General Summary of Position:
University of Massachusetts, Lowell is seeking an extraordinary clinician and experienced leader to serve in the new position of Associate Director for Clinical Services at Counseling Services, part of the UMass Lowell Wellness Center. The Associate Director will oversee all clinical operations and provision of high-quality, culturally affirming mental health services. The Associate Director will serve on the Counseling Services leadership team. In addition, the Associate Director will collaborate closely with the Director to implement a dynamic and innovative vision at a thriving state university in commuting distance from Boston (currently ranked #1 Public University in Massachusetts by the Wall Street Journal).
Counseling Services at the UMass Lowell Wellness Center (CSWC) strives to empower students to achieve their academic, personal and professional goals by offering a range of psychological services in an atmosphere that is safe, supportive, inclusive and affirming. We seek to help students grow, change, connect and thrive. The entire CSWC team is dedicated to and passionate about this mission.
The Associate Director has primary administrative responsibility for service delivery. This includes ensuring quality of care by following best practices, adhering to ethical and legal standards, and updating our current clinical model to best meet student demand. Competitive candidates will have experience in data analysis, use of electronic medical record systems, and knowledge of current mental health issues and trends in higher education. The Associate Director will represent CSWC in the Director’s absence as well as serve on university committees with or for the Director.
The Associate Director will provide administrative supervision and clinical consultation to staff clinicians. If licensed as a psychologist, the Associate Director may also provide clinical supervision to pre-doctoral interns participating in our APA accredited pre-doctoral internship program through the William James College Internship Consortium.
The Associate Director will carry a small caseload of clients and provide culturally affirming clinical services. These include triage assessments, intake evaluations, diagnostic assessments, treatment planning, crisis intervention, brief individual and couples counseling as well as group counseling. The clinician will assist students requiring long-term or specialized care in connecting with campus and off-campus resources as well as provide psychiatric referrals.
Ideal candidates for this position will be highly effective clinicians who routinely provide clinical or administrative supervision. Excellent candidates will have successfully served in one or more defined leadership positions in the field of mental health. We are seeking a motivated, dedicated leader who can provide guidance and direction along with maintaining boundaries, professional standards, and adherence to department, university, state and legal practices. We are seeking a candidate who would describe themself as a sincere professional with integrity and who have a commitment to lifelong learning, growth, and collaboration. The position requires a candidate who can multi-task well, has great attention to detail, and can execute well-made decisions in times of crisis.
The Associate Director will join a hard-working, warm, dedicated, supportive team of multidisciplinary mental health care providers. As a staff we value humor, connection, mutual respect, and creating real, meaningful relationships with everyone on the team at the Wellness Center. CSWC offers professional development funds, payment of licensure costs and staff mini-retreats – which in the past have involved trivia, therapy dogs, yoga, games, and much consumption of good food. Self-care is built into the practice model at CSWC. There is a maximum of five scheduled clinical hours per day, dedicated time for documentation, reserved time for lunch, clear expectations to prevent overworking, and no on-call duties.
CSWC values the intersectional identities of each individual and recognizes the centrality of culture and relationships to human development and psychological wellbeing. Staff are dedicated to creating an inclusive and affirming environment to support our students of all backgrounds and each other. We have regularly scheduled time solely focused on learning and discussion to further our commitment to diversity, equity, and belonging. For additional information about CSWC’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, please see https://www.uml.edu/student-services/counseling/about/. For information about UMass Lowell’s commitment see https://www.uml.edu/diversity/.
UMass Lowell is a JED Campus. We are committed to enhancing campus emotional wellbeing and mental health promotion efforts, reducing substance misuse, and preventing suicide through this nationwide initiative.
Greater Lowell, Merrimack Valley, and the Boston region are home to diverse communities. The historic city of Lowell, MA, is a gateway city that is a majority-minority city (20.9% Asian American, 17.9% Hispanic, 8% Black/African American).
UMass Lowell is a national research university committed to preparing our students for work in the real world - solving real problems and helping real people - by providing an affordable high-quality education. US News and World Report ranks UMass Lowell among the top 200 research universities in the country, and our rankings have been consistently rising.
44% of UMass Lowell’s undergraduates are students of color, 45% are first-generation, and 9% are international students from more than 115 countries. The land we live, work, learn and commune on at UMass Lowell is the original homeland of the Pennacook communities with the Pawtucket Village and Wamesit Village. Our chancellor, Julie Chen, is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and the second woman to lead UMass Lowell as its Chancellor. UMass Lowell has robust partnerships with the City of Lowell, Lowell Public Schools, health organizations, and many other local nonprofits and businesses. By spearheading the exciting Lowell Innovation and Network Corridor (LINC) with the City of Lowell and the UMass Building Authority, UMass Lowell is collaborating with industry, government, and non-profits to create a “thriving innovation ecosystem that will transform the city’s economic future.”
The university offers an excellent salary and benefits package. See Grade 21 salary range: https://www.uml.edu/docs/PROF%20RANGES%20Jan%202025%20as%20of%201-23-25_tcm18-395274.pdf) and benefits package (https://www.uml.edu/hr/employee-benefits/benefited-employees/).
Minimum Qualifications (Required):
- Master’s degree in mental health counseling, clinical social work, clinical psychology or a closely related field and a minimum of 5 years of post-independent licensure clinical experience providing psychotherapy.
- Current independent professional license to practice (psychologist, mental health counselor, social worker, etc.) or current license in another state and license-eligible in MA (required to obtain MA license within first 4 months of employment).
- Experience providing clinical supervision to staff or trainees.
- Experience providing administrative supervision or in a formal leadership role in a clinical mental health setting.
- Experience providing treatment (including diagnostic assessment, risk assessment, and psychotherapy) to high acuity, high risk, complex clinical clients.
- Commitment to and demonstrated ability to provide culturally affirming and responsive clinical services to a diverse student population.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Doctoral degree in counseling or psychology strongly preferred.
- Experience working in a college or university campus counseling center strongly preferred.
Special Instructions to Applicants:
Only Internal Professional (SEIU 888 Professional Union) Bargaining candidates will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting. All other candidates will be considered after that period.
This position is full-time benefited and SEIU union in grade P21. Anticipated salary range based on minimum: $94,293, 25th quartile $108,437 and midpoint of $122,581.
Initial review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. However, the position may close when an adequate number of qualified applications is received.
Please include the following required documents with your application:
- CV that specifies current license number and date of licensure receipt
- Cover letter
- Names and contact information of three references who have supervised your professional work (including 1-2 who have supervised your clinical work) will be required at the time of application.
