We partner directly with school districts and focus on access to care for all students regardless of insurance status, providing care to underserved students in communities often overlooked. Because of this, the impact of your clinical work shows up beyond symptom relief — it shows up in attendance, engagement, and day-to-day functioning.
We measure outcomes because clinicians deserve to see the difference they're making.
- 92%of students report feeling better after working with Cartwheel
- ↓Clinically significant reductions in PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores
- 62%fewer absences through our School Avoidance Program
And because we work alongside schools and families, the impact of your work shows up in the outcomes we measure—and in the progress families and school staff get to see every day.
92% of students feel better after care
95% of counselors recommend Cartwheel
5/5 staff rating on clinical care quality
- You're passionate about supporting children, adolescents, and their families.
- You're energized by expanding access to care in diverse communities, especially for students who have historically faced barriers to mental health care.
- You embrace technology as a tool to improve care and increase access.
- You value thoughtful feedback and see learning as part of great clinical practice.
- You believe consistency and strong therapeutic relationships are central to quality care.
- Comfort navigating both clinical and operational complexity.
- A commitment to showing up consistently for your caseload.
- Openness to quality review and continuous improvement.
- The ability to navigate challenging clinical moments with the support of a collaborative team.
- Enjoy being part of an innovative organization that's continually improving how care is delivered.
Most clinicians settle into a consistent rhythm within their first few months. The minimum commitment is 8 clinical hours per week, and you can request additional hours once your schedule is established.
Because students and families rely on consistency, schedule changes require four weeks' notice. The same notice applies if you need to change hours that affect your assigned students.
During the summer, schools make very few new referrals, but Cartwheel continues operating and clinicians can maintain care for their existing caseloads.
| Session type | CCH value |
|---|---|
| Intake | 1.2 hrs |
| 53+ min session | 1.0 hr |
| 38–52 min session | 0.75 hrs |
| 16–37 min session | 0.5 hrs |
| Parent guidance (26+ min) | 0.5 hrs |
| Family therapy with patient (26+ min) | 0.75 hrs |
| No-show / late cancel | 0.5× original |
- Individual therapy sessions (typically 53 min each)
- Intakes for new students (typically 53 min each)
- Parent guidance sessions
- Collaboration with families and school staff to support student progress
- Timely documentation (notes within 72 hours) and treatment plan updates every 90 days to support high-quality, coordinated care
- Coordinating care with Cartwheel psychiatric providers when appropriate
- Navigating higher-acuity clinical moments with support from our crisis on-call team (available weekdays and Saturdays, with urgent responses in under 10 minutes)
| Weekly hours | Supervision |
|---|---|
| 0–15 hrs/week | 1 hr/month |
| 16–20 hrs/week | 2 hrs/month |
| 21+ hrs/week | 4 hrs/month |
Clinical growth doesn't stop at licensure. While associate-level clinicians receive individual supervision, all clinicians have access to optional group supervision and opportunities for consultation with peers and clinical leaders.
For Pre-K–2 students, clinicians typically provide parent guidance to caregivers, with psychiatry consultation available when appropriate. Individual therapy begins in 3rd grade. Most students work with Cartwheel for 12–24 sessions on average, with extensions available when clinically appropriate.
While you'll encounter crisis situations and complex clinical presentations, Cartwheel's model is designed to provide high-quality outpatient care, with clear pathways to higher levels of care when students need services such as PHP or IOP.
If scores fall below 3.0, we start with a conversation about what's getting in the way and what support would be helpful. Quality monitoring is part of how we practice at Cartwheel because students and families deserve consistent, high-quality care, and clinicians deserve the support and feedback to deliver it.
Most clinicians find that, after working with the Quality Snapshot, it becomes a valuable tool for reflection, coaching, and professional growth.
Compensation figures and hiring timelines are current as of April 2026 and subject to change. Your recruiter will confirm the latest details before any offer is extended.
- Supervisor review and co-signature of clinical documentation
- 1:1 supervision focused on your clinical work and development
- Optional group supervision and case consultation
- Counts toward base pay and licensure requirements
- Onboarding specialists to help you get started with confidence
- Provider Success for payroll, scheduling, and day-to-day questions
- Cartwheel Helpdesk for technology and system support
- Clinical Quality experts who provide coaching on documentation, care workflows, and best practices
- Drop-in consultation hours with experienced clinical leaders
- Wheelie AI, your 24/7 clinical resource
- Dedicated crisis support available during clinical sessions
- Urgent response within 5–10 minutes
- An experienced on-call clinician stays with you throughout the situation
- Your clinical background and what you're looking for in your next role
- Licensure, supervision needs (if applicable), and state-specific logistics
- Compensation, scheduling preferences, and availability
- An overview of Cartwheel and time for your questions
- Know your license type, state(s) of licensure, and whether you'll need supervision on your path to independent licensure.
- Come with a sense of your ideal weekly clinical hours, comp expectations, and general availability.
- Bring any questions you have about the role, team, or interview process—we want this to be as informative for you as it is for us.
- "What do clinicians find most rewarding about working at Cartwheel?"
- "What support do new clinicians tend to lean on most during their first few months?"
- "How can I optimize my schedule to build a caseload quickly?"
- "What should I prepare for in the clinical interview?"
- Your clinical background and experience
- How you approach assessment, treatment, and clinical decision-making
- A clinical scenario to understand your reasoning
- How you collaborate with families, schools, and other providers
- Time for your questions about the role and clinical support
- Come ready to discuss a few specific clinical experiences—concrete examples help us understand how you think and practice.
- Be prepared to talk through a clinical or crisis scenario. We're more interested in your clinical reasoning than finding the "right" answer.
