Associate Director for Outreach and Community Engagement

Associate Director for Outreach and Community Engagement, Counseling Center

The University of Illinois at Chicago Counseling Center (UICCC) is currently hiring a qualified applicant to serve as the Associate Director for Outreach and Community Engagement.

This is a 12-month, full-time staff appointment. The Associate Director will be responsible for providing mental health services and crisis counseling, and will develop and oversee outreach and community engagement programs for our students.

UICCC is the main provider of mental health services on campus and provides comprehensive psychological services to a highly diverse student population, including assessment, individual and group therapy, psychiatry, crisis, consultation, referral, outreach, and mind-body programming.

UICCC is a unit of the Office of Student Health and Wellbeing which includes Campus Recreation, the Wellness Center, and Public Health Initiatives.

We are committed to social justice oriented and public health approaches to health and well-being.

Find out more about this role by reading the information below, then apply to be considered.

UICCC staff includes licensed psychologists, master's level therapists and crisis counselors, and a board-certified psychiatrist.

Strongly dedicated to training, we offer an advanced doctoral therapy externship, postdoctoral fellowship, and an American Psychological Association accredited doctoral internship in health service psychology.

We are committed to cultivating cultural humility in our work, addressing structural racism, and creating an inclusive environment.

We are seeking qualified individuals with experience working within diverse populations, experience providing services in a language other than English, or individuals who can otherwise add to the rich diversity of our clinical staff.

Position Description :

In conjunction and under the supervision of the Executive Director of the Counseling Center, the Associate Director for Outreach & Community Engagement exists as the primary administrator responsible for the oversight, creation, and implementation of UICCC's outreach and community engagement programs for the campus community.

The Associate Director will be responsible for creating a comprehensive community referral network as well as overseeing outreach efforts within the campus community.

This position will serve as a member of the UICCC's administrative leadership team and may provide overall leadership of the Counseling Center and its offices in the absence of the Executive Director.

A portion of this position is also the provision of direct services including clinical services, crisis counseling, outreach, community engagement and prevention initiatives, and supervision of trainees, crisis counselors, and licensed professional counselors.

Key Responsibilities / Duties :

• Stakeholder Engagement, Advocacy, and Capacity Building
• Build connections with campus partners and stakeholders to provide outreach programming that supports student well-being.
• Create and sustain partnerships and networks across campus - including participating organizations, faculty members, instructors, departmental and program administrators, staff members, students, teaching assistants, and members of community organizations - to support collaborative strategies for the promotion of student mental health and emotional well-being.
• Convened invested campus and community stakeholders that promote student mental health and well-being, manage projects and timelines, and provide administrative and technical support necessary to maintain stakeholder engagement and assure progression of work toward stated goals.
• Participate in campus committees as necessary to promote Health Promoting Campus Initiatives that are focused on integration of campus well-being services.
• Maintain current working knowledge of the UIC context (e.g. academic and institutional plans and priorities, faculties, departments, student services, UIC survey data) in order to best align the work with stakeholder groups, departments, and / or university policies.
• Planning and Research
• Utilize campus and national data to develop and implement strategic goals for outreach and community engagement, including developing referral networks.
• Conduct yearly reviews of UICCC's outreach and community engagement data.
• In collaboration with the UICCC administrative team, facilitate campus-wide mental health and emotional well-being programs, applying principles of community development, collective impact, and environmental management.
• Identify trends and needs of participating organizations, campus stakeholders, seek feedback from diverse groups, and collaboratively develop strategies to best address their needs and develop their capacities.
• Research and stay current on health promotion theory, setting-based and socioecological approaches, issues impacting student mental health and well-being, relevant trends in post-secondary education, and at UIC specifically, best practices, government legislation, and non-government organization guidelines (e.

g. World Health Organization's Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion).

• Communication and Strategic Alignment
• Oversee the development, marketing, implementation, and evaluation of University mental health and emotional well-being outreach efforts.

This includes developing outreach programming within the university and developing a referral network with community partners.

• Collaborate with Creative and Digital Services to design and implement strategies to market and promote population level student mental health and well-being, the health promoting campus settings approach, the Socio-ecological Model approach, and the interconnection of health and well-being with student learning, success, and retention.
• In collaboration with the Executive Director, assess the degree of alignment between current initiatives and the university strategic direction and policies.

