| Posting Number: | 20233542S |
| Position Title: | Director, The Patricia B. and Gary M. Holloway University Counseling Center |
| Position Type: | Staff |
| Location: | Villanova, PA |
| Recruitment Type: | Internal/External Applicants |
| Work Schedule: | full-time/12-months |
| Avg Hours Week | |
| Department: | 321-University Counseling Center |
| Position Summary: |
Villanova University is a nationally ranked university located in the western suburbs of Philadelphia. Villanova has an engaged, high achieving student population supported by dedicated staff and faculty. Villanova’s mission calls all Villanovans to foster a community where care and respect animate all aspects of university life, where our commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion informs our actions every day. At Villanova, we embrace St. Augustine’s belief that our connections and relationships with others allow us to improve ourselves and the world around us. At Villanova and in Student Life, we are dedicated to the well-being and inclusion of every person and value open collaboration among all of our campus partners to help each person flourish.
The Patricia B. and Gary M. Holloway University Counseling Center (“the Center”) is rooted in values fundamental to the Division of Student Life: to support the holistic development of students, to foster thriving through inclusion and belonging, to amplify equity and justice on campus, and to enhance well-being. The Center strives to create a safe, compassionate, inclusive, and affirming environment for students of all backgrounds, identities, and faiths. In keeping with the University’s values of Veritas, Unitas, and Caritas (truth, unity, and love), the Center helps students navigate the normative developmental challenges and stressors that occur during their time at Villanova.
The Director of the University Counseling Center serves as a strategic leader within the Division of Student Life and throughout campus to advance mental health and well-being services. The Director is the primary administrator of the Center, an essential and vibrant department within The Division of Student Life, which provides individual and group counseling services, outreach, consultation, and crisis management services to a student population of approximately 10,800 undergraduate, graduate, law, and part-time students, including 5,300 residential undergraduates. The Director oversees a staff of 15 clinicians (psychologists, licensed counselors, and two part-time psychiatrists) and 2 administrative staff; the Director has responsibility for administration of the budget and recruits, hires, supervises, and evaluates staff. The Director provides leadership and innovation in policies and practices that further the Center’s commitment to social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and a deep understanding of cultural competence in supporting students and the efforts of the Center. The Director oversees consultations/serves as the primary mental health consultant and liaison with other departments within Student Life, including the Dean of Students Office and Residence Life, and with campus partners including the academic colleges and Public Safety. The Director serves as a consultant to the CARE Team (administrators from across the University who meet regularly to ensure adequate communication and coordinated response to the needs of any student who is raising significant concerns within the Villanova Community). The Director is responsible for the Center’s contribution to the mission of Villanova University as a Catholic and Augustinian university, which calls us to mutual love and respect in every aspect of university life. The Director is also responsible for compliance with relevant laws in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Ethical Standards of the American Psychological Association.
The successful candidate will bring to the position:
Leadership
- Strong ability to supervise in a fair minded, consistent, and approachable manner holding staff to high standards of performance and accountability.
- Strong organizational skills including experience with visioning and strategic planning.
- Excellence in written, verbal, and listening communication skills, demonstrating care, compassion, and competence in communications and interactions.
- Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively, manage conflict and difficult conversations, and facilitate conversations with students, faculty, staff, and off-campus stakeholders.
- Diplomacy and kindness in effectively managing others and in navigating conflict.
- Evidence of highest degree of professionalism, being a team player, and offering strong attention to detail while providing vision and strategy.
Expertise
- Adept knowledge of the clinical, legal, and ethical aspects of treating the mental health and well-being needs and concerns of college students.
- Awareness of college student development and current student health issues and concerns.
- Extensive knowledge of psychological development of university students, supervision, administration, and group dynamics.
- Understanding the impact of marginalization, inequality, and identity of students on the individual and collective well-being of students.
- Demonstrated expertise in crisis intervention and management.
- Understanding of a systems perspective about strategic outreach.
Clinical excellence
- Evidence of clinical experience and strong diagnostic ability.
- Utmost respect for confidentiality, sensitivity to private information, and the spirit of collaboration.
- Significant experience supporting minoritized student populations: cultural humility and curiosity demonstrated through work experiences, research, or presentations and/or skill in expressing such knowledge in person in an interview setting.
- Ability to understand the dynamics of students and ability to intervene effectively with families (of clients) as permitted within standards of confidentiality.
- Commitment to respond appropriately and in a timely manner to emergency situations, including ability to intervene effectively in mental health emergencies.
