Director of Counseling and Psychological Services

Description:

Hope College is seeking a Director of Counseling and Psychological Services to provide vision, forward thinking, leadership and supervision for the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) center, which serves a diverse student population. Reporting to the Dean of Students, the Director will oversee clinical services, staffing, policy, budget, programming and adherence to legal, professional and ethical standards. As leader of CAPS, this person will ensure outstanding clinical and crisis care as well as college-wide engagement through outreach, programming and education. They will be a visible and trusted champion for holistic student health, and will develop and maintain close relationships with partners across campus. An experienced mental health professional with a passion for students, the Director will bring a thorough understanding of best practices. They also will bring a deep commitment to Hope College and its Christian identity and character, and will fully embrace Hope’s mission and be able to live into all parts of it.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provide supervisory leadership for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), ensuring the highest standards of service and care
• Provide outreach, support and leadership for campus-wide concerns regarding mental health of college students
• Ensure full compliance with ethical, legal and professional standards of practice for all clinical staff following guidelines for the State of Michigan, the American College Health Association (ACHA) and appropriate licensing of staff members
• Maintain current knowledge of best practices in the area of college mental health services for a diverse student body
• Provide assessment and counseling services (individual and group therapy) for students
• Participate in the after-hours on-call crisis response protocol (using ProtoCall) in rotation with other clinical staff
• Ensure that appropriate services are both available and accessible to all students, and address specific needs of the student body through training of current staff and recruitment of future staff
• Manage fiscal operations and oversee budgets for CAPS 
• Support the mission of Hope College, often doing so collaboratively by developing and maintaining close working relationships with campus partners, including colleagues from the Health Center, Disability and Accessibility Resources, Student Development (Residence Life, Student Life, Conduct), Center for Diversity and Inclusion, Campus Ministries, and academic departments
• Be present and available for consultations with academic and co-curricular partners  
• Maintain positive working partnerships with Ottawa County Department of Public Health and local mental health providers, including Holland Hospital Behavioral Health and Pine Rest
• Manage effective tracking and reporting of Counseling and Psychological Services (Titanium software) across all aspects of their respective missions (e.g., direct therapeutic services, primary prevention and education, group therapy, professional development and training and campus consultation)
• Report and inform the college of trends and insights into mental health and counseling issues as appropriate
• Serve as a campus ambassador for psychological and emotional wellness; serve as a mental health expert for the campus community; and consult with faculty, staff, parents, and students regarding mental health issues and concerns
• Coordinate campus-wide response to mental health crisis situations with consultation and cooperation with other appropriate campus offices and divisions
• Maintain continuing education in professional college and university counseling center work (clinical, administrative, professional development)
• Participate in campus committees and initiatives as requested

This position works full-time through the academic year and part-time in the summer. 

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree with significant clinical work and supervisory experience in a mental health organization required; doctorate in clinical or counseling psychology or social work preferred 
• Post-licensure work experience in a higher education setting; six or more years of experience in a college or university counseling center preferred
• Licensed as a mental health clinician in the state of Michigan at the time of hire. If licensed in a state other than Michigan, must be license-eligible in Michigan at date of hire and must obtain Michigan license within 6 months of start date.

 Experience, Professional Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Experience providing clinical and psychoeducational services to college students 
• Experience serving historically underserved and underrepresented groups, including but not limited to BIPOC students, LGBTQIA+ students and students with disabilities and invisible conditions
• Experience in provision of clinical and administrative supervision of mental health professionals
• Knowledge and experience in the application of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles and practices working with students and colleagues
• Clinical experience with trauma-informed therapy and crisis response management, assessment and intervention, including community trauma and crisis response (postvention, classroom management for post-trauma response for campus-wide, community and national events)
• Demonstrated effectiveness as a culturally competent professional with broad experience interacting with and supporting the needs of a diverse student population, including demonstrated ability to work effectively with people of diverse ages, ethnic, gender and sexual orientation, disabilities, and socio-economic backgrounds
• Demonstrated understanding of social, developmental, and psychological issues and challenges faced by students within a higher education setting
• Comprehensive knowledge of counseling theories, mental health diagnoses, interventions, treatment planning and therapeutic outcomes
• Knowledge of college counseling center service models
• Exemplary communication skills (written, verbal, and presentation skills) and ability to engage effectively with racially, ethnically and socioeconomically diverse individuals and communities
• Ability to work in emergency situations, and on evenings and weekends as needed
• Ability to team-build and manage high-stress and/or high-conflict situations with emotional intelligence, maturity and diplomacy
• Ability to maintain a high level of collegiality with campus partners and community constituencies along with the ability to build collaborative relationships characterized by mutual respect, trust, and commitment to shared goals.
• Strong working knowledge of the pertinent ethics codes and Michigan legal statutes  pertaining to the provision of mental health services and standards (e.g. APA, NSWA, State of Michigan)
• Strong organizational and administrative skills
• Knowledge and experience with bilingual and bicultural counseling preferred
• Experience working with Titanium and Protocall software preferred

 Conditions of Employment 

• Successful completion of background investigation and legal authorization to work in the US prior to employment
• Obtain and maintain relevant professional licensure in the State of Michigan within six months of start date

Application Instructions:

As part of the online application, candidates will submit a resume, cover letter and contact information for three professional references. 

https://www.hope.edu