Assistant Professor/Associate Professor & Director - Counseling

East Texas A&M University; Commerce (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

East Texas A&M University invites applications for a 9-month tenure-track Assistant Professor or tenured Associate Professor position in Counseling. The successful candidate will hold the E.

Lee Doyle Endowed Professorship title and serve as Director of the Play Therapy & Expressive Arts Center, beginning Fall 2027. The candidate must demonstrate a focused research agenda, effective graduate/undergraduate teaching, and ongoing professional engagement in counseling and play therapy.

Qualifications

• Evidence of scholarly productivity in play therapy.
• Experience teaching graduate and/or undergraduate students.
• Commitment to service to department, college, university, and profession.

Responsibilities

• Develop and sustain a productive research program in Play Therapy.
• Teach two courses per fall and spring semesters across undergrad and grad levels.
• Direct doctoral committees and mentor students in research.
• Serve as Director of the Play Therapy & Expressive Arts Center and participate in committees.
• Collaborate with faculty to implement departmental initiatives.

Skills

Play therapy

Counseling supervision

Research mentorship

Online teaching

Education

CACREP-accredited program

Doctorate in Counseling

LPC-S credential

RPT-S credential

Job description

Job Title

Assistant Professor/Associate Professor & Director - Counseling

Agency

East Texas A&M University

Department

Counseling

Proposed Minimum Salary

Commensurate

Job Location

Commerce, Texas

Job Type

Faculty

Job Description

A Presidential proclamation issued on September 19, 2025, imposes a $100,000 fee on new H-1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025. Please be advised that Texas A&M University will NOT pay this fee. Therefore, if you need immigration sponsorship for your employment, we recommend that you consult with your private immigration counsel at your own expense to ascertain whether your current immigration status would make a potential offer of employment from Texas A&M University subject to this fee.

In addition, on January 27, 2026, Texas Governor Abbot issued a moratorium on the filing of any new H-1B unless approved by the Texas Workforce Commission. Accordingly, if you will now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status this moratorium may affect our ability to employ you should you be selected as the final candidate.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Counseling at East Texas A&M University - a student-ready, Doctoral University classified as R2: High Research Activity by the Carnegie Classification - invites applications for a 9-month tenure-track Assistant Professor or tenured Associate Professor position. The successful candidate will hold the E. Lee Doyle Endowed Professorship title and serve as the Director of East Texas A&M University’s Play Therapy & Expressive Arts Center, an Approved Center of Play Therapy Education by the Association for Play Therapy, beginning Fall 2027.

The chosen candidate will contribute to the department’s teaching, research, and service missions. Specifically, we seek a scholar with a focused research agenda; a demonstrated record of effective teaching at the graduate and/or undergraduate level; a commitment to meaningful service to the department, college, university, and profession; and an expertise in play therapy as evidenced by the candidate’s teaching, research, and service contributions. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate professional identity in counseling/counselor education through the following: (a) sustained memberships in professional counseling organizations (e.g., APT, ACA, ACES, APT, CSI, TAAP, TCA, etc.); (b) relevant professional counseling credentials (i.e., licensed professional counselor-supervisor, Registered Play Therapist-Supervisor (RPT-S)); and (c) sustained professional engagement in professional development and renewal activities, professional service and advocacy in counseling, ongoing counseling practice, and research and scholarly activity in counseling.

*Candidates being considered for a tenured appointment at the rank of Associate Professor must be evaluated against, and meet, the department’s tenure and promotion criteria as part of the hiring process.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

RESEARCH

• Develop and sustain a productive program of research/creative activity specifically in Play Therapy, leading to peer-reviewed publications, presentations, and other scholarly contributions;
• Engage in efforts to secure external funding for research appropriate to counseling and play therapy;
• Direct and serve on doctoral dissertation committees; and
• Mentor and engage both graduate and undergraduate students in research.

TEACHING

• Teach two courses each fall and spring semester across undergraduate and graduate levels;
• Contribute to the department’s core curriculum and develop graduate and undergraduate courses in areas of expertise;
• Deliver instruction both online, asynchronously and synchronously, and face-to-face at any of the university campuses (i.e., Commerce, Dallas, Plano);
• Demonstrate commitment to effective and innovative pedagogy through certifications, trainings, and workshops;
• Maintain knowledge and stay abreast of current trends and best practices in counseling and play therapy; and
• Active advisement of students at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

SERVICE

• Serve as the Director of East Texas A&M University’s Play Therapy & Expressive Arts Center
• Participate collegially in departmental, college, and university committees.
• Collaborate with faculty and staff to implement departmental initiatives and programs.
• Contribute to the professional counseling community through activities such as reviewing, presenting at conferences, and serving in professional organizations.
• Engage in outreach or community service consistent with the mission of the university.

DIRECTOR

• Oversee East Texas A&M University’s Play Therapy & Expressive Arts Center, including daily operational management, supervision of graduate assistants and staff, compliance with ethical and licensure/certification standards, and coordination of services, budgeting, and community partnerships.
• Designing and delivering play therapy coursework and continuing education that meet APT's approved curriculum standards;
• Supervise play therapy training, practicum, and clinical experiences for students;
• Maintaining compliance with APT accreditation requirements and renewal processes as an Approved Center and Approved Provider;
• Organize and advertise approved Play Therapy trainings
• Mentoring students and supervisees toward Registered Play Therapist (RPT) credentialing;
• Pursue scholarship and grant funding to support the Center’s research and training mission;
• Cultivate community partnerships to expand clinical training opportunities for students; and
• Represent the East Texas A&M University’s Play Therapy & Expressive Arts Center within the department, university, and broader play therapy community.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• An earned doctorate in counseling/counselor education from a CACREP-accredited program; have a related doctoral degree and have been employed as a full‑time faculty member in a counselor education program for a minimum of one full academic year before July 1, 2013; have been employed as a full‑time doctoral‑level faculty member in a CORE‑accredited master’s program before July 1, 2017; or have graduated from a rehabilitation doctoral program before January 1, 2018;
• Member of the Association for Play Therapy and licensed as a Licensed Professional Counselor‑Supervisor (LPC‑S) and credentialed as a Registered Play Therapist‑Supervisor (RPT‑S);
• Academic background (i.e., teaching, research, and service) commensurate with the applicant’s sought rank, including evidence of, or potential for, scholarly productivity in play therapy research/creative activity, and evidence of, or potential for, effective teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels (online and in‑person);
• Sustained professional engagement, including active memberships in professional counseling organizations, ongoing counseling practice, and professional development/renewal activities;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
• Ability to travel to any university instruction site (e.g., Commerce, Dallas, Plano); and
• Relevant professional counseling credentials (i.e., licensed professional counselor‑supervisor and Registered Play Therapist‑Supervisor) or licensure/certification eligibility with a commitment to obtain within the first year of the academic appointment.

PREFERRED EDUCATION / SKILLS/ EXPERIENCE:

• Relevant teaching experience at the graduate level in a CACREP‑accredited program commensurate with rank;
• Evidence of training and/or experience teaching counseling coursework online, synchronously and asynchronously;
• Previous Clinical Director experience at a counseling center;
• Knowledge of and familiarity with CACREP standards and the accreditation process; and
• Dissertation committee experience as chair and/or co‑chair.

SUPERVISION OF OTHERS:

NA

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