Director - Center for Psychedelic Healing and Psychotherapies

Lesley University; United States; On-site; USD 117,000 - 133,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Paid time off

Retirement plan

Tuition programs

Job summary

Lesley University in Cambridge, MA seeks a Founding Director for the Center for Psychedelic Healing and Psychotherapies to build and lead a new interdisciplinary center focused on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. The Director will launch a certificate program, shape the Center's identity, and plan expansion into clinical components as regulations evolve.

The role requires a terminal degree and demonstrated leadership in academia, with experience in program development and cross-unit

Qualifications

• PhD/doctorate or equivalent in psychology, counseling, or related field.
• Deep expertise in psychedelic-assisted therapy and training leadership.
• Experience leading higher education programs and centers.

Responsibilities

• Launch and lead a post-graduate Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy.
• Establish the Center’s academic identity, programming, and strategic direction.
• Develop a roadmap for expanding into supervised experiential and clinical components.
• Explore ketamine-assisted psychotherapy as a training pathway.
• Oversee the Center’s budget, staffing, and operations.
• Collaborate with the Provost and senior leadership as the Center grows.

Skills

Academic leadership

Program development

Administration

Communication

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Terminal degree (PhD, PsyD, EdD or equivalent)

Job description

The Opportunity Lesley University is seeking a Founding Director for the Center for Psychedelic Healing and Psychotherapies to build and lead a new, interdisciplinary center focused on the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy.

The Director will:

• Launch and lead a post-graduate Certificate in Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy.
• Establish the Center’s academic identity, programming, and long-term strategic direction.
• Develop a roadmap for expanding from education and training into supervised experiential and clinical components as Massachusetts regulations evolve.
• Explore ketamine-assisted psychotherapy as an immediate training pathway.
• Oversee the Center’s budget, staffing, and operations.
• Collaborate with the Provost and senior leadership and potentially take on broader institutional responsibilities as the Center grows.

Qualities and Capabilities

A successful candidate will have :

• A terminal degree such as a Ph.D., Psy.D., Ed.D., or equivalent in psychology, counseling, transpersonal studies, religion/spirituality, public health, or a related clinical discipline
• Deep expertise in psychedelic-assisted therapy, demonstrated through scholarship, clinical practice, training leadership, and/or professional reputation
• Successful experience in higher education administration, including managing operations, collaborating across academic units, and advancing an emerging initiative
• Experience developing post-graduate certificates, professional development programs, training programs, or other innovative educational offerings
• Familiarity with ketamine-assisted psychotherapy and the evolving legal, regulatory, and professional training landscape
• Strong academic leadership, entrepreneurial ability, and demonstrated capacity to build a new program or center from the ground up
• Strong communication, collaboration, relationship-building, and organizational skills, with the ability to engage diverse academic, clinical, and community stakeholders

Why Lesley Located in the heart of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lesley University is highly regarded for its graduate and undergraduate programs in the human arts of education, the arts, and applied social sciences. Lesley fosters a highly creative environment in which innovative ideas thrive, theory is integrated with practice and its 6,400 students and 90,000 alumni are empowered to improve and enrich communities.

At Lesley University we strive for a supportive and equitable environment where people -- regardless of race, ethnicity, color, sex, physical ability, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, veteran or military status, membership in uniformed services, and all other categories protected by applicable state and federal laws -- can participate equally and fully as their true selves in all aspects of university life. Accordingly, the University prohibits discrimination based on these protected categories in any education program or activity that it operates, including in admission and in employment. We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the fabric of our institution. Individuals may submit concerns or questions related to discrimination to the University's Director of Equal Opportunity. Please visit the Office of Equal Opportunity's webpage for the University's entire notice of nondiscrimination and for additional information.

Base Pay Range: $117,441 - $133,363 annually

• We offer a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, life, and long-term disability insurance.
• In addition, we offer significant paid time off, a generous retirement plan, and tuition programs that enable employees and their dependents to expand their knowledge and skills.

Lesley is committed to the ongoing pursuit of strategic diversity initiatives that help to position diversity, equity, and inclusion as fundamental to institutional and academic excellence at Lesley. In doing so, Lesley strives for a campus culture and community that fosters a true sense of belonging for all, provides opportunity for everyone to participate equally and fully in the Lesley experience, and helps to develop each individual's capacity to confidently and competently engage within and across difference. Given an evolving national context and the rapid change in the demographic profile of our country, the University has made a significant commitment to addressing and enhancing its campus climate and diversity capabilities as an institution.

At Lesley, we believe actively advancing our own and all other’s potential leads to a just and humane world. Lesley is the only university in the country focused on advancing human potential through the life-time cultivation of professionals in education, mental health and the arts.