Provide recommendations to link and align efforts throughout the Division, across campus, and assist with the development of evaluation measures.

• Support the use of evidence-based strategies in mental health promotion and disseminate data and reports to inform campus operations and programming.
• In collaboration with Creative and Digital Services, disseminate data and reports to inform campus operations and programming.
• Respond to requests for information, data and presentations, as well as conduct pro-active communication with stakeholders and campus partners.
• Psychoeducation and Direct Service
• Perform duties and responsibilities of a Staff Therapist in the Counseling Center (e.g. individual, group, relationship, career, and crisis counseling / psychotherapy;
• intake assessments; outreach programming; information and referral; consultation and liaison with the university community;

case management; teaching, supervision, and evaluation of trainees; supervision of unlicensed staff; research; clinical support responsibilities).

• Provide case management, crisis response, outreach, and consultation to UIC students, UIC faculty, and UIC staff.
• Lead strategic planning, supervision, and implementation of evidence-informed, student-centered, equity-minded workshops and trainings to increase student and staff knowledge and skills related to mental health and well-being.
• In partnership with the Executive Director, identify opportunities to expand and re-envision existing resources to better support and increase access to services, information, and resources.
• Generate regular and annual reports documenting service utilization and student needs.
• Regularly review, update, and introduce policies to govern the delivery of health behavior services in accordance with requisite federal and / or state regulations and professional guidelines for service delivery.
• Develop and maintain policy and procedures for outreach services.
• Position requires occasional evening hours and weekend duties.
• Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications :

• A minimum of a Master's degree in psychology, social work, counseling, or a related field is required.
• Current full and unrestricted license at the highest level in the mental health field - Psychologist, LCPC, or LCSW ONLY.

Note : LPC and LSW licenses do NOT meet minimum qualifications and will NOT be considered for employment).

• A minimum of two years of clinical experience post-licensure.
• At least four years of progressively responsible administrative experience with outpatient mental health service and / or counseling center operations, administration, and / or management.
• Experience, expertise, and interest in providing outreach and community engagement in collegiate mental health.
• Ability to maintain ethical, legal, organizational standards, and commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in all training, service, and research activities.
• Ability to collaborate with university and community professionals.
• Experience providing clinical supervision to trainees and mental health professionals.
• Knowledge of and ability to use crisis intervention skills.
• Ability to use independent judgment and manage confidential information.
• Ability to teach in workshops, training programs and seminars.
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written) and strong interpersonal skills.
• Ability to organize and manage projects.
• Knowledge of relevant technology.

Preferred / Desired Qualifications :

• Counseling or college health experience in a higher education context strongly preferred.
• Doctoral degree in psychology, social work, counseling, public health, health promotion, or a related field strongly preferred.
• Dual certification and training in public health, health promotion, or a related field strongly preferred.
• Three or more years of clinical experience post-licensure.
• Training and experience providing psychological services to graduate, professional, and undergraduate students, which includes providing services to persons of color, international students, non-traditional students, veterans, students with disabilities and LGBTQA+ students.
• Applications from qualified individuals with experience providing psychological services with diverse populations, experience conducting counseling / outreach in a language other than English, or individuals who can otherwise add to the rich diversity of our clinical staff are strongly encouraged to apply.

Salary Range / Benefits :

The annualized salary range is $96,000 - $115,000. The offer rate will be based on a review of the candidate's credentials compared to the qualifications of the position and preferred experience, internal equity, and our overall compensation philosophy.

UIC provides a generous benefits package, including 24 days of earned vacation leave, up to 13 days of non-cumulative sick leave and 12 days of cumulative sick leave and University holidays including 2 floating holidays.

Health, dental and vision insurance is provided for staff and their eligible dependents, as well as life insurance, flexible spending accounts, and a choice of retirement plans.

Required Application Materials :

Submit your application via the University online application system, through the following link : UIC Application Link. A cover letter is required for consideration and should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.

For full consideration, submit an online application that includes an uploaded cover letter, CV / resume, and the names and contact information of three references by September 22, 2024.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and / or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates.

Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment / misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

The university provides accommodations to applicants and employees. Request an Accommodation.

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