Director, Counseling Center

Skidmore College invites applications for the position of the Director of the Counseling Center . Skidmore is seeking a compassionate, dynamic, and collaborative clinician to serve as a key administrator in promoting the college’s commitment to student well-being and inclusion. The Director is responsible for the overall leadership, supervision, management, and strategic planning for the Counseling Center and is part of a student-centered Health and Wellness Leadership team (along with the Directors of Health Services and Health Promotion and the Associate Dean for Health and Wellness) within the Division of Student Affairs. The Counseling Center is committed to providing high quality clinical, consultation, and outreach services to the campus community and to promoting a campus culture of kindness, care, trust, and respect.

Competitive candidates will have a demonstrated record of providing high quality, culturally appropriate, effective, and ethical clinical care. They will be a good listener, calm under pressure, and will possess excellent communication skills. This position requires experience with program development, strategic planning, clinical supervision, and expertise related to the specific mental health concerns affecting college students and innovations in service delivery.

About Skidmore College

Skidmore is a highly ranked, residential, liberal arts college situated on 1,000 acres of natural beauty in Saratoga Springs, New York. With 2,500 students from 40 states and 70 countries, 43 majors, more than 100 student clubs, funded research, and internship opportunities, and 118 study abroad programs, it offers faculty, staff, and students a dynamic college experience. Consistently acclaimed in national rankings, Skidmore has been recognized as one of “America’s Most Entrepreneurial Colleges,” a “Best Value” school and a “Hidden Ivy.”

The principal mission of Skidmore College is the education of predominantly full-time undergraduates, a diverse population of talented students who are eager to engage actively in the learning process. The College seeks to prepare liberally educated graduates to continue their quest for knowledge and to make the choices required of informed, responsible citizens.

At Skidmore, creativity is at our core. It empowers us to combine different ideas, try new things and look at the world from a wide range of perspectives. We have an altogether different way of doing things at Skidmore, and it all starts with our commitment to creative thinking.

Skidmore’s community of scholars, professionals and staff is intended to be inclusive of individuals of every race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or place of origin, providing equitable employment opportunities on a campus committed to ideals of diversity in the workplace and the classroom.

Primary Responsibilities

1. Responsibility for the development and ongoing updating of all policies and procedures at the Counseling Center. Ensure all policies and procedures meet ethical and legal guidelines and standard of care. Ensure that Counseling Center staff understand and comply with all policies and procedures.
2. Responsible for personnel management and supervision of both administrative support staff and clinical staff at the Counseling Center.
3. Generate an annual office budget and oversee expenditures at the Counseling Center.
4. Develop, manage, and maintain the outreach program at the Counseling Center. Create, coordinate, and conduct outreach efforts aimed at raising levels of awareness about relevant mental health topics (suicide, stress management etc.) Conduct training seminars for faculty, staff and students focusing on relevant mental health topics. Assess efficacy of interventions and programming.
5. Active participation in the Health & Wellness Leadership team and the Student Assessment & Intervention Group and housing accommodation committee. Other committee service as needed.
6. Design, coordinate and implement regular clinical training for trainees and professional clinical staff. These trainings will focus on relevant aspects of college mental health, including effective service delivery, standard of care, risk management, ethics, effective consultation, etc.
7. Develop and maintain an ongoing data base to track utilization and service delivery at the Counseling Center. This also includes ongoing reviews of identified high-risk patients, emergency appointment utilization, and use of the Counseling Center’s after-hours emergency on-call service. This data base will involve both statistical management and chart review. Summary reports will be prepared each semester for full review with staff.
8. Treatment team leader within the Counseling Center, with responsibility for ensuring all students are offered high-quality, ethical, and effective clinical services and that those services are allocated fairly. Responsible for consultation in crisis and high-risk situations.
9. Represent the Counseling Center in any campus-wide emergencies with a mental health dimension. Offer clinical and systems consultation, intervention, and support.
10. Individual clinical work as required at the Counseling Center, including intake and ‘one-at-a-time’ therapy appointments. Crisis intervention, including regular after-hours on-call responsibilities, same-day emergency appointments, and additional clinical time as needed.
11. Clinical consultation with Skidmore faculty, staff, and parents about mental health issues in general and about specific students of concern within the ethical and legal parameters of confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in Clinical or Counseling Psychology (PsyD, PhD) or Master’s or Doctoral Degree in Social Work (MSW, DSW).
• Currently licensed as a Psychologist or LCSW in New York. If not licensed in New York, must be license eligible and licensed in New York within one year of hire.
• A minimum of three years of clinical, supervisory, and administrative experience directly relevant to this position. Experience with rapid assessment and brief treatment models is essential.

• Collaborative team leadership, vision, organizational planning, and facilitation skills.
• Experience in working effectively with individuals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in all clinical and professional endeavors.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• A commitment to kindness, respect and cultural humility are essential.
• Requires the ability to establish oneself as a person who is expert and trustworthy with students, parents, faculty, and staff members who typically are under high levels of stress and distress.
• Knowledge of current research and theories regarding racial and ethnic identity development, issues with regards to the intersection of social identities and health outcomes, and differential access to health care related to social identity status. Track record of promoting systemic changes which promote equity and inclusion in health care settings.
• Requires the ability to maintain emotional steadiness and cognitive clarity in crisis situations, and to provide clear consultation and direction to others in these situations.
• Requires strong clinical skills, including the ability to conduct rapid assessment, accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, and flexible service delivery in a short-term therapy model.
• Requires knowledge of current standards of practice, professional ethics, NYS mental health law, and best practices in terms of treatment, risk assessment, and management of crisis situations.
• Requires the ability to function as a highly collaborative and professional colleague, able to interact effectively with faculty, staff, and administration at the College.
• Requires the ability to triage and prioritize tasks, manage time effectively, be detail oriented, and consistently meet expected deadlines in a high-volume, fast-paced office environment.
• Requires the ability to be flexible, creative, and work with a high degree of autonomy, while also complying with communicated expectations, established systems/procedures, and directives from Student Affairs and College leadership.
• Requires the ability to provide skilled supervision and mentoring to Counseling Center professional staff and trainees, and the ability to identify and assess areas in need of further development.
• Requires excellent written and oral communication and persuasion skills, as well as the ability to set limits and define appropriate boundaries.
• Requires knowledge of, and facility with, electronic medical recordkeeping systems, preferably Titanium, and clinical documentation standards and statutes.
• Requires current knowledge of clinical outcome research and service delivery models.
• Requires strong decision-making regarding human and fiscal resource allocation.
• Requires proficiency in computer database management and data analysis skills.

Application Process:

Skidmore College has partnered with Keeling & Associates in this search process. Applications should include a cover letter and resume and must be sent, preferably in PDF format, to recruiting@KeelingAssociates.com . The subject line of the email should read “Skidmore—Director of the Center.” Confidential inquiries and nominations should be addressed to Dr. Liliana Rodríguez, Senior Consultant for Executive Search, Keeling & Associates, at lrodriguez@keelingassociates.com . Applications received by September 9, 2022, will receive full consideration. The process will continue until the position is filled.

EEO Statement

Skidmore College is committed to being an inclusive campus community and, as an Equal Opportunity Employer, does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, national or ethnic origin, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, predisposition or carrier status, domestic violence victim status, familial status, dating violence, or stalking, or any other category protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Employment at Skidmore College is contingent upon an acceptable background check result.

CREATIVE THOUGHT MATTERS.