Description

Overview:

The Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program is a Master’s degree program that provides an integrated course of study grounded in relational/systemic-social constructionist theories and practices. Primary objectives include the preparation of culturally proficient MFTs, the fulfillment of Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) standards, and the qualification of students for state MFT licensure eligibility. Supported by our community-based clinical training facility located in the most diversely populated area of San Diego, the program is committed to preparing students to work with the issues of urban families and to serve the community. The program emphasizes personal growth, linguistic diversity, clinical preparation, foundational research skills, and social responsibility.

Directorship:

The SDSU Marriage and Family Therapy COAMFTE accredited master’s program seeks a director and colleague to support the heightened demand for training cultural and linguistic competent mental health workers who aptly respond to the current global and complex socio-political times. Considering that the demographics of students in the MFT program are often characterized by a strong majority of people of color (e.g., 92% in 2023), culturally and linguistically diverse (e.g., we have had up to 14 different linguistic representations in a single cohort), it is of utmost importance that the new leader of the program brings research activity and competence working with and mentoring multilingual students of color.

The development and dissemination of accessible and culturally/linguistically responsive treatments and clinical treatments must be prioritized to meet the demand for mental health services. We seek a director with strong clinical research experience who can contribute toward finding solutions to better integrate evidence-based practices with cultural and linguistic relevance into real-world clinical settings (i.e., our department’s Center for Community Counseling and Engagement). Having a faculty member with a successful track record of seeking and receiving external grant funding is preferred.

Having a director with associate or full professor status with clinical, teaching, and research expertise in culturally and linguistically diverse practices will bring skills and expertise compatible with mentoring, directorship, and leadership within the MFT program. We seek a colleague with research/grant activities working with minoritized individuals, couples, children, and families who can serve in the CSP department and community.

The new director should have expertise in social constructionist and/or systemic/relational perspectives and practices. As well as expertise that aligns with our practice-based, anti-racist, social justice, and decolonial perspectives. The director should address existing gaps in expertise in the program, including but not limited to: a) sociopolitical and culturally responsive biopsychosocial clinical work that contextualizes the interconnections between biology, emotion, behavior, and mind; b) sociopolitical analysis of language justice in teaching, supervision and curriculum development in critically important languages in Southern California (Spanish, Horn of Africa languages, Arabic, Vietnamese, South East Asian Languages)

This position aligns with SDSU's strategic goals: a) increase the research productivity and funding of the institution, and b) movement toward classification as an HSI R1 institution.

The director will be responsible for interfacing with COAMFTE, our accrediting body, and ensuring we are up to date with the latest COAMFTE standards of MFT education. Furthermore, the program director would work closely with the CCCE leadership to support the development of a research training structure at CCCE, which includes attempting to secure funding to further develop the research infrastructure of the clinic. Currently, the CSP department is interested in developing CCCE as a unique and innovative research, community engagement, and clinical multilingual training center that addresses the current gap in anti-racist, decolonial, social justice, and language justice methodologies in clinical research in the MFT field and mental health care system. The MFT director will work closely with this initiative. The director will also provide structural support to current developments in the MFT program on specialized multilingual training.

The appointment is for a 12 - month associate professor or professor with a salary commensurate with qualifications and experience. The successful candidate may be granted tenure at their start date. The minimum salary for this position is based on the current CSU salary schedule for Associate / Professor for a 10 - month academic year and may be revised based on contract collective bargaining. The anticipated salary range is from $100,000 to $104,000 for associate professor and $120,000 to $125,000 for a full professor. Salary placement will be based on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience, and salaries higher than the published maximums may be offered in limited circumstances. San Diego State University offers a rich benefits package that constitutes a major portion of total compensation. For benefits information, click here.

Background information on the Department of Counseling & School Psychology:

The department offers four additional graduate programs: School Counseling (M.S. degree and credential), Community Based Block (CBB), Multicultural Community Counseling & Social Justice Education, School Psychology (M.S. degree, Ed.S., and credential), one-year counseling M.A. (hybrid degree), and an undergraduate Minor in Counseling and Social Change. All programs work with students from diverse backgrounds and are most often members of underrepresented groups. The programs specialize in working across cultures, systemic approaches, and responses to our community and society's mental and relational needs. For additional information about the Department of Counseling and School Psychology, please visit the website at https://education2.sdsu.edu/csp/about-us

College of Education:

The College of Education comprises seven diverse departments/schools committed to one unified mission: to prepare education, community service, and counseling professionals to provide the highest quality learning environments to ensure student and client success. The College of Education is at the forefront of education reform and the preparation of educators to work in multicultural settings through its pre-service, Masters, and doctoral-level programs.

Ranked first among all California State Universities and rated in the top 20% of Colleges of Education (U.S. News & World Report, 2016), the College engages in strategic partnerships with the field of practice to improve client outcomes, increase institutional effectiveness, and promote social justice. College faculty members also engage in several highly regarded university centers and institutes.

