Counseling Services Associate

Counseling Services Associate

Company: North Carolina State University

Job Location:

Category: Counseling and Psychological Services

Type: Full-Time

Join the Pack! A community with nearly 8,000 faculty and staff, and 30,000 students. NC State is one of the largest employers in North Carolina, offering a large range of career opportunities. Visit us at https://jobs.hr.ncsu.edu/.

Location: Raleigh, NC

Essential Job Duties:
The Licensed Counseling Services Associate plays a vital role within the Veterinary Hospital (VH) by bridging the gap between clinical veterinary care and emotional support. Grounded in a deep appreciation for the human-animal bond, this position provides expert counseling to clients navigating the complexities of pet illness, loss, and difficult medical decision-making. Beyond client care, the Associate serves as a cornerstone for the VH's Family and Community Services initiatives, fostering a collaborative and supportive team environment for faculty, staff, and students.

Professional Profile
The ideal candidate is a highly organized professional with excellent multi-tasking, communication, and interpersonal skills. They must possess a sophisticated understanding of how pet loss impacts both families and clinical professionals. We are seeking an individual who is not only experienced in crisis intervention but thrives in a fast-paced clinical setting that requires immediate, empathetic response and long-term educational leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Clinical Service & Crisis Intervention

• Expert Crisis Support: Deliver on-site and telephonic crisis intervention, grief education, and short-term emotional support for individuals, couples, and families.
• Decision Facilitation: Partner with veterinary healthcare teams to guide clients through difficult medical treatment plans and end-of-life decisions.
• Team Wellness & Collaboration: Serve as a supportive team member by providing case debriefing, stress-management strategies, and mental health referrals for VHC faculty and staff.
• Operational Support: Facilitate weekly service rounds to debrief client interactions, manage client relations concerns through mediation, and maintain comprehensive case records.
• Community Outreach: Develop educational resources and facilitate in-person grief support groups for the local community.

Teaching & Academic Instruction

• Curriculum Development: Co-develop and deliver coursework for 1st-3rd year students, focusing on communication, grief, and the impact of the human-animal bond.
• Clinical Coaching: Conduct real-time, case-based teaching for 4th-year rotations, focusing on micro-counseling skills, nonverbal communication, and navigating high-emotion situations.
• Interactive Learning: Lead small-group sessions on stress management, work-life balance, and compassion fatigue prevention.
• Professional Mentorship: Supervise and instruct field placement students from professional social work or mental health programs.

Professional Collaboration

• Institutional Leadership: Provide annual orientation and training for new residents, interns, and faculty.
• Ethical Oversight: Actively participate in Clinical Ethics Committee meetings.
• Scholarly Contributions: Co-author publications based on clinical and educational experiences within the veterinary setting.

Other Work/Responsibilities:

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Experience/Education:

• Relevant professional degree and licensure in the appropriate clinical field of psychology, social work, or mental health.

Required Qualifications:

• Excellent multi-tasking, communication and interpersonal skills.
• Desire to work as a collaborative and supportive team member in a veterinary clinical setting.
• Appreciation of the human-animal bond and the impact of pet illness and loss on families and clinical professionals.
• Experienced in crisis intervention and desire to work in settings requiring crisis intervention.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in a hospital setting.
• Experience in human-animal, traumatic loss, and grief counseling.
• Teaching experience in informal and/or formal settings.
• Proficiency with computer platforms used for remote teaching, medical records.

Required License or Certification:

• Licensed in North Carolina. LCSW A would be considered if training included relevant clinical experience.