Associate Dean of Health and Wellness/Director of Counseling Services

Associate Dean of Health and Wellness/Director of Counseling Services
Whitman College

WHITMAN COLLEGE

Located in the historic community of Walla Walla, Whitman's vibrant and beautiful tree-lined campus is home to an intellectually diverse, dynamic, welcoming and supportive community of some 500 staff and faculty serving approximately 1,500 students from the local region and across the globe. With exceptional students, accomplished faculty and staff, and a fiercely loyal and growing number of engaged alumni, Whitman College continues to build on its national reputation for academic excellence as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

Whitman College is cultivating a community built on inclusion and belonging. We recognize the value of those who can offer historically underrepresented perspectives and encourage applications from those whose background, knowledge, and insights from lived experience can add to the college's working and learning environment. Whitman College is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer (EEO) .

Whitman College seeks to hire an Associate Dean of Health and Wellness/Director of Counseling. The mission of the Whitman College Counseling Center is to facilitate student success through a focus on mental health and wellness. We assist students in identifying and developing skills that empower them to develop broader insight and create change. In keeping with the college's educational mission, we contribute to students' mental health and wellness by offering individual and group counseling, education, prevention programming, outreach and consultation. As a staff, we bring an array of expertise and strive to model the wellness that we encourage in others.

POSITION PURPOSE

Under the supervision of the Dean of Students, the Associate Dean of Health and Wellness/Director of Counseling shares with other members of the Student Services staff the general responsibility of supporting the educational aims of the College and assisting students in their efforts to make full use of the opportunities available to them at the College. The Associate Dean/Director of Counseling manages the day to day operation of the Counseling Center and supervises the Director of the Health Center. The Director of Counseling is responsible for overseeing, implementing and evaluating the Center's administrative protocols and clinical activities in accordance with APA ethical principles and professional best practices. The Director identifies campus psychological needs and provides maximum access and services within staffing and budgetary limits. The Director serves as a resource to faculty, professional staff, and students for counseling and special problems.

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Provide short-term psychotherapy; oversee center activities and the delivery of mental health care.
• Hire, supervise and evaluate counseling staff.
• Provide crisis intervention and emergency coverage 24/7 for students and give support to residence hall staff. Conduct crisis debriefings and workshops for campus community after tragic events.
• Work closely with the Dean of Students when the Dean's office is dealing with student experiencing mental health distress.
• Develop and maintain referral network for therapeutic and emergency services with area clinicians, mental health clinics, hospitals.
• Monitor counseling of students through coordination of services and referral to outside agencies when necessary. Assist in coordination of care for students after hospitalizations and mandated assessments by the college.
• Oversee and maintain compliance standards for staff licensure and certifications, record keeping in accordance with state regulations and psychiatric consultant agreements.
• Assess, formulate and administer departmental policies and procedures to insure efficient operation of the Center and delivery of services. Develop, prepare, and administer departmental budget.
• Provide professional development in-services on mental health issues for applicable staff, student leaders (e.g. RA;s) and faculty, and provide on-going consultation for staff, administrators, parents and faculty regarding student psychological matters as needed.
• Participate in professional training to develop knowledge and expertise in current psychological and legal trends on college campuses.
• On those occasions that the Center has trainees, the Director will supervise and train graduate students, assuming clinical and legal responsibility for their work. Conduct outcome assessment of counseling services and prepare data reports documenting the Center's activities.
• Represent the College at campus-wide programs including Admission Open Houses, and New Student and Parent Orientations.
• Meet regularly with the Director of the Health Center for supervision of all aspects of the Health Center.
• Serve on the College's Intervention team, the Dean's Council and the Institutional Human Subjects Review Board.
• Collaborate with the Title IX Coordinator and the Sexual Assault Victim's Advocate to work on the prevention education on sexual awareness programs.
• Oversee student groups working on peer education in the area of sexual awareness and heath.
• Supervise maintenance of networked electronic record-keeping, scheduling and data collecting software. Oversee outreach materials including the design and content of Center website.
• Complete additional responsibilities at the direction of the Dean of Students.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Ability to effectively work with students from a broad range of backgrounds and life experiences
• Demonstrate commitment to inclusion and diversity
• Knowledge of psychological trends on college campuses
• Knowledge of legal issues related to directing a college counseling center
  
• Ability to develop teams
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Solid writing and organizational skills
• Competency with basic computer software programs
  
  

QUALIFICATIONS

• Doctorate in clinical or counseling psychology
• Licensure or license eligible as psychologist in Washington
• Advanced clinical skills and a solid background in psychological crisis intervention and management
• Two years of clinical supervisory and administrative responsibilities in a college or university counseling center; four years of direct clinical experience with college-aged students; experience working with people from diverse cultures.
  
  

BENEFITS

Whitman offers competitive employee benefits, including medical, dental, vision and life insurances, a generous 10% matching contribution to the Whitman College 403(b) Defined Contribution Retirement Plan, and paid time off including 13 paid holidays for full-time staff vacation and sick leave. Learn more about benefits eligibility here.

COVID-19 PROTOCOLS

At Whitman College, we take seriously the safety of our community. Whitman is a fully vaccinated campus, requiring all employees and students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved exemption. More information can be found here.

APPLICATION REVIEW

We are actively reviewing applications and will continue to do so until the position is filled.

START DATE

Flexible start date. This position could start as soon as filled, and a June or July 2022 start date is also possible.

For full application instructions and position description, visit https://whitman.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=132


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