Fri, Feb 20th, '26
The position will remain open until filled. Early response is encouraged.
To be determined. August, 2026 at the latest.
Fri, Feb 20th, '26
The Department
Counseling and Psychological Services is a department within the Division of Student Affairs. The Division of Student Affairs is comprised of a number of independent yet interconnected departments responsible for helping students build an SSU presence that complements their academic experience. Focusing on leadership, personal responsibility, self-advocacy, and lifelong learning, the Division engages students by developing the personal and professional skills needed to be successful in life. The purpose of the Division of Student Affairs at Sonoma State University is to provide programs, services, and initiatives that ensure student success, promote a sense of belonging, and foster holistic student development. The Division has been recognized by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine as "One of the most promising places to work in Student Affairs" for two consecutive years.
The purpose of Counseling and Psychological Services is to serve the mental health needs of the campus community through offering counseling, consultation, training, and outreach. We strive to acknowledge, accept, and support the perspectives of a diverse campus population. This includes, but is not limited to race/ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, religious/spiritual affiliation, socio-economic status, and immigration status. In counseling, our goal is to empower clients and to promote personal growth, effective communication, positive self-esteem, satisfying relationships, decision-making skills, and the clarification of personal values. We value our clients’ strengths, resources, and ability to change. We are further committed to the ongoing evaluation of our services in pursuit of this purpose.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to see the department’s web page at: https://caps.sonoma.edu/
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 including completing 5150 applications; 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 full-time, 12-month renewable appointment. The start date is to be determined. The position is expected to continue beyond the initial year, contingent upon performance and institutional needs. While the position is classified as temporary, the expectation is that it will be renewed annually contingent on performance, departmental needs, and budgetary constraints.
Sonoma State University is a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution, as such we are committed to achieving the goals of equal opportunity and we endeavor to employ faculty and staff reflecting the linguistic, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the region and state.
Guided by our core values as a university: diversity, sustainability, community engagement, and adaptability, Sonoma State University (SSU) offers an education that fosters intellectual, social, and personal growth. SSU is a public liberal arts and sciences university. As the only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges in the state of California, we are committed to preparing students for a life of active citizenship and public service. We have a vibrant campus life characterized by a lively co-curriculum that fosters broad-based intellectual and artistic opportunities in which the campus as a whole is actively engaged.
Sonoma State University is committed to creating a community in which bias and intolerance have no place. It is our expectation that all students, faculty, and staff work together to honor this commitment and hold each other accountable to create an open and inclusive environment.
We are committed to facilitating spaces in which all can grow by building on our students’ assets as they explore new knowledge. These efforts include fostering creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, experimentation, empathy, and communication. The successful candidate will be one who can collaborate with faculty, staff, administration, and students to achieve these goals. We are especially interested in candidates committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
-Licensed Psychologist, LMFT, LCSW, or LPCC in the State of California or reasonable expectation of ability to obtain licensure within twelve 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 for outreach events on some evenings and/or weekends.
-Availability evenings and/or weekends for after-hours coverage during campus emergencies.
-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-5-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.
-Graduation from an APA accredited doctoral program
-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.
Official transcripts will be required at the time of hire. Sonoma State University hires only individuals lawfully authorized to work in the United States. All offers of employment are contingent upon the presentation of documents demonstrating the appointee’s identity and eligibility to work, in accordance with the provisions of the Immigration Reform and Control Act. A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed satisfactorily before any candidate can be offered a position with the CSU.
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