Psychologist - Crisis Coordinator

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Position Title:

Psychologist, Crisis Coordinator

Job Category:

Academic Staff

Employment Type:

Temporary (Fixed Term)

Job Profile:

Psychologist

Job Duties:

The Psychologist, Crisis Coordinator is a generalist mental health provider serving UWL students, and the position also assumes primary leadership for suicide prevention efforts and emergency response provided by the Counseling & Testing Center (CTC). These duties include organizing training for the campus community for suicide prevention and helping a distressed student, coordinating urgent care (drop-in crisis) services, and serving as the main point of contact for entities that also serve students in distress, such as campus police, telehealth vendors, and local healthcare facilities. The Psychologist, Crisis Coordinator will serve as CTC’s representative to local suicide prevention groups, emergency response teams, and regional communities of practice. 

The provider will also function as a strong generalist conducting mental health assessments (intakes), urgent care (crisis) assessments, triage assessments, and professional counseling services (including individual, couples, and group services). Other responsibilities include: referral, consultation, in-service training, and outreach, as well as health promotion activities to campus and community members as appropriate. The counselor will also participate on department, division, and university committees. Similar to all staff at the CTC, the successful candidate will work to make UWL a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students, and they will do so in compliance with ethical, legal, and accreditation guidelines.

• Limited physical demands, as this is a typical office setting.
• The position requires considerable computer-based work.
• Typical office hours (7:45am-4:30pm). Evening hours may be required as we expand our services (e.g., one evening/week), with a schedule adjustment made to maintain an average of 40 hours/week onsite. While no after-hours crisis coverage is required, our clinical staff members occasionally provide evening outreach programming and may be called in for a campus crisis response during evening or weekend hours.
• Expectations are to provide a combination of in-person and telehealth counseling services provided from the onsite office. Individuals who have become established in their role may be eligible for a limited hybrid telework schedule, if consistent with the needs of the department.

The Psychologist, Crisis Coordinator works full-time from August 1-May 31, and part-time (20 hours per week on average) during June and July.

 The review of applications starts on November 2, 2026. Applications received on or before November 2nd are prioritized and review will continue until the position(s) is/are filled. Initial interviews will be conducted virtually, with shortlisted candidates invited to campus. 

UW-La Crosse does not offer H-1B or other work authorization visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and maintain work authorization throughout the employment term. If you have questions regarding this, please contact Human Resources at 608-785-8013.

Key Job Responsibilities:

Advanced Direct Counseling Services

• Perform advanced psychological assessments and evaluations in the form of
  • crisis/risk assessments (urgent care) for high-risk clients,
  • supervising and consulting with other clinicians on crisis/risk assessments, and
  • implementing standardized testing tools relevant to diagnosis and ongoing treatment.
• Use specialized insights and predictions regarding student behavior to
  • create treatment plans for clients experiencing significant mental health symptoms and risk of harm to self and others,
  • safety plans for clients experiencing risk of harm to self and others greater than the general treatment population, and
  • inform consultation on center and university functions, including
    • coordination of urgent care services and
    • campus critical incident response plans.
• Develop, implement, and monitor group and individual psychological treatment programs at a supervisory level by
  • creating and implementing new treatment groups, and supervising other clinicians as they work with clients in individual and group therapy,

Direct Counseling Services

• As a part of providing direct professional counseling services for UWL students, perform psychological assessments and evaluations in the form of
  • initial brief assessment (triage) and
  • intake assessments.
• Identify psychological disorders and emotional patterns through professional counseling services, including
  • Individual and
  • group counseling interventions.

Coordination of Crisis Response & Suicide Prevention Programming

• Assess safety risks and develop safety plans for at-risk individuals, on an individual basis with
  • ongoing clients who present as higher risk than the general student population,
  • drop-in crisis support and coordination of the Urgent Care service,
  • assessment and disposition of incoming third-party crisis response reports.
• Develop, implement, and monitor group and individual psychological treatment programs by
  • consultation services on high-risk cases and crisis care services,
  • clinical supervision to CTC staff and trainees,
  • serving as the main point of contact for entities who serve students in distress, such as campus police, county crisis response, and local healthcare facilities.
  • Applied research, needs assessment, and evaluation of counseling and crisis response services.

University Service & Other Miscellaneous

• Serve on staff, division, and university committees as appropriate.
• Perform other duties and projects assigned by the director.

