POSITION DESCRIPTION
PURPOSE
OF THE POSITION:
Provides overall strategic, leadership, clinical oversight, and program direction
for Counseling & Psychological Services
(CAPS) and the Mental Health
Peer Program (MHPP). Provides guidance and training for the Multidisciplinary
Team (MDT). Focus on accessible,
inclusive, evidence-informed counseling and crisis intervention.
RESPONSIBILITIES & DUTIES:
Strategic Leadership:
Provides vision and strategic direction
for CAPS; develops long- and short-term plans for mental health service
delivery, including strategic planning and goal setting, identifying and
achieving service objectives, managing staff, financial, and other resources,
conducting program evaluation, and engaging in counseling, outreach,
consultation, and preventive mental health activities. Develops, implements,
and evaluates the vision, purpose, aims, objectives, and strategies for all
programs and services within CAPS. Creates comprehensive planning,
implementation, assessment, and quality improvement strategies for counseling
services to ensure a positive experience for students, faculty, and staff, with
a focus on student development, satisfaction, and retention. Regularly monitors
and reports on CAPS' financial status. Produces administrative and financial
plans, proposals, and reports to support CAPS' work and keep internal and
external stakeholders informed on key issues. Advises the Assistant Vice President
for Student Wellness (AVPSW) and other university officials on crises, offering
guidance on mental health services and interventions. Acts as a key member of
the multidisciplinary team and crisis response unit, providing consultation,
leading CAPS participation in emergency responses, and offering post-crisis
support. Develops and updates emergency plans to ensure safety for students and
staff and supports the creation and evaluation of the Student Wellness (SW)
Business Continuity Plan, Emergency Operations Plan, and Resource Allocation
and Management Plan. Promotes a data-driven approach to problem-solving and
decision-making. Implements best practices in designing, developing, and
overseeing mental health programs. Develops and executes programs and services
within CAPS that align with the university’s strong student-centered
philosophy. Assists with strategic planning, mid- and long-range planning, and
overall assessment and quality improvement efforts for CAPS. Serves as the
administrator, lead trainer, and consultant for CAPS; designs and conducts
workshops and creates materials to promote CAPS services and support students,
faculty, and staff in mental health matters. Ensures CAPS compliance with
relevant federal, state, and local laws, as well as professional standards, CSU
and CSUCI policies, procedures, and guidelines. Recommends, develops, and
implements policy and procedural changes to ensure compliance. Oversees
financial resource planning, allocation, and management for CAPS. Prepares the
annual operating budget and manages financial policies and procedures. Oversees
staff resource planning, allocation, and management within CAPS. Trains,
supervises, and evaluates all staff members. Develops and recommends long-term
personnel strategies based on enrollment projections, expected revenue, and
strategic goals.
Clinical Oversight:
Maintains a limited clinical caseload, provides
supervision, ensures adherence to standards, and guides evidence-based
practices. Provides consultation/liaison
to the University community, particularly in high-risk and crises. Fosters
effective working relationships with faculty, staff, and administrators. Must
maintain legally required confidentiality, be highly knowledgeable of the legal
responsibility to report individuals at risk of harm to self/others, and to maintain
strict informational boundaries that in this environment are highly subject to
pressure. Advances equity-minded
practices and social justice with CAPS operations where appropriate, ensures
services are accessible, promotes an organizational culture of collaboration,
and provides leadership development for CAPS staff. As time and resources
permit, participates in regional, state, and national organizations on
psychological services, student affairs, and higher education. Assists the AVP for Student Wellness with providing
leadership on special projects. Creates, develops, and maintains a robust
Mental Health Peer Program (MHPP).
Crisis Management:
Serves as a member of the University's
Multidisciplinary team (MDT) and assists the university in crisis response
efforts, specifically providing consultation as it pertains to mental health
interventions and actively leading CAPS participation in emergency response and
post-crisis support for individual and campus-level needs. Leads the creation
of clear, effective, and proactive plans for avoiding or mitigating newly
emerged and evolving threats. Make level-headed decisions in crises—alert top
management about relevant threats.
Develops expertise in threat assessment, trains MDT team and campus
community; evaluates violence prevention protocols. Develops ongoing expertise
in threat assessment and management and shares this expertise through outreach
and training on threat assessment and management to the MDT and campus
community. Supports the MDT Chair (AVP Student Affairs/Dean of Students)
through advisement of the MDT that assesses risk and threats to the
University’s employees, students, and property. Evaluates the effectiveness of
the policies and procedures for managing violence prevention and for expanding
and improving response protocols and programs. Serves on Divisional and
University committees as directed by the AVPSW (e.g., Campus Access, Retention,
and Equity Team (CARE), and MDT, etc. Performs additional related duties as
assigned.