Staff Therapist, Student Community Liaison (Multiple Positions)

Department: Counseling & Psychological Services
Salary/Grade: EXS/10

Job Summary:

Staff Therapist - Student Community Liaison (LCPC, LCSW, or Psychologist) position. Clinical duties include initial assessments, brief individual therapy, group therapy, and crisis intervention for Northwestern students. Reporting to the Associate Director for Community-Based Intervention, this individual assists with the development and implementation of the department's Community-Based Intervention (outreach and prevention) efforts for the Northwestern University community aimed at promoting a culture of care and support for our students. This position also participates as a member of the training program through the provision of clinical supervision and/or training seminars.

In addition to the provision of direct clinical services, this position will coordinate specific community-based intervention events such as mental health awareness and prevention initiatives and New Student Orientation programming. These Staff Therapists in CAPS also serve as liaisons between the department and specific segments of the student population. These liaison roles are determined each year depending on need and may vary from year to year. In addition to in-person programming, this position also assists with maintaining CAPS' social media accounts to promote mental health awareness and encourage help-seeking.

This position requires some evening hours and occasional weekend duties. After-hours duties typically include 2-3 evenings and up to one weekend of on-call duties per quarter. Staff Therapists also generally provide 2-3 evening or weekend outreach events per quarter.

Pay: The pay range for the Staff Therapist position is $92,000 - $99,000 annually, depending on experience, skills, and internal equity.

Department Overview: CAPS is a unit within the Division of Student Affairs at NU and is highly utilized by students and other campus community members seeking consultation. CAPS has offices on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses with an embedded Sport Psychology office at Walter Athletics Center supporting Northwestern Student Athletes. NU has a total student population of approximately 21,000 students across both campuses, with approximately 18,500 of these students attending classes in the Evanston campus. The Chicago office serves primarily graduate and professional students while Evanston office serves both undergraduate and graduate students.

In addition to our clinical services, CAPS reaches over 10,000 NU community members through outreach and educational programming on both campuses. CAPS also has a training program, including an APA-accredited Doctoral Internship in Psychology at our Evanston office and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Walther Athletics Center. CAPS is a learning organization, in that our strategic planning, priority setting, clinical services, and professional development are informed by local data collection as well as benchmarking with national trends and peer institutions. CAPS also identifies very closely with the vision, values and guiding principles of our umbrella organization, the Division of Student Affairs.

Department Website: https://www.northwestern.edu/counseling/index.html

About Student Affairs: Nearly 30 departments make up the Division of Student Affairs, from housing to food services, career services to counseling, the student center to student org advising, and so much more. Student Affairs enriches the Northwestern experience outside of the classroom. This division engages students in activities and culture in both the campus and surrounding community. Student Affairs offers support to students in need and creates an environment that makes Northwestern students Wildcats for life. Learn more about the Division of Student Affairs here: https://www.northwestern.edu/studentaffairs/

Specific Responsibilities:

Clinical Services (60%)

• Provides services including brief individual and group psychotherapy, crisis intervention, case management, and initial assessment.
• Assumes after-hours on call responsibilities.
• Maintains timely clinical records of therapeutic and other client contacts.
• Consults with psychiatrists in conjunction with prescribing and monitoring psychotropic medication for psychotherapy clients.
• Consults with parents, physicians, faculty, academic deans, residence life staff, off-campus counseling services, other campus offices and students, when appropriate, and with appropriate authorization to provide quality care to students.
• Makes referrals to off-campus clinical services when appropriate.

Community-Based Intervention Programming (30%)

• Conduct community-based intervention programming as requested by the campus community, including orientation sessions for new students and parents, informal support spaces, psychoeducational workshop presentations, and emergency support services.
• Serves as liaison to other campus unit(s), academic programs, and/or student organizations.

Training (5%)

• May provide clinically supervision (including face-to-face case review, review of videos and progress notes, and supervisory feedback) to mental health trainees at CAPS.
• Provides consultation to trainee(s), as needed.
• Provides training to CAPS trainees about a variety of clinical topics that are within employee's areas of expertise in consultation with the Associate Director for Training.
• Provide crisis management consultation and supervision to trainees, as requested.

Other Duties (5%)

• Attend and participate in regular CAPS staff meetings, case conferences, and in-service training.
• Participate in CAPS and/or Student Affairs committees, as assigned by the Executive Director.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Hold a completed Master's degree in Social Work, Counseling, or related field from an accredited program or doctoral level degree (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in clinical or counseling psychology from an APA accredited program.
• Candidates with doctoral degrees must have completed a doctoral internship at an APA accredited site.
• Currently licensed or eligible to be licensed as an independent mental health provider (e.g., psychologist, licensed clinical professional counselor, or licensed clinical social worker) by the State of Illinois (i.e., at time of application, must have completed all licensure requirements including successfully passing any examinations and completing any clinical supervision hours required for licensure by the State of Illinois). Illinois license must be obtained no later than 12 months after hire date.
• Experience in the provision of group therapy.
• Possess outstanding and responsive clinical skills and a well-integrated understanding of short-term therapy, crisis intervention, consultation, and developmental community-based intervention programming.

Minimum Competencies:

• Candidates must demonstrate strong clinical skills and a well-integrated understanding of short-term therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, community consultation, and outreach programming.
• Have thorough knowledge of clinical applications for contemporary issues in psychology and student affairs
• Demonstrates comfort and skill with using basic computer software (such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook as well as other Windows based programs).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Currently licensed in the State of Illinois as a Clinical Psychologist, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, or Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
• Experience partnering effectively and collegially on an inter-disciplinary team in a university counseling center or other mental health agency.
• Ability to provide mental health services in Mandarin is strongly preferred.

Preferred Competencies:

• Knowledge/expertise in one or more of the following areas: working with substance abuse and eating disorder assessment and treatment; empirically supportive treatment for anxiety, depression, and perfectionism; direct experience with community-based intervention and support (outreach and prevention)
• Demonstrates commitment to co-create a community that fosters a sense of belonging and actively participate in related professional development, including openness to feedback and ongoing self-examination.
• Thorough knowledge of clinical applications for contemporary issues in psychology and student affairs.
• Strong creativity and problem-solving skills.

Benefits: At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness: Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth and Development: Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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