Director of Counseling Center

College of the Holy Cross; Worcester (MA); On-site; USD 128,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

College of the Holy Cross seeks a Director of Counseling Center to lead CAPS within a Jesuit Catholic liberal arts context. The role oversees clinical services, crisis response, staff development, and budget management to deliver coordinated, ethical mental health care for all students.

The Director collaborates with Student Health, Accessibility Services, and Wellness Education to ensure equitable access and quality services, aligning with institutional priorities and accreditation standards.

Qualifications

• Terminal degree in clinical or counseling psychology or counselor education (APA-accredited).
• APA-accredited pre-doctoral supervised internship or equivalent.
• Licensed or licensure-eligible in Massachusetts; professionalism and ethics required.
• Minimum seven years post-licensure clinical/counseling experience; supervisory experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct psychological services, including individual therapy, crisis intervention, and group therapy.
• Lead clinical services and ensure integrated care within the student health model.
• Oversee staff supervision, training, and development.
• Manage CAPS budget, facilities, and accreditation processes.
• Collaborate with key campus partners to promote student mental health and wellbeing.
• Maintain accreditation and implement best practices in college counseling.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical supervision

Crisis management

Interdepartmental collaboration

Policy development

Data-informed practice

Education

PhD/PsyD in clinical or counseling psychology

APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship

Massachusetts licensure eligibility

Tools

Clinical record system

CCAPS-34 outcomes

Risk assessment tools

Job description

Director of Counseling Center

College of the Holy Cross

Full Time

JREQ-000869

At Holy Cross, we are focused on creating a world-class workforceby attracting and retaining employees dedicated to fostering aculture of professionalism, pride, mutual trust, and respect-onethat values appreciation and recognition, empowering each of us toflourish both individually and collectively. We seek candidates whoare inspired by our mission and values, and who are eager to make ameaningful difference on our campus. Learn more about Life at HolyCross here.

Reporting directly to the Executive Director of Student Health and Wellbeing, the Director of Counseling and Psychological Services(CAPS) is responsible for the delivery of professional,developmental, preventive, and remedial psychological serviceswithin an integrated student health model that reflects the valuesand traditions of Jesuit Catholic higher education in the Collegeof the Holy Cross' residential liberal arts context. The Directorprovides clinical, administrative, and strategic leadership for theCollege's counseling center, which serves the mental health needsof all currently enrolled Holy Cross students. Responsibilitiesinclude establishing and maintaining the ethical, legal, andperformance standards required for clinical services andappropriate accreditation. The position has responsibility for the overall administration andcoordination of CAPS's resources and activities - includingclinical service delivery, crisis response, staff supervision anddevelopment, budget management, and campus-wide consultation onstudent mental health - and will ensure coordinated and seamlessdelivery of care and education to students through robustprofessional partnerships and collaborations with Student HealthServices, Student Accessibility Services, and Student WellnessEducation. As a department leader within the Division of Student Development,the Director works collaboratively with students, staff, faculty,and campus partners to promote students' academic success andpersonal growth by working with colleagues across the division andthe College to foster the conditions that enable and shape studentlearning, formation, flourishing, and success. The Directorrepresents CAPS and student mental health issues to the broadercollege community.

Job Description

Major Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership (30%)

• Set priorities and objectives for the promotion of counselingservices that support student mental health, wellbeing, andflourishing, including the delivery of professional, developmental,preventive, and remedial psychological services.
• Lead and oversee the design, implementation, and continualassessment of a coordinated suite of clinical services, therapeuticpractices, group offerings, and outreach initiatives aligned withprofessional standards and in support of the College's mission andstrategic priorities.
• Serve as the clinical leader for mental health within anintegrated student health model, partnering with the Directors ofStudent Health, Student Accessibility Services, and Student HealthPromotion to design shared protocols, referral and warm hand-offpathways, coordinated care conferencing, and consistentcommunication practices that ensure students experience seamless,coordinated care rather than separate services.
• Align CAPS systems and structures - including scheduling,triage, stepped-care models, and documentation - to supportintegrated care delivery and equitable access while establishingand maintaining necessary ethical, legal, and performance standardsfor services.
• Engage partners beyond the department in meaningfulpartnerships that support the College's designation as ahealth-promoting campus, and consult with and advise members of theCollege community, including Class Deans, faculty, Residence Life,Athletics, and others, on student mental health issues.
• Using evidence-informed analysis, including outcome monitoringinstruments (e.g., CCAPS-34) and national benchmarks established byorganizations such as the Association of College Counseling CenterDirectors (AUCCCD) and the Center for Collegiate Mental Health(CCMH), forecast needs and advance the development, alignment, andcoordination of initiatives and interventions to meet institutionalpriorities.
• Remain informed of best practices within college counseling andintegrated student health by connecting with professional networks,and contribute to improving practice within higher education.
• Maintain CAPS' accreditation with International Accreditationof Counseling Services (IACS), including preparation of self-studymaterials and coordination of site visits.
• Demonstrate leadership in managed change, including assessingthe department, contributing to the development and revision ofpolicies, procedures, systems, and communications, usingtechnological advances to enhance efficiencies, and motivatingstaff to embrace integrated practice.
• Prepare and submit CAPS annual report and present to senioradministration and the Board of Trustees as required; participatein College committees, task forces, and policy formation related tostudent mental health and wellbeing.