Commitment to the mission
- Advanced knowledge and understanding of cultural competency, social justice work, and the complexities of meaningful equity and inclusion.
- A deep commitment to the flourishing of Villanova University, its students and mission, and an understanding of Villanova’s Augustinian and Catholic values and how these values inform our leadership, practices, and interactions with campus constituents.
- Demonstrated competency in inclusive excellence and anti-racist practices.
- Genuine care about students, their well-being, and their success.
Villanova is a Catholic university sponsored by the Augustinian order. Diversity and inclusion have been and will continue to be an integral component of Villanova University’s mission. The University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and seeks candidates who understand, respect and can contribute to the University’s mission and values.
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| Duties and Responsibilities: | - The Director oversees all functions of the Center, providing values, vision, and strategic planning in a collaborative and cooperative manner with the Center’s staff and relevant campus partners. The Director assures that the Center provides students with excellent psychological services, outreach, and innovation, allowing students to be successful inside and outside of the classroom. Functions include: hiring decisions, supervision, and evaluation of staff; policies, practices, and structures; crisis intervention and management strategies; working collaboratively with Residence Life, the Dean of Students Office, the Student Health Center, academic deans in the colleges, Public Safety, and any other relevant departments. The Directors champions the needs of and services for students from minoritized identities and leads initiatives for services provided by the department.
- The Director provides oversight of clinical services, which include individual counseling, group counseling, and clinical consultations. The Director consults with staff members in the assessment of students who present in psychological distress and works with the Dean of Students office and the academic deans to recommend treatment and care that serves the best interests of the individual student and the campus community including practices under the Medical Leave of Absence policy. The Director provides clinical services during the week, as schedules allow, and supports/participates in the on-call rotation after hours as appropriate. The Director provides oversight of all emergency and crisis situations day, evening or overnight.
- The Director serves on the leadership team of the Vice President for Student Life, serves as a consulting member of the University’s CARE team, chaired by the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students, and regularly consults with parents, faculty, deans, and off-campus providers on matters of mutual interest to support the mental health and well-being of the student community as well as individual students at Villanova.
- The Director maintains data and statistics about the services provided by the Center that may be used in presentations or in response to questions from faculty, staff, administrators, parents, and media. The Director stays current on mental health trends nationwide, particularly with respect to trends in higher education. The Director may be asked to prepare and deliver presentations to university leadership, including the President, Provost, Vice Presidents, Deans, and Board of Trustees. The Director will complete an annual report at the completion of each academic year summarizing data on use, initiatives, and results.
- The Director oversees the Center’s budget, including the stewardship of endowed funds, and works collaboratively with the Office of University Advancement in support of fundraising efforts.
- Perform other duties and assist with projects as assigned.
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| Minimum Qualifications: | - Doctorate in Counseling or Clinical Psychology or closely related field.
- Licensed or eligible to obtain licensure by the Pennsylvania State Board of Psychology.
- Minimum of seven years postdoctoral experience, some of which involves services to college age or young adult clients, using psychodynamic principles and short-term insight-oriented therapy; administration and supervision, including three years of senior-level administrative experience, preferably in a university counseling center.
- Experience working as a psychologist with a young adult/traditional college-age population, addressing typical issues including depression, anxiety suicidality, eating disorder, substance use, and related issues.
- Experience supervising clinical staff.
- Strong computer skills and ability to learn new technologies.
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| Preferred Qualifications: | |
| Physical Requirements and/or Unusual Work Hours: |
The University Counseling Center staff interacts extensively with students, parents, campus partners, and off-campus providers. Consequently, it is common for meetings, outreach, and events to be scheduled beyond traditional work hours. The Director should anticipate the need to work evenings and on weekends, as necessary, throughout the academic year. The Director will support, and may occasionally serve on, the after-hours on-call rotation and will need to be responsive at any time when an emergency situation occurs requiring the involvement of the University Counseling Center.
The University Counseling Center is a busy work environment with multiple peak periods of work activity across the calendar year. The Center supports students in all aspects of their Villanova experience and works collaboratively with other offices and the academic colleges to address student needs.
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| Special Message to Applicants: |
Review of resumes will begin by March 6, 2023.
At least one reference must be someone with supervisory experience of the candidate in the clinical setting.
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| Posting Date: | 02/03/2023 |
| Closing Date (11:59pm ET): | |
| Salary Posting Information: |
Commensurate with experience.
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| Salary Band: | L |
| Job Classification: | exempt |
