Mental Health and Academic Counselor (Tenure Track)

MENTAL HEALTH AND ACADEMIC COUNSELOR

(Tenure Track, Full-Time Faculty)

Open Date: March 13, 2025

Close Date: April 13, 2025

Anticipated Start Date: July 1, 2025

Anticipated Salary Range: $70,206.00 - $97,889.00 (DOE)

THE POSITION

This is a faculty position responsible for providing mental health and academic counseling in individual and group settings. This position provides immediate, short-term help to students in distress that are experiencing personal, social, emotional, physical, psychological, and behavioral problems that may interfere with college success. This position will focus on advancing campus wellness initiatives to ensure a trauma-informed and healing-centered campus.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Mental Health Counseling

·        Conduct short-term goal-oriented counseling sessions with targeted interventions focused on achieving stability, enhancing coping skills, personal empowerment, and safety.

·        Provide crisis counseling to students (individuals and groups) on a wide range of concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression, grief, substance abuse, etc.) that may interfere with their ability to succeed in college.

·        Act as a liaison with community organizations regarding local area resources, referrals, and related collaborative efforts.

·        Provide group facilitation or leadership for support groups or special interest groups.

·        Provide classes, workshops, and related activities to educate campus community about counseling services, mental health topics, etc.

·        Provide consultation to faculty, staff, and community regarding how to assist students with personal difficulties, problems, and concerns.

·        Use culturally responsive counseling modalities when working with historically underrepresented student populations, at-risk students, and other marginalized student populations.

·        Adhere to ACA (American Counseling Association) and State of Washington ethical and legal standards

Academic Counseling:

·        Co-manage the academic standards process with Associate Dean

·        Provide academic counseling for at-risk students on probation and suspension

·        Teach a non-credit student success course targeted for at-risk students remediating their GPA

·        Co-manage campus early alert system with Associate Dean

Other duties as assigned:

·        Serve on college committees.

·        Participate in annual planning and assessment activities.

·        Serves as a core team member on the campus CARE team (behavioral intervention/threat assessment).

·        Provide backup advising as needed.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

•         Experience using short-term crisis intervention techniques.

•         Experience working with individuals in one-on-one and group settings.

•         Experience working with diverse populations.

•         Experience working collaboratively in a team environment.

•         Strong organizational and time-management skills.

•         Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

•         Experience with academic, career planning, and/or counseling in higher education.

•         Ability to successfully collaborate with faculty, staff, community members, and students as part of an effective student success team.

•         Evidence of strong organizational, interpersonal, problem-solving skills; demonstrated ability to take initiative.

•         Self-starter with a high degree of motivation, energy, flexibility, integrity, and willingness to innovate.

•         Computer proficiency in Word, Excel and data base systems.

•         Excellent communication skills, both oral and written, are essential. Ability to communicate with students whose primary language is not English.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES

•         Use Microsoft Office Suite products, learning management systems, student information systems, web conferencing software, etc.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

•        Master’s degree in Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, or closely related field.

•        Licensed or eligible to be licensed prior to employment as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor or Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Washington.

•        One year or more post Master’s degree counseling experience.

•        Experience developing and conducting classroom or group presentations for adults.

•        Experience using short-term, evidenced-based therapeutic techniques.

•        Experience working with individuals in one-on-one and group settings.

•        Experience working with diverse populations.

•        Experience working collaboratively in a team environment.

•        Strong organizational and time-management skills

•        Excellent verbal and written communication skills

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

•         Previous counseling experience working with adults in an academic, vocational, or mental health setting.

•         Understanding of and commitment to the mission of a community college.

•         Teaching experience

•         Demonstrated commitment to promote equitable access and educations achievement for diverse students

•         Demonstrated strong knowledge of the principles and practices of counseling, advising, and student success.

•         Experience counseling diverse and minoritized student populations including students with disabilities and BIPOC and Latinx, LGBTQ , veteran, international, undocumented students.

REQUIRED PHYSICAL ABILITIES

Similar to those of any office-based or classroom position. Ability to sit, stand, move about the campus for required meetings, lift up to 25 lbs. of office equipment, books, etc. Operate digital office machinery; navigate web and other computer environments. 

REQUIRED WORK SCHEDULE AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

Position is typically scheduled Monday through Friday, during business hours of operation at the Port Angeles campus with regular travel to the Forks and Port Townsend campuses to see students. This position may be called upon to respond to events held in the evening or on weekends. May be expected to travel periodically, both locally and nationally.

REQUIRED EDUCATION OR CERTIFICATES

•         Master’s degree in Counseling, Psychology, Social Work, or closely related field.

•         Licensed or eligible to be licensed prior to employment as a LMHC or Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Washington.

Employment Terms

·        A full-time tenure-track position beginning the 2025 Summer quarter

·        The College has a negotiated faculty salary schedule in which placement on the schedule is determined by education level and experience. Initial annual salary placement is anticipated to be $70,206.00 - $97,889.00 for a standard 175-day contract, depending on qualifications. The current salary rate is expected to increase subject to the outcome of the negotiated Faculty Collective Bargaining Agreement.

·        A standard 175-day contract is written annually for the period of September to June. Late contracts will be prorated on the basis of work-days remaining in the contract year.

EMPLOYMENT PAY AND BENEFITS INFORMATION

·        Full-Time faculty position.

·        Anticipated starting salary: $70,206.00 - $97,889.00 (DOE)

Application Submission Procedure:

A complete application file will include:

• a college employment application,
• a letter of application addressing specific qualifications of this position,
• a current CV,
• a teaching philosophy, not to exceed 2 pages,
• a diversity statement, not to exceed 2 pages,
• official transcripts, and
• three current professional references qualified to assess your experience and ability to perform the duties specified. Please include references’ email addresses and telephone numbers.

*        In compliance with the Immigration and Naturalization Act, proof of authorization to work in the United States will be required at the time of hire.

*        Prior to a new hire, a background check including criminal record history will be conducted. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant’s suitability and competence to perform in the position.

Application materials may be uploaded electronically, by mail, or email to:

 Human Resources

 Peninsula College

 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.

 Port Angeles, WA 98362

 Phone: (360) 417-6298

 Email: pchr@pencol.edu

Applications submitted electronically will be accepted without signatures.

Jeanne Clery Statement:

Notice of Availability of Annual Security Report—Peninsula College’s Annual Crime/Security Report is available here, containing mandated information about current campus policies concerning safety and security issues, required statistics, and other related information. To obtain a paper copy of the report, please call 360-417-6559.

Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment:

Peninsula College is compliant with Title IX best practices. For more information visit, Anti-Harassment and Nondiscrimination | Title IX.

Peninsula College does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, families with children, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, including gender identity, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, genetic information, or the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities. Coordination of compliance is the responsibility of the Human Resources Officer, Hanan Zawideh, titleixcrd@pencol.edu, (360) 417-6212.

Requesting Accommodations for Employment:

Please contact the Peninsula College Human Resources office, 360-417-6298 or email pchr@pencol.edu to request for any accommodations.

Peninsula College is an equal opportunity employer.