Mental Health Therapist

The primary responsibility of this position will be for clinical responsibilities within the counseling service. The position will participate in outreach and education responsibilities as directed and identified. The position is also responsible to provide consultation within settings of student life, athletics, academic departments and other constituents across campus. 

This college mental health professional provides the highest level of ethical counseling services for students and delivers a full range of services to student clients and to the campus community. Services include culturally and trauma-informed assessment, individual and group counseling; crisis intervention; case management including referral to off-campus mental health resources; consultation; response to college-wide crisis, and outreach programming. This position requires the ability to function independently and effectively in responding to a wide variety of student mental health issues, including issues that are serious and involve significant risk. The position requires ongoing data analysis regarding the effectiveness of mental health counseling, following the trends within college mental health and the developmental needs of college-aged students. 

This position works a 10.5-month annual appointment from mid August through mid June each year as a .86 FTE employee.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Clinical services (75- 85%): Assist with the creation and implementation of mental health services within a Stepped Care model of services, which include intake assessment; individual and group counseling; crisis intervention; case management services; and referral to on and off campus mental health resources. 
• Consultation (5%): Provide consultation around student mental health issues to faculty, staff, parents and concerned friends. 
• Outreach (5-10%): Create and provide outreach programming (groups, workshops, training) to the campus community related to student mental health issues. Collaborate actively with other campus departments and programs around education/prevention efforts. 
• Administrative (5%): Participate actively in staff meetings and in program review and development. Participate in Student Life committees, campus committees, or collaborative projects as requested. Assists director of counseling in administration and management of outreach budget and organizational responsibilities. 

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE and SKILLS: 

• Education: One of the following degrees: 
  •  MSW in clinical social work
  • Masters degree in counseling.
  • Doctorate (PhD, EdD, or PsyD) in counseling or clinical psychology 

• Licensure:
  • Must be currently licensed in Iowa as a:
    • Psychologist (LP)
    • Independent social worker (LISW) or master social worker (LMSW)
    • Mental health counselor (LMHC)
    • Or licensure eligible within one year of hire 

• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of full time, postgraduate practice as a mental health professional working in a clinical setting with late adolescent and adult clients preferred. Will consider therapists who are provisionally licensed in the state of Iowa. 
• Availability: Ability to occasionally work after hours and/or on a weekend for crisis intervention, response to college-wide crisis, or selected outreach activities. 

COMPETENCIES 

• Strong generalist with well-developed skills in culturally adaptive trauma informed care, clinical assessment, crisis intervention, and brief to moderate length psychotherapy 
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex clinical scenarios and exercise excellent clinical judgment in responding to multifaceted mental health situations 
• Strong clinical expertise in crisis intervention, especially in suicide and violence risk assessment and intervention. 
• Knowledge of and adherence to the highest standards of legal and ethical practice 
• The ability to readily form and sustain relationships of trust with a diverse student body. 
• Knowledge of college student development theories and practice. 
• Demonstration and knowledge of multicultural competence regarding mental health with a commitment to an environment of inclusion and diversity. 
• Strong oral and written communication skills with an ability to manage a full caseload within a high demand, time-limited clinical setting. 
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively as part of a counseling center team and with individuals and groups across the campus community. 
• Interest and skill in providing innovation and creativity with psychoeducational outreach programs. 
• Experience with electronic records and electronic forms of data collection and management. 
• Ability to cultivate and develop inclusive and equitable working relationships with students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends of the college. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS and WORK ENVIRONMENT: 

• PHYSICAL DEMANDS 
  • Sedentary work largely. Involves time at a desk and computer keyboard. Involves walking or standing for brief periods. Includes exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or the ability to lift, carry, push or pull, or otherwise move objects with a negligible amount of force. 
• WORK ENVIRONMENT
  • Physical environment is a pleasant, smoke free office environment with windows; air conditioned in summer. Student service level varies from quiet to intense across the day and through the semester. Position involves potential for significant psychological stress when responding to student mental health crises or campus tragedies.