The posting
Make a difference in the lives of our military Service Members and their families with your expertise in counseling and mental health – without the fuss of insurance, treatment plans, or overhead. Military and Family Life Counselors (MFLCs) are the first line of defense for our Service Members’ mental health, and we need flexible, ready-to-serve counselors willing to jump in at a moment’s notice.
Leidos seeks passionate licensed mental healthcare providers ready to embrace a flexible PRN-type schedule, stepping in where needed across military installations and communities to safeguard and enhance mental well-being. MFLCs proactively provide counseling services, preventative in nature, to address and provide solution-focused approaches to issues before they become greater challenges. Interested counselors may support either adults or minors in a wide variety of assignments including but not limited to being embedded with a military unit, supporting military families, or working within a school setting.
What is the Mission Ready Reserve (MRR)? Mission Ready Reserve MFLCs are trained and available counselors ready to serve when called upon. Working as a Mission Ready Reserve MFLC allows counselors to focus wholeheartedly on their passion for helping others, unencumbered by administrative burdens. MRR counselors are assignment-ready and taking an assignment is at the discretion of the MRR counselor.
The need in this location is: Adult Positions, SOCOM Positions, CYB Positions.
Adult Counseling:
Adult MFLCs provide support, including counseling, consultation, and outreach to eligible Service Members and adult family members. Counseling provided through the MFLC program is an adjunct and supplemental to the formal military behavioral and physical health treatment system. Adult counseling service is needed on military installations, either at community service buildings or embedded with a unit. The focus is on enhancing operational readiness and increasing individual and family resiliency by offering support on issues such as:
- Relationships
- Stress management
- Parenting and parent-child communications
- Child behavioral issues
- Frequent relocations and deployments
- Financial and budget issues
- Job stress
Special Operations Command (SOCOM) Positions:
MFLCs provide crucial mental health support to Service Members and their families, and when working within SOCOM units, their role becomes even more pivotal. MFLCs seeking positions within SOCOM must obtain at least a Secret (T3) clearance due to the sensitive nature of the work conducted within special forces and the special operations community. Special operations commands operate in high-pressure environments with high-stakes missions, often deploying frequently and facing intense operational demands. Service Members within SOCOM are involved in clandestine operations, counterterrorism efforts, and other critical tasks where mental resilience and support are essential. The intense nature of a SOCOM position is felt within the military family as well. Spouses and children are often affected by frequent separations, lack of understanding or ability to know what the Service Members do day-to-day, and high-stake missions that may result in increased stress or worry for the family. MFLCs entering this domain must be prepared for the unique challenges and demands inherent in supporting personnel and families operating within such environments.
Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) Counseling:
CYB-MFLCs provide support, including counseling, consultation, and outreach to eligible children, youth, parents, staff, and faculty. Counselors may observe, participate, and engage in activities with children and youth; provide coaching, guidance, and support to staff and parents; and model behavior management techniques for staff and parents. CYB counseling services may be needed at installations, Child Development Centers (CDCs), Department of War Education Activity (DoWEA) schools, summer schools, camps, and programs DoW-wide, addressing issues such as:
- Identifying feelings
- Bullying
- Conflict resolution
- Self-esteem
- Managing anger and aggression
- Separation from parents
- Problem-solving
- Coping with deployment and reunification
- Transition and moving
- Sibling and parental relationships
- Time management
MRR MFLC Service Oriented Model:
- The Mission Ready Reserve model allows you to focus on your counseling and the military Service
- Members and the families you will be supporting
- No insurance to file
- No progress notes required
- No treatment plans to develop
- Intuitive reporting tools
MRR MFLC will also benefit from:
- Unlimited and free CEUs through a Leidos affiliate
- Reimbursement for job-related license renewal fees
- Eligibility to participate in 401K retirement plan
- Access to health and wellness programs with cashback incentives
- Access to Leidos’ Employee Discount Program and exclusive discount marketplace
MRR MFLC responsibilities include:
- Face-to-face counseling to military Service Members and their families (individual, couples, family, and children)
- Recommending appropriate referrals and handoffs based on your experienced differential clinical skills to military and community resources according to the needs of military Service Members and their families
- Offer presentations to address social skills development and social emotional learning that is crucial for early childhood development
- Build rapport with Service Members, spouses, and children by attending installation and community events
- Help families and children with challenges that are particular to the military community, transitions, reoccurring moves, frequent separations, deployments, and more
Environment:
At the direction of the Department of War (DoW), duties are performed in multiple indoor locations (approximately 60%) and outdoor locations (approximately 40%). The indoor locations are located on a military installation, a school setting, or a child development center (CDC) setting controlled by the DoW. The outdoor locations frequently involve traversing over uneven grassy, gravel, and/or dirt areas, ascending/descending stairs, and exposure to the weather. CDC settings frequently involve sitting on the floor to interact with children for up to 2 hours at a time. As a Mission Ready Reserve MFLC, you may experience various environments depending on the assignment.
Minimum Requirements:
- A master’s degree or higher in the Behavioral Health Professions (MS/MSW/MA/PhD)
- Licensure to practice at the independent practice level (LCSW, MFT, LPCC, Psychologist) in a state or territory of the United States
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Must be able to pass a basic background check for employment, a National /Child National Agency Check with Inquiries (NACI/CNACI) clearance, commonly called a Public Trust clearance
Pay Range:
Pay Range $28/hr. - $50/hr.
If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.
Original Posting:
October 9, 2026
For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.
Pay Range:
Pay Range -
The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.
