Penn State Job Catalog

The defined natural career progression within or between job profiles.

Mental Health Counseling

The Mental Health Counselor Manager oversees and manages the daily operations of mental health counseling services, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, accessible, and effective mental health support for students; supervises counseling staff; coordinates mental health initiatives; manages counseling programs; develops strategic initiatives to enhance the overall well-being of the university community.

• Supervise, train, and evaluate a team of mental health counselors, case managers, and/or clinical services staff; provide mentorship, support, and professional development opportunities
• Develop and maintain staff schedules, ensuring adequate coverage for student needs
• Conduct regular team meetings to discuss caseloads, challenges, and best practices
• Ensure that counseling services adhere to best practices and ethical standards
• Oversee the assessment, treatment modalities, and case management of students receiving mental health services
• Monitor clinical progress and ensure appropriate documentation, confidentiality, and adherence to university policies and legal requirements
• Provide direct counseling services as needed, including crisis intervention and short-term therapy; coordinate referrals to appropriate services when necessary
• Design, implement, and evaluate mental health programs and initiatives for students, including workshops, group therapy, and outreach efforts
• Collaborate with other campus areas (e.g., student affairs, health services, academic advising) to develop comprehensive student wellness strategies
• Advocate for mental health resources and services, ensuring alignment with the university’s mission and values
• Analyze data to assess the effectiveness of counseling services and identify areas for improvement
• Prepare regular reports for senior leadership regarding service utilization, outcomes, and program development
• Collaborate with faculty, staff, and other administrators to identify and address student mental health needs
• Provide consultation and training to faculty and staff on recognizing and responding to students in distress
• Represent counseling services at various campus committees, meetings, and events

Level:

– Manager

Base Description:

– Manages direct reports where primary duty is the management of a working unit.

Level Summary:

– Demonstrates proficient ability in work design, project management, financial planning and development of goals for accomplishing unit assignments. Reviews and guides work to ensure conformity to policy and effective approaches. Evaluates employee performance and recommend development opportunities. Demonstrates ability to coach employees. Presents and communicates key university indicatives and connects it to unit contributions. Provides broad guidelines. Develops, evaluates, enhances, and/or implements quality improvement practices. Recommends innovative solutions.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

– Oversees a team (typically 4 or more; no fewer than 2) full
– time direct reports of individual contributors and/or first level supervisors.

Fiscal Responsibilities:

– Monitors and tracks department/area budget
– May plan, forecast, and/or assist in developing budgets
– May have final signature authority for specific area

Problem Solving:

– Encounters varied and complex problems
– Helps to develop creative and/or novel approaches to resolve problems that are difficult in nature but within limited scope
– Modifies, adapts, or refines guidelines if necessary to resolve issues or problems

Independence of Action:

– Works independently on complex or strategic assignments
– Uses existing practices and advanced working knowledge to determine appropriate work methods for the team
– Reviews completed work of others for conformity to policy, and effectiveness of approach
– Delegates advanced tasks to others

Communication and Collaboration:

– Communicates with both internal and external audiences
– Collaborates closely with team members and various areas across the University
– Prepares written and/or verbal presentations or proposals on complex issues and delivers to a broad variety of audiences
– Communicates key university initiatives and how unit’s work contributes to their achievement
– Presents ideas, concepts and instructions in a clear manner, and uses persuasion and negotiation to build consensus and cooperation
– Establishes and maintains networks to facilitate successful communication among units

• Comp Grade – 11
• Minimum – $68,200.00
• MidPoint – $85,200.00
• Maximum – $102,300.00