- Familiarize yourself with Cartwheel's school-based care model and think about how you approach collaboration with families, schools, and other providers.
- "How is clinical supervision and consultation structured at my license level?"
- "What does day-to-day collaboration with school counselors and caregivers look like?"
- "How do you handle escalations when a clinician is mid-session?"
- Your compensation and state-specific rate
- What to expect from onboarding and your first few weeks
- The Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA) and time for your questions
- Next steps and anticipated start timeline
- After you sign, we'll guide you through every step of onboarding. Most clinicians begin within 6–8 weeks, depending on their state, license type, and anticipated referral timing.
Most candidates move from initial recruiter conversation to an offer within 1–2 weeks. Once you accept your offer, onboarding and your start date typically take 6–8 weeks, depending on your state, license type, referral timing, and any specialized skills (such as bilingual language proficiency). In some states, anticipated referral demand may result in a later start date. Your recruiter will keep you informed throughout the process.
No. While school-based experience is a plus, it's not required. What matters most is strong clinical judgment, experience working with children and adolescents, and an interest in collaborative, school-based care. We'll provide the training and onboarding you need to be successful in our model.
Expect a crisis or complex clinical vignette — often involving suicide risk, family dynamics, or collaboration with a school team. They're not looking for a perfect answer; they're interested in understanding your clinical reasoning, how you think through risk, and how you approach collaboration. Think out loud.
Compensation is standardized based on licensure, state, and other role-specific factors. Your recruiter will be transparent about how rates are determined and what flexibility, if any, is available.
If we don't think the role is the right fit, we'll let you know promptly. When appropriate, we may encourage you to reapply after gaining additional experience. Our goal is to provide clear, constructive feedback whenever possible.
The Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA) formalizes your engagement with Cartwheel. It covers topics like your compensation, expected weekly session range, termination notice (typically 30 days), confidentiality, and credentialing. You'll receive the agreement in advance, have time to review it carefully, and your recruiter will walk through any questions before you sign.
Please don't share personal health information in this chat. Copilot isn't designed to receive or store health-related information — your recruiter is the right contact for sensitive or personal questions.
Copilot can answer general questions about Cartwheel's clinical roles and credentialing process. It can't access your application status or provide feedback on your candidacy — those updates will come directly from your recruiter.
That means onboarding can take longer—but it also means clinicians can care for more students and families, regardless of how they're insured.
The sooner you submit it, the better. Early submission helps protect your start date and may allow you to begin receiving referrals sooner as you're credentialed with additional insurance plans.
Most clinicians start with 8–14 Care Contribution Hours per week, gradually increasing as additional insurance payers complete credentialing.
In some situations, when there's an urgent clinical need, you may begin seeing students before full credentialing is complete. Your compensation is not affected.
You'll be paid biweekly (every other Friday), and you'll receive a $500 onboarding stipend in your first paycheck after completing onboarding within three weeks of your start date.
Select your state above to see any requirements that apply to you.
You'll be asked for:
From signing your offer to your first day typically takes 6–8 weeks, though timing varies by state, license type, and specialized skills (such as bilingual language proficiency). Your insurance credentialing continues over your first 3–6 months, allowing your caseload to grow as additional payers are added.
Cartwheel's timeline is longer than many practices because we credential with Medicaid and state-specific plans—not just a handful of national insurance carriers. Your recruiter will walk you through the timeline that applies to your state.
You'll complete the Credentialing Survey via Verifiable, provide proof of licensure, and submit any state-specific compliance documents that apply to you. Both NPI and CAQH are required — if you don't have them, Cartwheel helps you get set up, though this could impact your start date. Our recommendation is to ensure you have an NPI and CAQH profile during the interview process ahead of a potential offer call. Cartwheel walks alongside you through every step.
In most cases, you'll begin seeing students once your primary payer credentialing and any required state-specific onboarding steps are complete—often within your first 2–3 weeks. In cases where there's an urgent clinical need, Cartwheel may assign you to a student out of network before full credentialing is complete. When that happens, your pay is not affected. Full in-network status across every payer continues to build over your first 3–6 months, expanding your caseload over time.
You'll complete training on the technology you'll use every day, documentation workflows, telehealth best practices, and any required state-specific modules. You'll also meet your clinical leader, get to know the Cartwheel support teams, and become familiar with the resources available throughout your time here.
No — you'll be matched to districts within your primary license state. If you hold licenses in more than one state and are interested in serving students across state lines, your recruiter can walk you through the available opportunities.
Yes. Your recruiter, onboarding team, and dedicated credentialing specialists will guide you through every step of the process and let you know exactly what's needed along the way.
Your role: Complete the Credentialing Survey, provide requested documentation, complete any required state-specific training, and respond promptly to requests from our credentialing team.
Our role: We handle insurance credentialing, payer enrollment, background check coordination, licensing support, and everything else required to get you ready to see students.
You'll receive access to the tools you need for clinical care, documentation, communication, onboarding, payroll, and continuing education before your start date—including Healthie, Slack, Zoom, and other role-specific systems. We'll introduce each platform during onboarding, so you don't need to learn everything ahead of time.
You'll be paid biweekly (every other Friday), beginning with the first full pay period after you're cleared to see students. If you complete onboarding within three weeks of your start date, you'll also receive your $500 onboarding stipend in your first paycheck. Your compensation is never dependent on insurance reimbursement.
No. Your hourly rate is established from your first session and doesn't change as additional insurance payers complete credentialing. Cartwheel matches you with students whose insurance you're already approved to serve.
You'll never be expected to figure things out on your own. Your recruiter, onboarding team, credentialing specialists, clinical leader, and Provider Success team will guide you through each step and let you know what's coming next.
One phrase you'll hear often at Cartwheel is, "Never worry alone." That starts well before your first session.