Clinical Director, CAPS - 140421

The mission of the Student Health & Well-Being (SHW) cluster is to promote a culture of health and well-being for the student community, deliver equitable high quality innovative services, incorporate inclusive approaches, and celebrate diversity, with the goal of adoption and maintenance of healthy behaviors contributing to the academic success and personal development of all students.

The UC San Diego SHW cluster, which reports through UC San Diego Health System, plays a leadership role in creating a strong and active wellness culture that enables all students to flourish in body, mind and spirit. This includes promotion and the transformation of existing departments, under the oversight of the Executive Director, into a cohesive, trans-disciplinary source of integrated wellness services. The SHW cluster includes the departments of Student Health Services (SHS); Health Promotion Services (HPS); Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS); Assessment and Analytics (SHAA), Strategic Planning, Innovation and Research (SPIR); and SHW Administration (ADM).

CAPS delivers campus-based mental health services to registered UC San Diego undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students. CAPS' multicultural, multidisciplinary, and student-centered staff strives to deliver trauma informed, culturally proficient counseling and psychiatric services, psycho-educational preventive outreach and early intervention programming, consultation, research, and training opportunities. CAPS is accredited by the International Accreditation of Counseling Services (IACS) and the Post-doctoral Resident Training Program is affiliated with the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Center (APPIC). CAPS is fully committed to self-examination, peer review, and quality improvement through the utilization of metrics, data, clinical outcomes, client experience measurements and feedback.

Under the direction of CAPS Director, the Clinical Director provides vision, leadership, and coordination for departmental and campus wide clinical services and consultations related to mental health and psychological wellness in a large scale operation of 60+ clinicians supporting over 45,000 UC San Diego students. In partnership with the Director, this role establishes clinical objectives and effective methods of service delivery, ensuring that practices promote healthcare equity and inclusive excellence across the full continuum of routine and urgent mental health needs, in accordance with legal and ethical best practices.

This position is responsible for ensuring that CAPS maintains a robust, continuous Quality Improvement Program that meets federal, state, UC San Diego Health, and UCOP system wide standards in collaboration with the CAPS Director of Quality and Patient Safety and that it uses data to inform clinical operations and facilitate timely access to services, in coordination with the SHW Director of Student Health Analytics and Assessment. Assumes the responsibilities of the Director in their absence or when designated to do so. In addition, this position provides direct counseling, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of student clients.

• Ph.D. or Psy.D. from an accredited program in Clinical or Counseling psychology.

• Unrestricted California license to practice psychology.

• Minimum of seven years licensed clinical experience, including five or more years of experience in a University Counseling Center.

• Five or more years of clinical leadership experience, successfully supervising and mentoring a large and diverse staff of mental health professionals in a comprehensive college counseling center.

• Skills associated with program management and evaluation, including five or more years of progressively responsible administrative leadership in a high-volume comprehensive counseling center comprised of clinical services, training, supervision, outreach and postvention. Experience leading diverse mental health teams with an array of clinical specialties, and ability to assess and utilize feedback toward continuous improvement.

• Advanced knowledge and applied background in behavioral health counseling methods and techniques, crisis intervention, treatment planning and case management.

• Advanced academic and experiential knowledge of psychotherapeutic process and procedures. Knowledge of scientific inquiry and methods. Demonstrated experience managing complicated crisis situations, including suicidality and hospitalization.

• Advanced knowledge and expertise with mental health issues in higher education, including the mental health needs of historically marginalized students, and a demonstrated commitment to supporting those needs.

• Knowledge of applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations. Ability to apply policy knowledge to suggest improvements to potential regulatory issues. Stays current on laws to apply updates accordingly.

• Understands responsibility with respect to conflicts of interest and behaves in ways consistent both with law, ethics and University policy. Report abuse and comply with CA Laws & Regulations. Skilled judgment in using access to sensitive and/or not yet public university related information only in the performance of the responsibilities of position and exercising care to prevent unnecessary disclosure to others.

• Proven ability to effectively manage, lead and motivate employees. Strong conflict resolution skills. Advanced abilities to create a positive and respectful workplace and demonstrated commitment to departmental and institutional goals for achieving non-discrimination and creating respectful, inclusive, equitable and fair environment.

• Ability to establish priorities, goals and objectives for counseling center. Experience setting and implementing a strategic plan and initiatives which support the departmental and institutional missions.

• Demonstrated ability to engage in data analysis and data-informed decision making to develop the clinical goals and effective methods of counseling service delivery that emphasizes brief treatment in a collaborative environment with an interdisciplinary team.

• Strong decision-making and organizational leadership skills. Knowledge of national benchmarks, current trends, and approaches in collegiate mental health services. Ability to apply an equity and accessibility centered lens to policies and organizational workflows to reduce systemic disparities and support equitable and inclusive clinical service delivery and staff expectations. Proven ability to develop, implement, and evaluate models of client services.

• Knowledge of fiscal/budget processes. Ability to manage HR and fiscal resources effectively. Proven innovative, creative, and empowering mindset to re-imagine services and stay relevant and student-centric. Ability to benchmarks, such as Clinical Load Index and staff:student ratios to make data-informed staffing recommendations.

• Effective interpersonal skills to create and maintain a climate for effective communication and collaborative decision making. Ability to work in a highly collaborative manner and interact effectively with both health care professionals and non-professionals regarding mental health concerns and consultation, as well as to positively represent CAPS across diverse communities. Advanced awareness of the mental health needs of historically marginalized students, and a demonstrated commitment to supporting those needs.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills. Demonstrated active listening and counseling skills. Cultural proficiency to adjust to settings and diverse individuals and groups, including advocacy and mentoring skills.

• Thorough knowledge of business software, specialized applications and systems used in behavioral health centers/clinics. Expertise with management of electronic health records, with the willingness and ability to update and increase skills as needed to meet the goals of the unit, the department and SHW.

• At all times, demonstrate the characteristics of professionalism in attire, attitude, conversation, behavior and attentiveness to others. Ability to uphold the UCSD Principles of Community and to promote a positive and collaborative team environment. Ability to adhere to and practice the mandatory University Core Values & Safety Standards of performance. Ability to at all times adhere to UCSD Health Medical Center (C.A.R.I.N.G.) Standards of Performance as applicable to position. Ability to relate warmly, humanely, sensitively, and empathetically to clients and others.

• Ability to use discretion, maintain utmost confidentiality and comply with all requirements in use of computer systems and access to any and all patient, student, employee and University data, in electronic and hard copy formats, in compliance with University, state and federal guidelines, including, but not limited to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

• Knowledge of local area mental health resources, for community referrals and collaborative care.

• Employment requires unrestricted California license to practice psychology, completion of pre-employment credential verification, and reappointment every three years thereafter.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) Certificate required by start date.
• Job offer is contingent upon satisfactory clearance of Background Check.
• Pre-employment physical, TB, and health clearance are required, plus annual vaccinations per COEM requirements.
• Must carry department-issued cell phone and be available outside normal business hours for emergencies and consultation, as needed.
• Occasional travel may be required.
• Ability to telecommute for work, if/when needed and operationally feasible, as determined by department.
• This position is a mandated reporter of known or suspected child abuse or neglect, according to the California law, Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA).