Assistant Director of Counseling and Student Thriving

Assistant Director of Counseling and Student Thriving

Postion Summary

The Assistant Director of Counseling and Student Wellness plays a pivotal role in fostering a holistic, supportive, and empowering environment for student success. This position balances clinical practice, proactive wellness programming, and strategic retention initiatives. The ideal candidate will split their time between providing direct clinical counseling, developing and implementing wellness-related programming (30%), and leading institutional student retention and support initiatives (30%). This role reports directly to the Director of Counseling and Accessibility Services.

Duties

• Clinical Counseling & Crisis Intervention (40%)

• Direct Therapy: Provide short-term individual, group, and crisis counseling to a diverse student population experiencing mental health, academic, or personal challenges.

• Intake & Assessment: Conduct clinical intakes, psychological assessments, and triage to determine appropriate levels of care and treatment planning.

• Crisis Response: Collaborate with colleagues with addressing mental health emergencies and assist with campus-based crisis interventions.

• Case Management: Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential electronic clinical records in compliance with state laws and FERPA/HIPAA regulations. Refer students to off-campus community providers for specialized or long-term care when necessary.

• Wellness Programming & Outreach (30%)

• Program Development: Design, execute, and evaluate campus-wide, proactive health and wellness campaigns focusing on mental health awareness, stress management, substance abuse prevention, and resilience.

• Workshops & Training: Deliver educational presentations and workshops for students, faculty, staff, and student organizations (e.g., Resident Assistants, student athletes).

• Collaboration: Partner with campus entities such as Student Engagement, Academic Affairs, and Residence Life to build an integrated culture of well-being.

• Peer

Education

• Supervise or mentor student wellness educators, peer advocates, or graduate interns assisting with outreach efforts.

• Student Retention Initiatives (30%)

• Early Intervention: Actively create and participate in the college’s behavioral intervention/CARE team to identify, track, and support students flagged as at-risk for academic or personal withdrawal.

• Support Frameworks: Develop target interventions and outreach strategies for vulnerable student demographics (e.g., first-generation students, students on academic probation, transfer students) to improve year-over-year retention rates.

• Data & Assessment: Utilize retention data, student tracking software, and survey analytics to assess the impact of wellness and counseling services on student persistence and academic performance.

• Policy & Advocacy: Collaborate with Academic Affairs to streamline the medical withdrawal and re-entry processes, ensuring returning students have adequate support plans.

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• Must be able to work a flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and emergency response as needed.

• Ability to sit, stand, and/or walk for extended periods of time.

• Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated success as a clinician.

• Demonstrated ability to design, facilitate, and assess training and programming.

• Strong supervisory, coaching, organizational, and performance-management skills.

• Knowledge of conflict resolution, student conduct, crisis management, and appropriate referral practices.

• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, and to prepare accurate reports, training materials, and documentation.

• Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain confidentiality, and respond calmly and appropriately in emergency or high-pressure situations.

• Ability to work effectively with students, families, professional staff, student employees, faculty, and campus partners from diverse backgrounds.

• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office.

• Ability to organize multiple priorities, anticipate problems, follow through on assignments, and complete projects with moderate supervision.

• Commitment to professional ethics, student-centered service, accountability, and the mission of Tougaloo College.

• Date of Position Opening

• 2026-11-10

• Application Deadline

• Until position filled

Salary

Commensurate with experience

Accessibility Tools