Supervision, Training, and Staff Development (25%)

• Supervise CAPS professional staff, including staffpsychologists and counselors and administrative staff; indirectlysupervise early career professionals and psychology trainees(predoctoral externs).
• Supervision includes oversight for recruitment, selection,onboarding, training, performance evaluation, retention, andongoing coaching for professional staff to achieve departmental,divisional, and College priorities.
• Supervise, coach, and hold accountable both professional andtraining staff in the practice of integrated care, includingcollaborative treatment planning with medical and accessibilitycolleagues, appropriate information sharing, participation ininterdisciplinary case consultation, and shared responsibility forprevention and health promotion outcomes.
• Provide clinical supervision and training to psychologytrainees and staff, either directly or through delegation toqualified licensed staff, and ensure that all clinical supervisorsmeet licensure and training requirements and that traineesupervision complies with professional training standards andMassachusetts statutes.
• Facilitate weekly psychologists' meetings, regular staffmeetings, weekly staff training seminars, and supervision meetings,reinforcing ethical, multicultural, and clinically sound practice;attend and participate in other College and divisional meetings asappropriate.
• Design and deliver training curricula that prepare staff andtrainees to practice within an integrated, multidisciplinary campushealth system and to serve a diverse student body.
• Demonstrate exceptional supervision and management for staffacross identities, skill sets, and experiences; communicateeffectively with all direct reports and stakeholders to ensurerobust, ongoing engagement and development.
• Build a cohesive team dynamic and hold team members to thehighest professional and ethical standards, including adherence toindustry standards for licensing, patient/client care, recordkeeping, and excellence in all work.
• In collaboration with the Executive Director and the Directorof Strategic Operations, support ongoing professional developmentto ensure staff maintain licensure, as appropriate, and areprepared to meet students' changing needs, provide an inclusiveenvironment for a diverse student body, and educate effectively inour Jesuit Catholic, liberal arts mission.

Clinical Practice, Crisis Intervention, and Emergency Services(25%)

• Provide direct psychological services, which may includeindividual psychotherapy, crisis intervention, consultation, andgroup therapy, and document clinical contacts in adherence withprofessional, ethical, and legal standards.
• Serve as a clinical resource for the most complex and high-riskcases, and provide support for crisis intervention and follow-upcare, including participation in on-call rotation(s) and supportingafter-hours crisis line (e.g., ProtoCall).
• Serve as the College's liaison to after-hours crisis service(e.g., ProtoCall), maintaining responsibility for contracts andpartnership effectiveness.
• Serve as core member of the campus Threat Assessment Team(TAG), in partnership with the Associate Vice President for Risk& Compliance and the Associate Vice President & Chief ofPolice.
• Coordinate with the Department of Public Safety, HealthServices, and community hospitals to ensure students receive timelyevaluation, treatment, and follow-up care.
• Contribute to the College's postvention planning and responseas consultant and coordinator.
• In collaboration with the Executive Director for Student Healthand Wellbeing and the Associate Vice President/DOS, ensure thatemergency response, crisis management, and after-hours response tostudent mental health concerns is reliable, predictable, robust,and fair; ensure these processes center students and theirwellbeing and facilitate high levels of collaboration andconsultation across stakeholder departments.
• Ensure coordination of timely responses to student mentalhealth concerns, and provide timely updates to the ExecutiveDirector for Student Health and Wellbeing and the Vice President onhigh-level matters, significant health and safety concerns, andbarriers to student success and wellbeing.

Financial, Operational, and Administrative Management(20%)

• Ensure that financial practices, operations, and administrationadvance student mental health, wellbeing, and access in compliancewith applicable law and the College's Jesuit Catholic liberal artsmission.
• Prepare and manage the annual operating budget and ensurefiscal responsibility; allocate resources across clinical staffing,training, professional development, and operations.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies, procedures,technology, and systems that serve all students and the College'spriorities.
• Assume responsibility for office technology, including clinicalrecord keeping system, ensuring accurate record-keeping and datastewardship.
• Oversee CAPS' outcome monitoring and clinical assessmentpractices to support data-informed clinical decision-making, andbenchmark utilization and staffing against national datasources.
• Oversee maintenance and administration of clinical space andequipment in coordination with divisional and Collegepartners.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across campus, including but notlimited to Academic Affairs, Athletics, Finance, Facilities,General Counsel, Mission and Ministry, Public Safety, ResidenceLife, and Risk Management, as well as external partners includingcommunity providers, hospitals, and referral networks.
• Provide written reports, analysis, and documentation, asneeded, to divisional and institutional leadership.
• Ensure that staff and programs maintain appropriate credentialsand accreditation with appropriate licensing organizations.
• In collaboration with the Director of Strategic Operations,support maintenance of essential IT systems and vendor contracts,including the after-hours crisis line and clinical record keepingsystem.

