Director Mental Health Services

The University of Texas at Arlington Portal•Arlington, TX

16h

About The Position

The Director of Counseling & Psychological Services ( CAPS ) provides strategic leadership, administrative oversight, and clinical direction for UTA’s comprehensive mental health services. The Director ensures accessible, high-quality, responsive counseling and psychological services that support student success, retention, and wellbeing. Has primary responsibility for departmental operations and outcomes.

Requirements

Doctoral degree in Psychology, Counseling Psychology, or Clinical Psychology.
Licensed in the State of Texas.
Significant progressively responsible clinical and administrative experience.
Demonstrated experience supervising licensed mental health professionals.
Demonstrated experience with crisis response and campus threat assessment

Nice To Haves

Experience directing or managing a university counseling center.
Experience with budget development and management in higher education.
Experience with departmental assessment

Responsibilities

Provide executive leadership for CAPS , including strategic planning, policy development, and assessment. This includes compiling, analyzing, and sharing Counseling Center data annually with the VPSA office to support assessment, transparency, and strategic decision-making.
Direct, supervise, and evaluate clinical and administrative staff; ensure appropriate licensure and training.
Oversee delivery of counseling, crisis intervention, consultation, and outreach services. In the event of a student mental health crisis, the Director may be required to serve in an on-call capacity. This includes being accessible by phone and, when circumstances warrant, responding in person to provide on-scene support, leadership, and coordination.
Manage departmental budget, resources, and contracts; ensure fiscal responsibility.
Ensure compliance with university, state, federal, accreditation, and ethical standards, including risk management.
The Director is expected to participate in ongoing professional development opportunities and remain current with emerging research, best practices, and mental health trends affecting college-aged students.
Collaborate with campus and community partners to support student mental health initiatives
Act as a campus consultant/educator regarding the scope of CAPS services, challenging mental health situations, and assessment of risk.
The Director will maintain a small counseling caseload to remain clinically engaged and informed about student needs.
Serves on university committees as needed. For example. the Director serves as a member of DSA’s SALT team and actively contributes to institutional discussions, strategic initiatives, and student wellbeing planning.
Other duties as assigned.