The Staff Therapist is an important position in Counseling and Psychological Services at Bates providing individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, consultation, and wellness programming. With an increasingly diverse student body across race, sexuality, socio-economic class and gender; the ideal candidate will have personal experience and strong skills working with individuals and groups across intersecting identities utilizing a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The staff therapist will be joining Bates at an exciting time during which we are employing a cross institutional strategy to achieve a fully inclusive community for Bates students, alumni, staff, and faculty. The staff therapist alongside the CAPS Team will collaborate with community partners to develop and implement focused educational outreach and psycho-educational programming supporting wellness and well-being.
Job Duties:
Clinical Work (75%)
Maintains an active clinical caseload, providing individual and group counseling and psychotherapy to a diverse population of students.
Provides crisis and ongoing counseling services for students with acute psychological concerns.
Offers referrals and case management to students needing longer term care for therapy and medication.
Develop, foster, and maintain professional relationships with students, staff, faculty, and others in the student support network.
Completes clinical documentation in timely fashion and ensures that all documentation meets established standards.
Conducts culturally sensitive and trauma-informed mental health evaluations, diagnoses, and referral to ensure appropriate care.
Serves in on-call rotation for emergent and crisis coverage offering consultation to the Dean on-call and campus partners, in highly complex situations.
Consults to the On Call Service during high risk and critical situations, i.e. hospital transports, in which the On Call Service requires professional consultation and liaising with the local hospital, as needed, following Maine mental health laws.
Although this is a generalist position, candidates with specific experience in Dialectical Behavior therapy, group counseling, multi-cultural counseling, and sports psychology experience are encouraged to apply.
Campus Partnerships / Education / Outreach (25%)
In collaboration with the CAPS Team and campus partners, develop and implement identity focused educational outreach and wellness programming to students.
Collaborate with student clubs, affinity groups, and organizations on campus regarding programming efforts that support personal growth and resilience building.
Research services to expand referral listings to students and community partners for longer term and specialist treatment.
Other
Assure equity, inclusion, access, and anti-racism as central to their work and the delivery of services to students and colleagues.
Completes other duties as may be assigned by the immediate supervisor or designee that are consistent with the responsibilities of the position.
Attends training and professional development opportunities for continuing education credits (CEU) to maintain Maine licensure in good standing.
Minimum Qualifications:
Education
Master’s or doctoral degree in Social Work or Clinical or Counseling Psychology required.
Must possess valid licensure or be license eligible in current state, with ability to obtain licensure in Maine within 90 days of employment. Continued employment is contingent upon obtaining licensure.
Experience
3+ years of clinical experience treating late adolescents and emerging adults (prior experience working in college counseling center helpful, but not required).
Demonstrated knowledge and experience in supporting students from historically marginalized groups, including, but not limited to, students from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, first-generation-to-college students, LGBTQ+ students, international students, and low-income students.
Strong clinical, diagnostic, interpersonal, and collaborative skills.
Experience working with common presenting concerns of college student such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, etc.
Experience working as part of a health care team, inclusive of families and diverse colleagues.
Experience in current college mental health issues including familiarity with diversity of treatment modalities commonly used with this population.
Experience developing and leading culturally inclusive, and trauma-informed educational and psycho- educational programs.
Demonstrated success in campus and community outreach efforts.
Demonstrated proficiency with crisis assessment, management, support, and intervention within a multidisciplinary model for student wellness.
Skills and Knowledge
Possesses the highest integrity providing clinical care in a college mental health setting, including documentation in student charts (in EMR) in accordance with the center's policies and the broad ethical guidelines of mental health practice, HIPAA, and medical care.
Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and be in compliance with HIPAA, FERPA, and the ethical and legal guidelines associated with one's nursing and mental health professional associations.
Strong interpersonal skills with ability to develop and maintain collegial relationships. Must be flexible, collaborative and have a positive attitude.
Ability to establish authentic rapport with student clients and their families, while maintaining appropriate clinical and professional boundaries.
Ability to remain composed and friendly with destressed students and others; maintains neutrality and works well under stress.
Excellent communication (written, verbal and presentation) skills. Ability to write concise, logical, analytical reports to convey complex issues. Lead group discussions.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills; ability to synthesize complex or diverse information.
Ability to work independently and handle multiple priorities with minimal supervision.
Keen attention to detail necessary for successful documentation, planning and execution.
Proficiency in basic data management systems and basic computer applications(e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Willingness and ability to learn additional applications as needed.
Personal commitment to excellence and the mission of a top-tier small liberal arts college.
Commitment to equity and inclusion, and serving the needs of a culturally and educationally diverse community.
Benefits:
Bates College offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits (health, dental, sick leave, 20 days of vacation, 2 personal days, 13 paid holidays, dependent care subsidy, free parking, access to library and athletic facilities & more), and a supportive, collegial environment in a drug and smoke-free workplace.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
Bates College is committed to the principle of equal opportunity and providing an educational and work environment free from discrimination. The college prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, age, disability, genetic information or veteran status and other legally protected statuses in the recruitment and admission of its students, in the administration of its education policies and programs, or in the recruitment of its faculty and staff. Bates College adheres to all applicable state and federal equal opportunity laws and regulations. All college faculty, staff, students, contractors, visitors, and volunteers are responsible for understanding and complying with the Non-Discrimination Policy.
Inquiries concerning the college’s policies, compliance with applicable laws, statutes, and regulations (such as Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/Section 504), and complaints may be directed to Gwen Lexow, Title IX Officer, 207-786-6445 or via email at glexow@bates.edu.
About Bates:
Bates is internationally recognized as a leading liberal arts college, attracting 2,000 students from across the U.S. and around the world.
Since 1855, Bates has been dedicated to educating the whole person through creative and rigorous scholarship in a collaborative residential community. Committed to opportunity and excellence, Bates has always admitted students without regard to gender, race, religion, or national origin.
Cultivating intellectual discovery and informed civic action, Bates prepares leaders sustained by a love of learning and zeal for responsible stewardship of the wider world. Bates engages the forces — intellectual trends, demographic changes, and technology — that are transforming higher education and the world into which our students graduate.
Bates has highly competitive admissions, graduates over 90 percent of its entering students, and more than half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates employs 200 faculty members and 550 staff.
The college is proud of deep roots in the Lewiston/Auburn community, Maine’s second-largest urban area with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 133-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, an emerging city with an entrepreneurial climate, a lively arts scene, and a dynamic business community. Bates is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 350 miles north of New York City.
Founded in 1855, Bates is one of the nation’s leading liberal arts colleges, with a long history of commitments to principles of human dignity and diversity.Since its inception, Bates has been a coeducational, nonsectarian, residential college with special commitments to academic rigor and to programs and opportunities by qualified learners of all backgrounds. Historically, Bates students and graduates have linked education with service, leadership, and obligations beyond themselves.Bates has highly competitive admission, graduates over 90% of its entering students, and over half of its alumni earn graduate degrees. Bates has 1,700 students, 200 faculty members and 550 staff and administrative employees.The College is proud of its strong involvements in the Lewiston-Auburn communities, Maine’s second largest urban area, with a population of approximately 65,000. Bates is located on a beautiful, 109-acre, traditional New England campus in Lewiston, Maine, a lively small city enjoying an exciting economic and cultural revitalization. With an engaged citizenry, lively arts scene, and historic downtown, this walkable city is 35 miles north of Portland, 140 miles north of Boston, and 340 miles north of New York City.
