Director, Counseling Center

The University of Illinois Chicago is seeking a highly collaborative, strategic, culturally competent, and skilled leader to serve as the Director of the Counseling Center within the newly created Office of Student Health and Well-being. With enhancing student health and well-being as a core institutional priority, this is an opportunity for a strong administrator and systems-based thinkers with a dep understanding of the oversight of mental health services to have a significant and long-term positive impact on the lives of students.

The Counseling Center is the main provider of mental health services on campus and provides comprehensive psychological services to eligible students including evaluation, counseling, outreach, consultation, and referral. We offer an integrative model of psychiatric care, individual, relationship/couples, and group therapies, and skills-based workshops including mind/body programming. We have a strong commitment to training through our APA-accredited internship, advanced therapy externship, postdoctoral fellowship, and student paraprofessional training programs. Our services are confidential and funded by students' health services fee, resulting in service provision at no additional charge for currently enrolled students.

The Counseling Center staff includes licensed psychologists and crisis counselors, a board-certified psychiatrist, case managers, doctoral interns and externs, postdoctoral psychology residents, and trained paraprofessionals. We are committed to addressing structural racism and cultivating cultural humility in our work. We are committed to the highest standards of competency in meeting the needs of individuals from diverse backgrounds, including differences of culture, race, ethnicity, national origin, class, gender identity, gender expression, ability, age, body size, immigrant status, and sexual orientation. The Counseling Center has been serving the University of Illinois at Chicago for more than 35 years, is part of the Division of Student Affairs, and is fully accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services, Inc.

Position Description:

Under the administrative direction of the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Health and Wellness/Executive Director of the Counseling Center, this position will focus on advancing opportunities to meet increasing demands for mental health support through innovative strategies and delivery methods. This position also serves as an integral advisor to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Health and Wellness/Executive Director of the Counseling Center on University responses to crises and threat assessments. In collaboration with the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Health and Wellness/Executive Director of the Counseling Center, this position will plan and manage the annual budget, provide appropriate training and supervision of clinical and administrative staff within the counseling center, and the education/outreach efforts and community engagement necessary to optimize utilization of the services and resources provided by the UIC Counseling Center.

Key Responsibilities/Duties:

• Serve as key member of the UIC Health and Wellness leadership team.

• Manage the operations to ensure the delivery of high-quality, evidence-informed, compassionate, efficient, and culturally-responsive mental health and counseling services, educational resources and outreach, and professional training programs.

• Ensure the timely delivery of counseling support to students via in-person appointments and telehealth visits.

• Oversee the development of programs that will enhance student well-being, support student success, and reduce stigma of seeking mental health services.

• Design, develop, execute and evaluate a comprehensive set of long and short-term goals and priorities for the Counseling Center.

• Encourage student engagement in efforts to promote student mental health and well-being and/or provide peer support to community members in need.

• Serve as a consultant on student behavioral issues for campus staff and faculty, and support campus emergency preparedness and response and communication about public health issues.

• Work cooperatively with the Wellness Center, Campus Recreation, and other Student Affairs departments, academic departments, and deans' offices to deliver high quality clinical and support services to students.

• Collaborate with health and wellness services provided across the UIC campus, including but not limited to the Neuropsychiatric Institute, CampusCare, Family Medicine, and UI Health Pharmacy to facilitate a continuity of mental health care and support for students engaging with University services through a variety of touchpoints.

• Provide leadership and guidance to clinicians and administrative staff within the UIC counseling Center including training, professional development and responsiveness to related personnel matters.

• Develop and oversee UIC Counseling Center financial resources and budget and determine appropriate priorities.

• Establish, review, and update policies and procedures to ensure ethical, confidential, and inclusive clinical care.

• Ensure compliance with University policy, and state and federal laws.

• Plan, assign and review work of staff to ensure that group objectives are met. Hire, train, develop, and manage staff to ensure that a qualified staff is able to meet group objectives.

• Direct and coordinates marketing services to increase outreach efforts to students and enhance awareness of departmental services.

• Ensure adherence to policies regarding the availability of emergency counseling services.

Minimum Qualifications:

A Ph.D. or Psy.D. in psychology is required.

A minimum of 5 years of progressive relevant counseling center experience is required.

Experience in program development, strategic planning/implementation, motivating and developing staff, effective management of resources, supervision, and budgeting required.

Proven record of success and commitment to working with issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, including ability to work well with a globally diverse student body.

Experience in a college or university student health, mental health, or health promotion setting is preferred.

Experience in dealing with public health issues, crisis management, and emergency response is preferred.

Experience working in environments with a large health or public health presence through programs and organizations is preferred.

Ability to communicate effectively with a diverse student body and university community.

Ability to interact effectively with people, possess excellent communication skills and leadership ability.

University Description: UIC is a large urban Research 1 university with a primarily commuter, though increasingly residential, student population of more than 34,000 and recognized as one of the most diverse universities in the U.S. More information is available at https://www.uic.edu/about/

Required Application Materials: Cover letter, vita, and the names and contact details for three professional references.

For fullest consideration, please submit an online application that includes an uploaded cover letter and resume as well as the names and contact information of three references by April 14, 2023, via the university online application system, through the following link: https://apptrkr.com/4010546

The University of Illinois at Chicago is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer, dedicated to the goal of building a culturally diverse and pluralistic faculty and staff committed to teaching and working in a multicultural environment. We strongly encourage applications from women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and covered veterans.

The University of Illinois System requires candidates selected for hire to disclose any documented finding of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment and to authorize inquiries to current and former employers regarding findings of sexual misconduct or sexual harassment. For more information, visit https://www.hr.uillinois.edu/cms/One.aspx?portalId=4292&pageId=1411899

Offers of employment by the University of Illinois at Chicago may be subject to approval by the University's Board of Trustees. The University of Illinois at Chicago may conduct background checks and other pre-employment assessments on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer. Background Checks will be performed in compliance with state and federal law.

As a qualifying federal contractor, the University of Illinois System uses E-Verify to verify employment eligibility.

University of Illinois faculty, staff and students are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. If you are not able to receive the vaccine for medical or religious reasons, you may seek approval for an exemption in accordance with applicable University processes.