Crisis Counselor and Mental Health Promotion Specialist
Compensation
Pay not listed
The week · per this posting · weekdays assumed
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Job Description
For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers and scholars.
Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top four graduate fine arts programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, on-campus galleries and state-of-the-art facilities.
SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, and LeRoy Neiman.
Position Summary
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is offering a full-time Crisis Counselor and Mental Health Promotion Specialist position. SAIC is one of the largest accredited independent schools of art and design in the country. The mission of Counseling Services at SAIC is to assist students in meeting their emotional, psychological, and mental health needs and to contribute to a campus environment that facilitates the healthy growth and development of students.
SAIC Counseling Services is staffed by doctoral-level psychologists and masters-level clinicians including licensed art therapists.
The Crisis Counselor and Mental Health Promotion Specialist will participate in the primary functions of a university counseling center including provision of short-term psychotherapy, counseling intakes and referrals, crisis assessment and intervention, campus outreach, and interdisciplinary collaboration across departments.
Primary responsibilities of this position include: provision of walk-in coverage 3 days per week for the facilitation of crisis assessment and intervention to students presenting to Counseling Services in crisis, and designated planning and facilitation hours for the promotion of mental wellness on campus through community outreach.
The Crisis Counselor and Mental Health Promotion Specialist will also serve in the after-hours on-call rotation alongside senior staff weekly.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the first primary clinical contact for students and conduct psychosocial assessments of students presenting to Counseling Services in acute crisis.
- Work with students in crisis to arrive at appropriate treatment dispositions and provide case
- management as necessary.
- Provide Brief, Crisis-Focused Interventions as necessary.
- Provide primary daily coverage to Counseling Services Walk-In Services.
- Collaborate with the staff members including the Director of Student Support, the Deans On-Call and Housing and Residence Life Staff in supporting student mental health needs.
- Provide day, evening, weekend, and holiday walk-in and on-call coverage.
- Collaborate with after-hours clinicians, provided by ProtoCall Services, in supporting student
- mental health needs after hours, on weekends, and holidays.
- Complete all clinical documentation in a thorough and timely manner.
- Provide Mental Health First Aid Trainings for the SAIC community
- Organize and conduct psychoeducational programs, workshops, and outreach events related to mental health topics (i. e. mindfulness, stress reduction, sleep hygiene, etc.) to students, staff, and faculty to enhance campus well being
- Coordinate the development of mental health promotion marketing and outreach materials for on-campus as well as social media advertising
- Collect data and feedback from outreach and programming events to determine needs and enhancing future events
- Serve as the point person for other OSA/SAIC staff requesting collaborations/workshops related to mental health outreach and prevention
- Participate in campus and community meetings
- Attend weekly Counseling Services Staff Meetings
- Other duties as assigned
Qualifications
- Eligible candidates must have a Master’s degree from an accredited counseling or social work program.
- Eligible candidates must also hold an active license to practice clinically in the state of Illinois (e. g., LCSW, LCPC).
- One year of experience post licensure required.
- Candidates must have strong clinical skills in crisis assessment and intervention.
- College or university counseling center experience and an understanding of outreach and consultation activities is preferred.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and high level of attention to detail are essential.
Compensation & Benefits
Please click on the links below to view our competitive, comprehensive benefits
package:
- Hiring Range
The expected hiring range is an estimated amount for positions based on the grade. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, qualifications and other job-related reasons.
- Benefits
- PTO Overview
- Job Classification: Exempt
- Employment Category: Full time staff
- Grade Level: 7
If you are accessing this listing from a third party, not all links to salary and benefits information may work. Please visit our career page at saic/artic.edu/employment for complete information
Application Instructions
Please Submit the Following as ONE Attachment
1. Cover letter explaining your interest, eligibility, and experience
2. Curriculum vitae or resume
Union
This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by AFSCME Council 31.
Accessibility
If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following page:
Accessibility Accommodation for Applicants
Equal Opportunity Statement
The Art Institute of Chicago is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits, hires and promotes qualified individuals compliant with federal and state laws.
If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact the Department of Human Resources at apply_help@artic.edu [apply_help@artic.edu].
Qualifications
- Education
- Master's degree (postgraduate degree)
Key Skills
Mental Health — Counselor Career Context
Of the 50 active Mental Health listings this role was benchmarked against, 32% are remote, 26% have no call, 60% require no weekends.
The cost-of-living index for Illinois is 100.0 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 62.6% of Illinois clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
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