Description

 Job Description/Summary: 
 

The Practicum and Internship Coordinator is a full-time faculty member who serves a critical role in supporting the success of Sonoran University’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MSCMHC) degree program. 

This role ensures high-quality training that aligns with current CACREP standards, ACA/AMHCA ethical codes, and applicable state licensing board requirements. The incumbent will report to and work closely with the MSCMHC Program Director and will collaborate with the dean of the School of Mental Health, program faculty, site supervisors, students, and other stakeholders. The role  is responsible for all administrative functions related to the practicum and internship including  but not limited to facilitating the twice-yearly (Fall and Spring) on-campus 2-day in-person student residency , training and supporting site supervisors, delivering weekly group and/or individual supervision, evaluating student competencies, and upholding program gatekeeping responsibilities to promote client welfare and student professional development. They also contribute to improving educational outcomes, fostering student success, and facilitating student retention and persistence by creating a high quality, positive, and supportive educational and work environment.

 As faculty, the incumbent will facilitate learning for Sonoran University’s online MSCMHC students through timely and effective instruction, assessment, and communications and will be responsible for improving educational effectiveness, and supporting programmatic and course curricula, including alignment with the 2024 CACREP standards.  Faculty are assigned to develop and instruct courses aligned with their expertise using Canvas, Sonoran University’s online Learning Management System (LMS). 

The ideal candidate will have demonstrated experience with CACREP practicum and internship standards along with strong teaching experience and expertise in, and passion for clinical mental health counseling. They will have prior online classroom experience and outstanding communication and organizational skills with the ability to effectively communicate with students and team members and cultivate relationships with external stakeholders. Responsibilities of this position include ensuring compliance with CACREP’s clinical training standards, developing and teaching courses as assigned, delivering current and relevant content, and demonstrating student learning.  The incumbent will be an active member of the Sonoran University community promoting its mission, vision, and core values and will adhere to high ethical and professional standards.  

Primary Coordinator Responsibilities:

Coordination and Administration

      Overseeing all aspects of practicum and internship placements, including program-appropriate audio/video recordings and/or live supervision of students’ interactions with clients.

      Vetting and approving clinical sites to ensure they align with program requirements and CACREP standards.

      Recruiting and maintaining a robust network of clinical sites and community partners

      Ensuring all required documentation for students, sites, and supervisors is completed, filed, and securely stored (e.g., liability insurance, background checks, supervision contracts, evaluation forms, hours logs).

      Matching students with appropriate supervisors and sites.

      Developing and maintaining the program’s practicum and internship manual and ensuring its adherence to ethical codes, accreditation standards, and relevant legislation.

      Collaborating with other program faculty and administration on student issues, administrative concerns, and overall program operations.

      Other administrative responsibilities as assigned.

Supervision and Student Support

      Serving as the primary point of contact for students, faculty, site supervisors, and administrators regarding placement matters.

      Providing supervision to practicum and internship students or ensuring they are appropriately supervised by qualified individuals (site supervisors and/or student supervisors under faculty supervision).

      Advising and mentoring students on clinical readiness, site expectations, and professional development.

      Conducting formal and informal evaluations of students’ counseling performance and ability to apply knowledge.

      Assessing student knowledge, skills, and professional dispositions for the purpose of retention, remediation, and dismissal.

 Program Evaluation and Development

      Responding to inquiries regarding practicum and internship from both internal and external stakeholders.

      Overseeing ongoing CACREP assessments, curricular evaluations, and program improvement efforts, including collecting data from students, graduates, and site supervisors.

      Providing orientation, assistance, consultation, and professional development opportunities for site supervisors.

      Assisting with the writing and compilation of accreditation documents and reports related to clinical field placement.

Primary Faculty Responsibilities:

      Participating in clinical and/or didactic instruction in the School of Mental Health as assigned.

      Participating in the development of and/or updates to courses as assigned.

      Delivering expert knowledge in a specific area of content through assigned courses.

      Ensuring course content remains current, accurate, and relevant. 

      Providing responses to student inquiries within 24 hours.

      Initiating, facilitating, interacting, and moderating online classroom forums.

      Engaging in the online course portal a minimum of four (4) times per week.

      Hosting a minimum of one (1) hour of virtual office hours per week per course section. 

      Hosting a minimum of one (1) hour synchronous live session per week per course.

      Teaching assigned courses in accordance with current syllabi and learning outcomes.

      With approval of the Program Director and/or Dean, updating course content appropriately.

      Using innovative teaching and learning strategies and methods.

      Conducting regular assessment of students’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes.

      Continuously improving teaching and learning based on assessment results and implementation of andragogical best practices.