Minimum Requirements

• Terminal degree (Ph.D. or Psy.D.) in clinical or counselingpsychology or counselor education from an American PsychologicalAssociation (APA) accredited doctoral program.
• Completion of an APA-accredited pre-doctoral supervisedinternship or equivalent supervised clinical training.
• Current, active licensure (or eligibility for licensure) as apsychologist, or equivalent appropriate license/certification, inthe Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Minimum of seven years of post-licensure professionalexperience in a clinical and/or counseling setting, including atleast three years in a supervisory capacity.
• Graduate-level academic training in diagnosis and assessment,counseling theory and practice, ethics, clinical supervision,diversity, and research methods.
• Experience delivering or leading mental health services withinan integrated, collaborative, or multidisciplinary health caremodel, and demonstrated ability to build shared clinical practicesacross professional disciplines.
• Active engagement with current best practices and an awarenessof emerging issues in college student mental health and integratedstudent health, including treatment modalities commonly used withthis population.
• Evidence of creative, strategic thinking and proven ability tolead in a dynamic environment to facilitate organizational changeand to deliver intended outcomes.
• Demonstrated success recruiting and supervising professionalstaff, and supervising clinical trainees, in a diverse environmentwith a critical understanding of clinical and public health issues;demonstrated experience in creating systems and structures thatcenter justice and equity.
• Experience managing crises effectively andcollaboratively.
• Demonstrated experience in personnel and fiscal management,including the ability to manage a departmental budget, and to hire,cultivate, and retain outstanding talent.
• Experience hiring, cultivating, supervising, evaluating, andretaining outstanding clinical staff in a diverse environment witha critical understanding of clinical and public health issues.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive excellence, with theability to build meaningful relationships and work effectively withstudents, faculty, staff, and external partners from diversebackgrounds, cultures, and identities.
• Experience with administrative duties and functions such asstrategic planning, developing and implementing policies andprocedures, budget planning and managing resources, and reportwriting.

Core Competencies

• Clinical Skills: Excellent clinical judgment andcrisis-management skills, with the ability to manage complex,high-risk cases effectively and compassionately, exercising soundclinical judgment, professionalism, and sensitivity.
• Professional Knowledge: Strong understanding of thedevelopmental, emotional, and mental health needs of collegestudents and the application of evidence-based prevention,intervention, and support strategies.
• Professional Standards: Knowledge of current best practices,ethical standards, legal requirements, regulatory standards, andemerging trends in higher education mental health, collegecounseling, and clinical recordkeeping.
• Collaboration: Ability to build relationships, developpartnerships, and work collaboratively across departments and withexternal stakeholders to advance student well-being andinstitutional goals.
• Inclusion: Actively engaging with the values of the College bypromoting a work environment that embraces belonging anddemonstrates respect for the opinions and beliefs of others.
• Innovation: Performing one's job with creativity andproactivity, improving procedures and problem-solving.
• Strategic Thinking and Problem Solving: Strong analytical andproblem-solving skills, with the ability to gather, interpret, andevaluate data and information from a variety of sources to identifycore challenges, inform decision-making, planning, and recommendations. Ability to design lasting solutions that drivelong-term goals.
• Communication: Excellent interpersonal, written, oral,presentation, and public speaking skills, with the ability tocommunicate effective with students, faculty, staff, families,and community partners.
• Mission/Service Orientation: Focusing on service to others andcontributing to the College's collective mission.
• Personal Responsibility and Integrity: Taking ownership ofone's actions and accountability for one's tasks and duties.Demonstrated commitment to maintaining the highest standards ofpersonal and professional integrity, ethical practice, and respectfor privacy and confidentiality.
• Supervision, Development, and Team Management: Demonstratedsupervisory and leadership experience, including the ability torecruit, develop, mentor, and evaluate staff while fostering acollaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team environment insupport the accomplishment of common goals.

Salary: The salary range for the Director of Counseling andPsychological Services is $ $128,000-$135,000 commensurate withexperience & education.

Weekly Hours: 40

Annual Work Schedule:

Additional Information

To review our generous benefits options, please review our detailed information here or checkout our Benefits at a Glance.

The College also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities during the hiring process in compliance with law. Please contact Human Resources for questions or to request an accommodation via email at [e-mail], or bycalling 508-793-3391.

The College is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and complies with all Federal and Massachusetts laws concerning Equal Opportunity in the workplace.

The College does not provide immigration sponsorship for staff positions. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States without current or future employer sponsorship.