -- @bencaldwelllabs -- if you like). We hope to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. From great employers who showed their investment in the field to how you dealt with problems at less-great employers.
If you're working (or have worked) for a larger employer or agency, and your contract allows you to do so, you can post your own pay for a current or past job for those who might be interested in applying at that same place. Your own experience can serve as a beacon, or as a warning. Obviously, only do this if you feel comfortable doing so.
Graphics
Use and share these graphics anywhere on your site or social media that you believe can have an impact. (Legalese: You just can't sell them, claim you made them yourself, use them in a way that disparages us, or otherwise violate applicable law.) Click any image to see it full size, then right-click over the image (Control-click on a Mac, extended press on many phones) to copy or download it.
Links
Of course, please feel free to share any of the following links wherever they would be useful
#PostThePay home
#PostThePay resources for Employers
#PostThePay resources for Therapists and Counselors
Useful articles
Interested in more information on wage and employment issues for therapists and counselors? We've got some stuff on our Psychotherapy Notes blog you may be interested in:
A therapists' union is not the answer
MFT job listing lingo
Applying for a job as a prelicensed therapist: How to stand out
Fighting illegal labor practices as a prelicensed therapist
How to seek back pay from an unpaid internship
Could an unpaid MFT intern sue for wage theft and win?
Agencies are now charging trainees to work there, too
However you want to do so, we hope you'll join us in this effort. Thanks!