Michigan Behavioral Health Jobs 2026
Travel psych RN, LMSW, LPC, PMHNP, and SUD counselor positions across Michigan. From Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor to Pine Rest in Grand Rapids, MDOC corrections, and the remote Upper Peninsula — CatSol places BH professionals statewide.
Michigan Behavioral Health Credential Guide
Michigan has several state-specific credential names that differ from other states. Know before you go.
Licensed Master Social Worker
⚑ Michigan uses LMSW — NOT LCSW
Michigan's equivalent of the LCSW used in most states. Requires MSW from CSWE-accredited program + 4,000 supervised hours. Regulated by LARA. If you hold an LCSW from another state, you apply for LMSW in Michigan.
Licensed Professional Counselor
⚑ Michigan uses LPC (not LPCC, not LCPC)
Master's-level independent counseling license from the Michigan Board of Counseling. Authorizes outpatient therapy, group counseling, and crisis services. Michigan uses LPC — not LPCC (Colorado) or LCPC (Illinois/Montana).
Limited License Psychologist
⚑ Michigan-specific supervised psychologist credential
Doctoral-level (PhD/PsyD) credential for psychologists who have completed coursework but not yet finished supervised hours for full LP licensure. Michigan-specific — most states do not have an LLP equivalent. Travel LLP roles are common in academic medical centers.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
⚑ Recognized independently in Michigan
Requires MFT-specific master's degree + 3,000 supervised client hours. Michigan's LMFT allows independent practice in outpatient, CMH, and private settings. Strong demand in pediatric BH and community mental health settings statewide.
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
⚑ Full prescriptive authority in Michigan
NLC compact state — if your RN license is from a compact state, you use it for RN supervision. PMHNP practice authority in Michigan allows full independent prescribing of psychiatric medications. Highest-paid BH travel role in MI. High demand in MDOC corrections and UP hospitals.
Certified Advanced Alcohol & Drug Counselor
⚑ Michigan-specific SUD certification (CADC = entry level)
Michigan's top-tier SUD counselor credential. CAADC requires 4,000 supervised hours and full examination. CADC is the entry-level equivalent. Detroit metro opioid crisis and MDOC corrections both drive heavy demand for CAADC-credentialed travel counselors.
April 2026 Michigan BH Market Update
MDOC Upper Peninsula Crisis
Michigan DOC's Upper Peninsula facilities — Kinross, Marquette Branch, and Baraga Maximum — have reported 40%+ BH staff vacancy rates entering 2026. MDOC has raised contractor rates for psych RN and PMHNP roles at UP facilities. Remote location premiums are $400–$600/week above downstate corrections pay.
Pine Rest Grand Rapids Expansion
Pine Rest Christian Mental Health is mid-expansion with a new 60-bed acute adult inpatient unit and expanded adolescent PHP capacity planned for 2026. This adds significant travel psych RN demand at an already high-volume site serving Kent, Ottawa, and surrounding counties.
Detroit Opioid & Fentanyl Crisis
Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties continue to see elevated fentanyl overdose mortality — ranking in the top 10 metro areas nationally per-capita. This drives sustained SUD counselor (CAADC) and co-occurring disorder psych RN demand across Detroit metro ERs, crisis centers, and CMH organizations.
Flint BH Demand Wave
Children exposed to elevated lead during the 2014–2019 Flint water crisis are now entering adolescence and early adulthood. Lead neurotoxicity increases rates of ADHD, anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders — creating a sustained multi-year wave of pediatric and adolescent BH demand in Genesee County through the late 2020s.
Key Michigan BH Facilities
Major systems where CatSol places travel BH professionals.
University of Michigan Health (Michigan Medicine)
Ann Arbor
World-class academic psychiatric care with comprehensive BH program. Teaching hospital environment with full inpatient, crisis, and outpatient BH services. High acuity, complex cases, strong PMHNP demand.
Henry Ford Health
Metro Detroit (multiple sites)
Large integrated health system with BH programs across Metro Detroit. Multiple inpatient psych units including the Henry Ford Kingswood Hospital in Ferndale — a standalone psychiatric hospital. Year-round psych RN demand.
Pine Rest Christian Mental Health
Grand Rapids
Largest freestanding psychiatric hospital in Michigan — 270+ inpatient beds. Full continuum: acute inpatient, PHP, IOP, crisis stabilization. Highest-volume travel psych RN placement site in MI. $2,200–$2,800/week typical.
Detroit Medical Center — Sinai-Grace Hospital
Detroit (Wayne County)
Level I trauma center serving Detroit's most underserved communities. Psychiatric units handle high-acuity patients with co-occurring trauma, SUD, and severe mental illness. Heavy demand for psych RN travelers.
