Gardner-Webb University invites applications for Group Facilitator for the Department of Counselor Education.
The CACREP standards outline an expectation that counselors-in-training receive 10 hours of group counseling experience from the perspective of a client. In order to meet this expectation, and fully meet the standard, while also avoiding an ethical violation associated with the dual role of simultaneously serving as counselor and professor, it is necessary to hire from the community (a) counselor(s) for each CEDU 625 course to serve as facilitator(s). This dual relationship issue extends to all faculty members in the Counselor Education Department, and excludes them from serving as a facilitator. The ethical concern stems from the potential damage incurred by asking students to be vulnerable in a counseling setting with people who have the ability to assign a grade or speak to their standing in the program.
A group facilitator is a counselor who has training and experience in group counseling. He/she works with a professor teaching CEDU 625: Group Counseling to help students complete the 10-hour group experience required by CACREP. The facilitator meets with the students for the 10 hours (usually across 7 weeks) and leads the group counseling experience. He/she communicates with the professor of the course, not to reveal the content of the counseling work, but to confirm that the students have met the requirement. The facilitator also confirms that the students have demonstrated the dispositions necessary to be an effective counselor. If not, he/she is available to discuss any deficiencies.
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Candidates should complete the application and include a letter of interest, résumé, and names and contact information for at least three professional references with their submission.
Gardner-Webb University (gardner-webb.edu) is a coeducational, residential, private, historically Baptist, Christian institution, located in Boiling Springs, North Carolina with easy access to Charlotte, Asheville, and Greenville-Spartanburg. The University offers 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to approximately 3,000 students. GWU is a Carnegie-classified Doctoral/Professional University. In 2023, Gardner-Webb was home to students from 93 counties in North Carolina, 44 US states, and 43 foreign countries. GWU is a NCAA Division I institution with 22 athletic teams and 460 student-athletes.