OPS Counselor

University of Florida•Gainesville, FL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This is a Time-Limited OPS Counselor position, 28 hours per week, for an estimated time period of 12-16 weeks, with the potential of an extension based on program and staffing needs. Under the general direction of the Counseling and Wellness Center (CWC) Associate Director and immediate direction of the CWC Assistant Director/CART Coordinator, this position requires a variety of skills involving brief consultation & referral, brief clinical assessment, and crisis counseling, including referral to on-campus and off-campus resources, as well as lethality assessment, safety planning, case management, and consultation with parents, faculty, and staff. CART counselors spend the majority of their time conducting brief consultation & referral appointments and providing crisis counseling/consultations to students who walk in for same-day support. Crisis Counseling: Provide daytime crisis services. Consult with faculty, staff, students, and family members who are concerned about a student. Crisis counseling includes the following skills: empathic listening and validation, de-escalation, prioritization, assessment of suicide/homicide danger, safety planning, efficient intervention, consultation, and consideration of other risk factors such substance use, self-care, social support, and mental status. Crisis counseling occasionally involves interventions of last resort, such as psychiatric hospitalization. Crisis Counseling Consultation: Consult with clinical faculty, clinical director, clinic coordinator, and case managers on students with urgent/emergent/recurrent concerns. Brief Consultation & Referral: Brief Consultation & Referral (BCR) appointments are brief (20-30 minutes) assessment and referral meetings with UF students seeking counseling services. During these meetings, CART counselors briefly determine students’ appropriateness for various on-campus and community resources and make recommendations and referrals accordingly. During the BCR, CART counselors also assess for suicide/homicide danger and address other urgent concerns, such as substance use and mental status. BCRs may include safety planning and referral to on-call CART counselors for further evaluation and crisis intervention. •In collaboration with CWC case managers, maintain and monitor a clinical case management system to provide continuity of care and follow-up for clients. •Assist students with social services needs including, but not limited to, referral to community resources. •Follow up to ensure that clients are appropriately assessed, successfully referred, and compliant with treatment recommendations. •Complete records punctually according to record keeping/report writing procedures that are currently operative at the CWC and required by legal and ethical regulations. Prepare and submit all service reports, or other communications involving the clinical operations of the CWC which are intended for persons, departments, or agencies outside of the CWC for review and approval of the Director or Associate Director. Performs other related duties as assigned; such as campus outreach, single-session therapy, group therapy, etc. Attend weekly meetings and dyadic/group supervision. Maintain awareness of CWC’s relationships with other university departments, community health providers, services, hospitals, and other resources. Clinical supervision of trainees, as needed or requested. The Counseling and Wellness Center is a multi-mission agency within the Division of Student Life serving a wide variety of counseling services and programs offered to students in direct support of the academic mission of the University. There is also extensive outreach and consultation to the campus community, a national professional training program (at levels ranging from pre-practicum through residencies), and academic activities. The multi-disciplinary staff of the CWC includes approximately 45 1.0 FTE permanent Clinical faculty and professional staff, 13 TEAMS/USPS support staff, and 10 CART counselors. Additional personnel include 15 or more graduate student trainees, and approximately 10 student assistants. The Center is housed in two physical locations. The CART Team is located on the fourth floor of Peabody Hall & Counseling & Case Management Teams are located at Radio Road. We also have several embedded positions within the university. Students use the Center in increasingly large numbers, averaging over 5,800 student clients per year and approximately 44,000 annual counseling appointment hours. Outreach programs and consultations are offered to more than 29,000 contacts. The CWC provides: •Individual, couples, and group counseling for students with psychological, emotional, academic and/or relationship concerns •Crisis intervention for students experiencing a personal crisis or emergency •Psychiatric evaluation and medication consultation •Stress management and biofeedback services •Outreach, prevention, and educational programs for students, faculty, and staff •Consultation services for students, faculty, staff, families, and friends of students •Training and supervision in counseling and psychology graduate students from pre-practicum through Post-doctoral residency •Assessment and referral services •Teaching, research, and scholarship

Requirements

Social worker with a master’s degree or a Ph.D. in social work from a Certified Social Work Education-accredited school of social work.
Registered nurse with advanced specialized counseling education and training as a clinical nurse specialist or certified psychiatric nurse.
Professional licensed to provide clinical, counseling, and psychotherapy services by the Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance.
Counselor with a master’s degree in counseling.
Psychologist with a master’s or Ph.D. in psychology.
Master’s or doctoral level graduate student intern from an accredited school of social work or a psychology or counseling program, under the supervision of a licensed practitioner qualified to supervise such interns.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated expertise in clinical case management
Administrative and computer application skills required to effectively implement and maintain clinical documentation
Demonstrated skill in working well under pressure to prioritize and manage multiple clinical situations and to coordinate these efforts as a part of a multidisciplinary team
Energy to flexibly manage the professional demands of a challenging workload while maintaining positive and healthy perspectives and relationships
Collaborative spirit of warmth, acceptance, respect, and trust towards colleagues
Self-motivated, self-directed commitment to high professional ideals
Excellent oral and written communication skills
Experience in college mental health, including crisis assessment, brief intervention, confidentiality requirements, and referral

Responsibilities

Provide daytime crisis services.
Consult with faculty, staff, students, and family members who are concerned about a student.
Crisis counseling includes empathic listening and validation, de-escalation, prioritization, assessment of suicide/homicide danger, safety planning, efficient intervention, consultation, and consideration of other risk factors such substance use, self-care, social support, and mental status.
Crisis counseling occasionally involves interventions of last resort, such as psychiatric hospitalization.
Consult with clinical faculty, clinical director, clinic coordinator, and case managers on students with urgent/emergent/recurrent concerns.
Conduct brief consultation & referral appointments (20-30 minutes) with UF students seeking counseling services.
Briefly determine students’ appropriateness for various on-campus and community resources and make recommendations and referrals accordingly.
Assess for suicide/homicide danger and address other urgent concerns, such as substance use and mental status during BCRs.
BCRs may include safety planning and referral to on-call CART counselors for further evaluation and crisis intervention.
In collaboration with CWC case managers, maintain and monitor a clinical case management system to provide continuity of care and follow-up for clients.
Assist students with social services needs including, but not limited to, referral to community resources.
Follow up to ensure that clients are appropriately assessed, successfully referred, and compliant with treatment recommendations.
Complete records punctually according to record keeping/report writing procedures that are currently operative at the CWC and required by legal and ethical regulations.
Prepare and submit all service reports, or other communications involving the clinical operations of the CWC which are intended for persons, departments, or agencies outside of the CWC for review and approval of the Director or Associate Director.
Perform other related duties as assigned; such as campus outreach, single-session therapy, group therapy, etc.
Attend weekly meetings and dyadic/group supervision.
Maintain awareness of CWC’s relationships with other university departments, community health providers, services, hospitals, and other resources.
Provide clinical supervision of trainees, as needed or requested.