For more information about SDSU and the College of Education, please visit this website: http://go.sdsu.edu/education.

Qualifications

Summary of Qualifications:

● Doctorate in Marriage and Family Therapy or related field.

● Ability to provide academic and program leadership for the MFT Program

● Multicultural/cross-cultural, anti-racist, decolonial proficiency.

● Experience with culturally and linguistically diverse families and larger social systems.

● Teaching and supervision experience at the graduate level.

● MFT or license-eligible in California; AAMFT Clinical member; Approved Supervisor or Approved Supervisor Candidate.

● Strong scholarship; articulated research agenda informing program and department goals.

● Collaborative working style.

Desired characteristics:

● Bilingual in languages of large ethnic minorities in Southern California. (e.g., Spanish, Southeast Asian languages, Middle Eastern Languages).

● Familiarity with COAMFTE accreditation standards and process.

● Expertise in culture/language-specific practice, supervision, systemic/relational ideas and practices, and/or family violence.

● Involvement in professional organizations through presentation, membership, and leadership.

● Commitment to social responsibility and social access.

● Skills and specialization in some combination in one or more of the following areas: Multicultural/multilingual/cross-cultural/social constructionist marriage and family therapy theory and practice; MFT clinical supervision; Case management; systems of care and advocacy and collaborative treatment; Larger systems assessment and intervention (e.g., trauma-informed care, refugee/immigrant experience, addressing violence and racism); Family therapy in schools; Home-based therapies; Qualitative and/or quantitative research.

● Skills in grant writing or record of external funding.

Major Responsibilities:

● Directing the COAMFTE-accredited MFT Program.

● Teaching in one or more of the following areas: culturally and/or linguistically responsive family, group, and larger systems assessment and change processes, multicultural individual and family development, culturally and linguistically appropriate use of assessment instruments, and family-school intervention in ethnically and linguistically diverse schools, recovery movement, trauma-informed care, family therapy with immigrant and refugee families, other larger systems interventions coursework.

● Active research agenda and strong scholarship and publication record.

● MFT clinical supervision.

● Masters project supervision and mentorship.

● Service through university-community linkages.

We seek applicants with demonstrated experience in and/or commitment to teaching and working effectively with individuals from diverse backgrounds and members of underrepresented groups. Candidates must satisfy two or more of the eight Building on Inclusive Excellence (BIE) criteria. Candidates that meet BIE criteria: (a) are committed to engaging in service with underrepresented populations within the discipline, (b) have demonstrated knowledge of barriers for underrepresented students and faculty within the discipline, (c) have experience or have demonstrated commitment to teaching and mentoring underrepresented students, (d) have experience or have demonstrated commitment to integrating understanding of underrepresented populations and communities into research, (e) have experience in or have demonstrated commitment to extending knowledge of opportunities and challenges in achieving artistic/scholarly success to members of an underrepresented group, (f) have experience in or have demonstrated commitment to research that engages underrepresented communities, (g) have expertise or demonstrated commitment to developing expertise in cross-cultural communication and collaboration, and/or (h) have research interests that contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education.

Please indicate in a separate diversity statement how you meet at least two (2) of these criteria. Additional guidance on our BIE program for applicants is here.

SDSU is the oldest institution of higher education in the San Diego region, with a campus in San Diego serving 36,000 undergraduate and graduate students and additional locations in Southern California’s Imperial Valley and Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia. SDSU is included in the Carnegie Foundation’s Doctoral Universities: High Research Activity category. Established in 1897, SDSU offers bachelor's degrees in 97 areas, master's in 84, and doctorates in 23. See http://www.sdsu.edu for more information. SDSU is a large, diverse, urban university, an Asian-Native American-Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, and a Hispanic-Serving Institution committed to diversity, equity, and inclusive excellence. Our campus community is diverse in many ways, including race, religion, color, sex, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, pregnancy, medical condition, and covered veteran status. We strive to build and sustain a welcoming environment for all.

Application Instructions

As part of its commitment to a safe and equitable “OneSDSU” community, SDSU requires that individuals seeking faculty employment provide at the time of application authorization to conduct background checks if they become a finalist for the position; applications without this authorization will be considered incomplete and not considered.

A background check (including a criminal records check) must be completed before any candidate is offered a position with the CSU. Failure to satisfactorily complete the background check may affect the application status of applicants or the continued employment of current CSU employees who apply for the position.

The person holding this position is considered a “mandated reporter” under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements outlined in CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.

SDSU is a Title IX, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy, medical condition, or covered veteran status.

Apply via Interfolio at http://apply.interfolio.com/149578. Candidates should submit [list required application materials e.g., cover letter, curriculum vitae, diversity statement, and names and contact information of three (3) references.]

Applications will be screened beginning in mid-October 2024 and continuing until the position is filled, with an anticipated start date of August 2025.

For further information contact:

Search Committee Chair, Gerald Monk, Ph.D. email: gmonk@sdsu.edu

SDSU is a Title IX, equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against persons on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy, medical condition, or covered veteran status.