      Submitting feedback and student grades in a timely manner.

      Actively participating in scholarly endeavors.

      Serving as a mentor and role model to students.

      Working collaboratively as part of the academic team and college community. 

      Actively participating in department, division, and/or campus meetings as well as other service opportunities.

      Keeping abreast of developments in one’s own field by reading current literature, engaging colleagues, participating in professional organizations, tradeshows, and/or conferences.

Requirements

      A doctoral degree in counselor education is required; preferably with an emphasis or focus on clinical mental health counseling, and preferably from a CACREP-accredited program. 

      Candidates will also be considered if they: 

Have a related doctoral degree and have been employed as a full-time faculty member in a

counselor education program for a minimum of one full academic year before July 1, 2013;

OR

Have been employed as a full-time doctoral-level faculty member in a CORE-accredited

master’s program prior to July 1, 2017; 

OR

Have graduated from a rehabilitation doctoral program prior to January 1, 2018.

      At least three years of counseling practice. 

      Licensed or license eligible in the state of Arizona as an LPC within a year. 

Demonstrated knowledge of mental health counseling academic, practicum, and internship requirements in compliance with CACREP standards.

      Demonstrated knowledge of graduate pedagogy and familiarity with clinical mental health curricula, professional programs, and their standards, assessments, and evaluations.  

      Experience with online teaching and providing supervision of counseling students. 

      Education and experience demonstrating expert breadth of knowledge to effectively teach in an evidence-based clinical mental health counseling program.

      Commitment to the highest level of academic and personal integrity, high academic standards, diversity and intercultural understanding, interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and continued professional development are essential. 

      Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality regarding faculty, staff, and student issues.

      Ability to embody Sonoran University’s core values: We Achieve Excellence, We Love, We Do the Right Thing, We Are Resilient, We Shape the Future.

Preferred Experience:

      Experience coordinating practicum and internship activities is highly sought. 

      CACREP accreditation experience as a site team member, site team host, or similar. 

      Demonstrated ability to work effectively with core faculty, adjunct faculty, and allied professionals. 

      Demonstrated teaching ability, leadership skills, administrative, and management skills. 

      Demonstrated ability to contribute to the program review process.  

      Ability to contribute to the institution through service at the programmatic and university levels.  

      Skill in organizing resources, analyzing and solving problems, establishing priorities, and making evaluative judgments. 

      Outstanding interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills and the ability to communicate and work effectively within a diverse community. 

      Working knowledge of conflict resolution and mediation principles and techniques. 

      Ability to meet the public in situations requiring tact, diplomacy, and poise.   

      Familiarity with online teaching and/or a desire to learn new technological approaches to education; blended and online instruction experience preferred.

      Demonstrated ability to use innovative teaching and learning strategies and methods.

      Exceptional customer service with internal departments.

      Ability to uphold academic rigor and integrity while assisting students in achieving academic success.

Qualifications: 

      Strong organization and problem-solving skills, and detail oriented. 

      Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with diplomacy, and the ability to focus on objectives in an environment where many projects compete for priority, time, and resources.

      Strong management skills.

      Skill in organizing resources, analyzing and solving problems, establishing priorities, and making evaluative judgments. 

      Outstanding interpersonal, oral and written communication skills and the ability to communicate and work effectively within a diverse community. 

      A positive attitude, effective oral and written communication, sense of humor, creative problem-solving skills, intuition, honesty, and integrity.

      Working knowledge of conflict resolution and mediation principles and techniques. 

      Ability to meet the public in situations requiring tact, diplomacy and poise.   

      Experience with higher education academic processes.

      Demonstrated ability to design, develop, and deliver new course content.

      As a part of the university, it is required that all faculty engage in both service and scholarship. As the leader of the academic unit, the successful candidate will demonstrate ongoing scholarly work through both peer-reviewed articles and presentations.  

      Computer skills: proficient with MS Office products; familiarity with the Canvas LMS

Working Environment:      

Activities are performed remotely and subject to extensive periods of sitting, keyboarding, and manipulating a computer mouse. Regular activities require the ability to quickly change priorities which may include and/or are subject to resolution of conflicts. Frequent communication with internal and external individuals is required to perform essential functions.

Background/Screening:

All employees undergo a background and drug screen prior to hiring. Employment is contingent upon satisfactory outcome of all screens required of this position. All applicants must show documentation of vaccinations or provide titer results for measles. Employment is contingent upon satisfactory outcome of all screens required of this position. 

Sonoran University is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We consider applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, or any other legally protected status. Sonoran University is a Smoke-Free campus.

Documents needed to apply:

      Cover letter

      Resume/CV