Hire a Part-time Mental Health Counselor



Initiative TitleHire a Part-time Mental Health Counselor
Submitted in Previous Year(s)No
Critical Information, Notes, Justification, Rationale

As more and more students seek out mental health counseling, our one full-time Licensed Mental Health counselor is taking on a larger caseload. Many students need to wait longer than we would like for appointments, as her schedule is consistently full. She is carrying an extremely large caseload, and it is not possible for her to personally see all of the students who are seeking services. The Director of the Wellness Center can perform emergency counseling and counseling intakes, but it not able to carry a caseload.

According to the International Accreditation of Counseling Services, the recommended ratio of Full-time Mental Health Therapists to students is one Counselor for every 1,500 students. As our current enrollment is over 3,000, we should have at least two-full time Therapists to meet the recommended standards. Adding a Part-Time Counselor will bring us closer to meeting the standards, and would greatly help to lessen the demand on our lone Licensed Mental Health Counselor.

We are asking for a 10-month, 20-hour-per-week Part-time Licensed Mental Health counselor (LCSW or LMHC).  We have a physical office in the Wellness Center that they can utilize for counseling sessions.

Consequences of this initiative not being funded

We will not have enough resources to meet the mental health counseling needs of our students as the need continues to grow.

Department GoalsExpand our Staffing, Offer more services and events
Programs
LocationsMain Campus, Newburgh Campus
Estimated Completion Date04/01/2023
Will this initiative span multiple budget years?Yes
ImportanceMedium
Funding SourceRequest for Prioritization
Created11/29/2022 2:29 pm
Updated02/21/2023 8:19 am

Institutional Goals

Goal How will the initiative support this institutional goal?
By providing students with outstanding Mental Health resources.

Action Steps

Action Step Responsible Party Order
Recruit and hire part-time licensed counselor Erin Rion 1
Train Counselor Erin Rion and Maureen Flaherty 2
Train the new counselor on SUNY Orange standards and practices. Erin Rion 3
Assess impact of counselor on students Erin Rion 4

Expected Outcomes

Outcome Order
Students will not need to wait to see a counselor 1
students will have more choice of appointment times and dates 2
Students will have more choice in selecting a therapist 3

Assessment Methods

Method Description Other Method Responsible Party
Observations Information can be collected while observing “events” (including, sponsored activities, student {office staff} sessions, etc.) in the natural setting. Observation can provide information on student behaviors and attitudes. The Wellness Center Staff
Student Surveys: Satisfaction Need Surveys can be developed internally and administered to assess student frequency, importance, need and satisfaction institution’s staff, office and services and programming. The Wellness Center Staff
Tracking Usage of programs, services, participation can be tracked; demographic information may also be able to be collected. The Wellness Center Staff

Resources

INITIAL YEAR COST: $25,000.00
RECURRING COST: $25,000.00

Equipment

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Facility

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Supply

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Staffing

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
A part-time mental health counselor $25000.00 / 25000.00 (1st year)
  • Human Resources, AVP Office
TOTAL: $25,000.00 / $25,000.00

Training

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Marketing

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Other

Need Cost (Initial/Recurring) Supporting Departments
TOTAL: $0.00 / $0.00

Prioritization

Level 5 Level 4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Initiative Title Department



3
2
Hire a Part-time Mental Health Counselor
$25,000.00 / $25,000.00
Wellness Center

Prioritization Notes

Level 3 (Student Services, VP Office)

Personnel decisions will be made outside of PIP

Assessment

DateDepartment NameStatusCost to DateFunding Source 
No results found.