Beaumont Health / Corewell Health
SE Michigan (Royal Oak, Dearborn, Troy)
Major merged health system with BH programs across SE Michigan. Multiple inpatient psych units across Beaumont hospitals. Large suburban patient population with growing mental health and SUD demand.
MDOC Corrections Behavioral Health
Michigan Department of Corrections — 29 facilities — significant BH staffing gaps
Critical Shortage Facilities
MDOC BH Roles CatSol Fills
- Psych RN (RN-Psych) — acute mental health units
- PMHNP — prescribing within MDOC formulary
- LMSW — individual/group therapy, case management
- LPC — outpatient counseling programs
- CAADC — substance use disorder programs
- Forensic Social Worker — NGRI evaluations
Corrections Pay Premium
MDOC UP facilities pay $300–$600/week above standard Michigan BH rates. Baraga and Kinross include enhanced housing stipends for remote placements.
Detroit Metro Behavioral Health
Metro Detroit has some of the highest rates of trauma, poverty, and unmet mental health need in the US — and one of the largest BH clinician shortages in the Midwest.
Historical Trauma & Black Community BH
Detroit has the largest Black urban population in the Midwest. Decades of concentrated poverty, redlining, and structural disinvestment create compounding intergenerational trauma. Detroit Wayne Mental Health Authority (DWMHA) — the largest public BH authority in the US outside California — serves 100,000+ residents annually across Wayne County.
Arab American Community (Dearborn)
Dearborn and Dearborn Heights have the largest concentrated Arab American population in the US — 40,000+ Arabic speakers. Culturally competent BH care is critically underserved. Arabic-speaking LMSWs, LPCs, and trauma therapists command premium placement fees and assignment terms.
Flint Water Crisis Aftermath
Lead-exposed children from the 2014–2019 Flint water crisis are now adolescents and young adults. Lead neurotoxicity increases ADHD, anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders. Genesee County CMH and Hurley Medical Center are the primary employers. Child/adolescent trauma therapists and school-based LMSWs in highest demand.
Upper Peninsula — Extreme BH Shortage
Michigan's Upper Peninsula is among the most remote healthcare markets in the contiguous US. The UP spans 300+ miles from the Mackinac Bridge, with some communities more than 100 miles from the nearest hospital. The entire UP — roughly 300,000 residents across 16 counties — has fewer than 5 psychiatrists.
Marquette is the UP's main medical hub. Remaining communities are served by small critical access hospitals with no resident BH staff.
UP Hospitals with BH Shortages
- War Memorial Hospital — Sault Ste. Marie
- Bell Hospital — Ishpeming
- Aspirus Iron River Hospital — Iron River
- UP Health System — Marquette (hub)
- Portage Health — Hancock
$300–$600/week
Remote premium above standard MI BH rates
Why UP Pay Is Higher
- Extreme geographic remoteness
- Very limited candidate supply
- MDOC corrections in UP (Kinross, Baraga)
- Critical access hospital BH coverage
- Enhanced housing stipends included
Michigan Travel BH Pay by Region — 2026
All-in weekly estimates (taxable + non-taxable). Data updated April 2026. Michigan 4.25% flat tax applied to taxable portion only.
| Region | Psych RN | LMSW | PMHNP | LPC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Detroit / Ann Arbor | $2,400–$2,900 | $1,900–$2,400 | $3,200–$4,200 | $1,700–$2,200 |
| Grand Rapids | $2,200–$2,700 | $1,800–$2,200 | $3,000–$3,900 | $1,600–$2,100 |
| Lansing | $2,100–$2,600 | $1,700–$2,100 | $2,900–$3,700 | $1,550–$2,000 |
| Flint / Saginaw | $2,200–$2,700 | $1,800–$2,300 | $3,000–$3,800 | $1,600–$2,100 |
| Upper Peninsula / Rural | $2,800–$3,200 | $2,200–$2,700 | $3,600–$4,500 | $2,000–$2,500 |
* Upper Peninsula rates include remote premium and enhanced housing stipend. Estimates subject to contract-specific variables. Last updated: 2026-04-27.
Michigan Travel BH — Frequently Asked Questions
Does Michigan use LMSW or LCSW for clinical social workers?
How much do travel psych RNs make in Michigan?
Are there correctional behavioral health jobs in Michigan (MDOC)?
What makes the Upper Peninsula BH market unique?
How does Michigan's 4.25% income tax affect travel BH take-home pay?
What is the difference between LPC and LLP in Michigan?
Ready for Your Michigan BH Assignment?
CatSol places psych RNs, LMSWs, LPCs, PMHNPs, and CAADC counselors across Michigan — from Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor to the remote Upper Peninsula. One application. Direct recruiter contact within 24 hours.
Last updated: April 27, 2026 • Michigan NLC Compact since 2019 • 4.25% flat state tax