Professional Development & Administrative Activities

• Complete clinical documentation and other professional communications in accordance with departmental expectations, including established timelines for completion and consistency with current policies and procedures.
• Provide general expertise, training, and guidance to faculty/staff, CTC colleagues, and students, including:
  • Chairing a relevant internal committee related to the coordination area (when needed), and providing updates on coordination area in administrative staff meetings.
  • Serve on staff, division, and university committees and/or task force groups as appropriate.
• In order to ensure these duties are undertaken with legal and ethical responsibility,
  • maintain and improve clinical competence through ongoing professional development activities and education,
  • attend and participate in professional conferences and continuing education workshops, and
  • maintain appropriate licensure to practice counseling for UWL students.
• Share responsibility for creating a work environment that emphasizes integrity, respect, direct communication, and support among colleagues and staff.

Indirect Counseling Service (Prevention/Education/Outreach/Consultation)

• Provide advanced expertise training and guidance to faculty/staff, CTC colleagues, and students, including:
  • Contribute to CTC training/clinical staff seminars as presenter and consultant, especially when related to risk assessment, crisis response, and critical incident response.
  • Coordinating suicide prevention activities through collaboration with other campus departments.
  • Develop and implement outreach services that address the general needs of the campus community.
  • Provide consultation to the UWL and outside community when feasible.
• Assess safety risks and develop safety plans for at-risk individuals, on a group (campus) basis by
  • Coordinating and facilitating suicide prevention programming,
  • Collaborating on clinical response to campus crisis events.

Department:

Counseling and Testing Center

Compensation:

$69,669.00 / year

Required Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree (PhD or PsyD) from an APA-accredited clinical or counseling psychology program.
• At the time of hire, independently licensed in Wisconsin as a Psychologist, or independently licensed in another state and eligible to apply for a WI license by reciprocity. 
• Significant experience with crisis intervention and risk assessment.
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in providing mental health services in a higher education setting.
• Experience conducting outreach programming, presentations, training, and/or workshops relevant to college students.
• Two or more years of post-graduate clinical experience, with significant experience conducting brief therapy with emerging adults for a wide range of presenting concerns. Experience with solution-focused (SFBT) and other brief treatment models is desired.
• Interest and/or experience in providing clinical supervision.
• Commitment to providing group counseling (psychoeducational/skills, support, and therapy groups).
• Experience with Electronic Health Records and computer applications used for telehealth services.
  
  

How to apply:
Required application documents

Cover letter (that addresses the required and preferred qualifications) 

CV / Resume

Copy of current license

Contact Information:

Crystal Champion [email protected]

Special Notes:

Application deadlines 
TO ENSURE CONSIDERATION: Priority consideration is given to those candidates who apply by the listed ‘First Review Date’. Applications received after that date may be considered at the discretion of the search committee. Application materials will be evaluated, and the most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process. Incomplete and/or late application materials may not receive consideration. If you have questions regarding this recruitment, or if you are not able to complete the application online due to a disability or system problem, please contact the Office of Human Resources. 

Confidentiality of Applicant Materials 
UWL is a state agency and subject to Wisconsin’s Open Records Law. UWL will not, however, reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing except as may be required by Wisconsin’s Open Records law. In certain circumstances, the identities of “final candidates” and/or the identity of the appointed applicant must be revealed upon request. 
 
CBC & Reference Check Policy 
All candidates for employment are subject to a pre-employment screening which includes a criminal background check, work authorization, and verification of education. It will also require you and your references to answer questions regarding sexual violence and sexual harassment. 

Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (Clery Act) 
For the UWL Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports (i.e., Clery Report), which includes statistics about reported crimes and information about campus security policies, see http://www.uwlax.edu/student-life/student-resources/annual-security-report/ or contact the University Police Department at 608.785.9000. 

INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR BENEFITS 
Your benefits add an additional 40%+ to the overall financial package from the university. 
Highlights include: 

• Paid vacation for 12-month positions. 

• Excellent flexible health insurance with low co-pays and good coverage. 

• Paid holidays and paid sick days.

• After 5 years of employment, you become vested in our retirement system which ensures income post-career. 

• Benefits at UWL are highly competitive with local industry and some of the strongest in state and nation. 

 
Benefit eligibility is determined at the point of hire. This information is provided for illustrative purposes only. Benefits are also pro-rated based on the appointment percentage.

UW is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other bases protected by applicable federal or State law and UW System policies. We are committed to building a workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.