POSITION DESCRIPTION

• |
• Full Time

Under the general direction of the Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) Associate Director and immediate direction of the CWC CART Interim Program Director, this position requires a variety of skills involving consultation, brief clinical assessment, and crisis counseling, including referral to on-campus and off-campus resources, as well as lethality assessment, safety planning, case management, and consultation with parents, faculty, and staff. CART counselors spend the majority of their time conducting brief consultation and referral appointments and providing one-time crisis counseling to students who walk in for same-day support.

Brief Consultation & Referral appointments are brief (20-30 minutes) assessment and referral meetings with UF students seeking counseling services. During these meetings, CART counselors briefly determine students’ appropriateness for various on-campus and community resources and make recommendations and referrals accordingly. During consultation CART counselors also assess for suicide/homicide danger and address other urgent concerns, such as substance use and mental status. Consultation may include safety planning and referral to on-call CART counselors for further evaluation and crisis intervention.

In collaboration with CWC case managers, maintain and monitor a clinical case management system to provide continuity of care and follow-up for clients.

Assist students with social services needs including, but not limited to, referral to community resources.

 Follow up to ensure that clients are appropriately assessed, successfully referred, and compliant with treatment recommendations.

Complete records punctually according to record keeping/report writing procedures that are currently operative at the CWC and required by legal and ethical regulations. Prepare and submit all service reports, or other communications involving the clinical operations of the CWC which are intended for persons, departments, or agencies outside of the CWC for review and approval of the Director or Associate Director.

Crisis counseling includes the following skills: empathic listening and validation, de-escalation, prioritization, assessment of suicide/homicide danger, safety planning, efficient intervention, consultation, and consideration of other risk factors such substance use, self-care, social support, and mental status. Crisis counseling occasionally involves interventions of last resort, such as psychiatric hospitalization.

Provide daytime crisis services. Consult with faculty, staff, students, and family members who are concerned about a student.

Consult with clinical faculty, clinical director, clinic coordinator, and case managers on students with urgent/emergent/recurrent concerns.

Mentoring and training practicum students, interns and new staff. CART meetings are also biweekly, and we also attend staff meetings and case conference meetings.

Performs other related duties as assigned. Attend weekly meetings and dyadic/group supervision. Maintain awareness of CWC’s relationships with other university departments, community health providers, services, hospitals, and other resources.

CART Counselors will be closely supervised by the CART Interim Program Director and will not be supervising other employees.

Normal Work Schedule is 40 hours per week, typically 8am - 5pm Monday through Friday. 

The Mission of the Counseling and Wellness Center at the University of Florida is to facilitate the total development of students by reducing psychological problems and distress and by enhancing mental health, well-being, quality of life, and optimal functioning, through the delivery of high quality, culturally sensitive services to UF students and the larger campus community. Our primary focus is on providing brief, confidential counseling aimed at helping students succeed academically and interpersonally.

The CWC provides:

• Individual, couples, and group counseling for students with psychological, emotional, academic and/or relationship concerns
• Crisis intervention for students experiencing a personal crisis or emergency
• Psychiatric evaluation and medication consultation
• Stress management and biofeedback services
• Outreach, prevention, and educational programs for students, faculty, and staff
• Consultation services for students, faculty, staff, families, and friends of students
• Training and supervision in counseling and psychology graduate students from pre-practicum through
• Post-doctoral residency
• Assessment and referral services
• Teaching, research, and scholarship

Our staff consists of 64 clinicians in Clinical psychology, counseling psychology, counselor education, and social work. In addition, the psychiatry staff of the Student Health Care Center shares our facility.

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

UF is a Top 5 major, public, comprehensive, land-grant, research university with membership in the Association of American Universities. It is the state’s oldest university, among the nation’s most academically diverse public schools, with 55,000 students and a 2,000-acre campus. The Counseling and Wellness Center, part of the Division of Student Life, is accredited by the International Association of Counseling Services (IACS). The campus is located in Gainesville, a community usually ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States. Gainesville has its own urban forest with canopy coverage for 60% of the city. The city of Gainesville is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts. Nearby are many recreational lakes and rivers; the north Florida beaches of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean are just a short drive away. UF consistently attracts world-class performing arts. Sports fans can enjoy Gator athletics, with UF ranking among the nation’s 10 best athletic programs in both men’s and women’s sports.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Professionals with one of the following credentials are qualified to provide psychosocial counseling:

• Social worker with a master’s degree or a Ph.D. in social work from a Certified Social Work Education-accredited school of social work.
• Registered nurse with advanced specialized counseling education and training as a clinical nurse specialist or certified psychiatric nurse.
• Professional licensed to provide clinical, counseling, and psychotherapy services by the Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance.
• Counselor with a master’s degree in counseling.
• Psychologist with a master’s or Ph.D. in psychology.
• Master’s or doctoral level graduate student intern from an accredited school of social work or a psychology or counseling program, under the supervision of a licensed practitioner qualified to supervise such interns.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

(1) demonstrated expertise in clinical case management, (2) administrative and computer application skills required to effectively implement and maintain clinical documentation, (3) demonstrated skill in working well under pressure to prioritize and manage multiple clinical situations and to coordinate these efforts as a part of a multidisciplinary team, (4) energy to flexibly manage the professional demands of a challenging workload while maintaining positive and healthy perspectives and relationships, (5) collaborative spirit of warmth, acceptance, respect, and trust towards colleagues, (6) demonstrated sensitivity to multicultural issues and proven ability to interact with diverse individuals and groups, (7) self-motivated, self-directed commitment to high professional ideals, (8) excellent oral and written communication skills, and (9) experience in college mental health, including crisis assessment, brief intervention, confidentiality requirements, and referral.

COMPENSATION

 $60,000-$65,000 annually; commensurate with education and experience, and licensure if applicable.

APPLICATION MATERIALS

Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.