Counselor, Department of Counseling and Psychological Services, CAPS

Duties of the Position

Under the general supervision of the Associate Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, the selected candidate will provide clinical and outreach services to SSU students in a highly collaborative and busy University Counseling center that values teamwork, flexibility and adaptability. Service provision will include the following: diagnostic assessment and evaluation; brief, evidence-based individual, couples, and group psychotherapy; case management; crisis and emergency intervention; referrals to outside providers; workshops and presentations; participation in campus and division initiatives and events, some of which are after-hours; and other outreach activities.

The therapist also provides consultative psychological services to members of the Sonoma State community, including faculty, staff, deans, administrators, students and their family members. The therapist will also provide peer consultation to other staff therapists or trainees both informally and in case conference. The therapist is responsible for adhering to legal and ethical guidelines of the profession including adhering to strict guidelines of maintaining client confidentiality and timely documentation of all client services.

Other administrative tasks may be assigned including triage of incoming requests for services, work related to grant funding and reporting, development of relationships with University and outside partners, contributions to communications such as a monthly newsletter and Instagram posts, student informational interviews, committee work, coverage of front desk reception, and data collection, analysis and reporting. The therapist should maintain knowledge of on and off-campus resources for mental healthcare and basic needs, and may be responsible for referring students to a variety of resources and following up in a timely manner to assess whether a student's needs were met. The therapist may be responsible for clinical supervision of pre-licensed trainees and may provide lead direction to administrative staff. The therapist may be involved in training of students who are interning for us as Mental Health Ambassadors. They may also be asked to mentor Mental Health Ambassador student interns. 60-65% of time will be spent providing direct clinical services.

This is a renewable full-time 12-month year appointment ending August, 2026. While the position is classified as temporary, the expectation is that it will be renewed annually contingent on performance, departmental needs, and budgetary constraints.

Professional Qualifications

To be recommended for appointment, the candidate must have:

Required Qualifications:
Licensed Psychologist, LMFT, LCSW, or LPCC in the State of California or reasonable expectation of ability to obtain licensure within six months of hire.

-Training and experience providing psychological counseling to adolescents or young adults and knowledge of developmental issues in university populations.

-Demonstrated ability, experience and comfort in assessing, intervening and treating with individuals with severe mental health issues and/or those considered at "high risk" of harm to self or others.

-Skill and ability to identify, articulate and implement a treatment plan within a short-term therapy model.

-Strong generalist clinical skills in treating individuals with a wide range of presenting issues.

-Demonstrated commitment to cultural humility and culturally sensitive care and effectiveness in counseling students across a wide range of individual differences including, but not limited to, experiences related to: race, ethnicity, national origin, documentation status, religious and spiritual beliefs, gender, sexuality, physical and mental abilities, size and appearance, age, parenting status, and socio-economic status.

-Ability to make prognostic indications for short-term therapeutic work with students, understand when and how to refer to other treatment facilities, complete appropriate follow through, and effectively process termination.

-Availability evenings and/or weekends for outreach events and for rare after-hours emergency coverage.

-Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build effective relationships with team members, administration, other departments on campuses, and outside partners.

-Excellent communication skills, including a demonstrated ability to conduct effective oral presentations, facilitate the open exchange of ideas, and write professional, clear, concise clinical notes, documents, psychoeducational materials and reports.

-Interest in case consultation and ability to encourage peers to explore alternative interpretations and approaches as well as issues of transference and counter-transference.

-Ability to take-in and apply feedback from peers as appropriate.

-Knowledge of applicable laws and ethics pertaining to the practice of psychology.

-Competent in use of the DSM-V TR.

-Strong planning and organizational skills.

-Ability to take initiative with projects and to self-direct work.

-Excellent time management skills and dedication to contributing to the priorities of the department and University as a whole.

-Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, cooperatively, and with flexibility as a member of the CAPS team and to contribute to a positive work environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

Knowledge, experience and passion for working with Black/African American, Latinx, Indigenous, AAPI, or LGBTQ identified clients.

Bilingual/multilingual Spanish speaker.

Previous college counseling experience.

Knowledge and experience with Titanium or other electronic scheduling and record-keeping system.

Passion for, and diverse experience in, providing outreach, programs, workshops, and trainings.

Previous experience as clinical supervisor.