Hire a Part-time Mental Health Counselor :: PIP System (SUNY Orange)

Hire a Part-time Mental Health Counselor Print All

Initiative Title	Hire a Part-time Mental Health Counselor
Submitted in Previous Year(s)	2023
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 is not able to carry a caseload. During Spring 2023, SUNY Orange added a tele-counseling service. We have had a number of students take advantage of this service---as of November, 2023, 72 students have enrolled in the TimelyCare service. However, college enrollment has also increased at the same time, and even with the telehealth service, the demand for in-person services is still extremely high. 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 Goals	Expand our counseling staff by hiring a part-time counselor
Programs
Locations	Main Campus, Newburgh Campus
Estimated Completion Date	04/01/2023
Will this initiative span multiple budget years?	Yes
Importance	Medium
Funding Source	Request for Prioritization
Created	11/28/2023 12:53 pm
Updated	02/22/2024 12:17 pm

Institutional Goals

Goal	How will the initiative support this institutional goal?
STUDENT SERVICES MASTER PLAN 2013 Student Success & Access Facilitate the campus-wide promotion of health, wellness, and safety	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 as long to see a SUNY Orange counselor	1
Students will have more choices of appointment times and dates	2
Students will have more than one option for an in-person counselor	3
Students who want to see a therapist in person, instead of over zoom, will have another option	4

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 5 Cabinet Middle States	Level 4 Level 4 PBIE Committee	Level 3 Level 3 Academic Affairs and Student Services, Provost, VP Office Administration and Finance, VP Office Board of Trustees Chief Diversity Officer Institutional Advancement, VP Office President, Office of Student Services, VP Office SUNY Orange Foundation Sustainability Workforce Development, Strategy & Innovation, VP Office	Level 2 Level 2 Alumni Relations and Special Events Athletics Business Math Science and Technology, AVP Office Business Office CAPE Career and Internship Services Communications Office Enrollment Mgt and Student Financial Services, AVP Office Facilities Food Tech Grants Health Professions, AVP Office Hudson Valley Educational Consortium Human Resources, AVP Office Information Technology, CIO Office Institutional Planning Assessment and Research Lab School Learning & Student Success, AVP Office Liberal Arts, AVP Office Marketing Newburgh Campus Phi Theta Kappa Security Student Engagement and Completion, AVP Office	Level 1 Level 1 Academic Advising Academic Support Middletown Academic Support Newburgh Academic Technology Accessibility Services Admissions and Recruitment Arts and Communication Behavioral Sciences Biology Bursar Business Capital Projects Center for Student Involvement Center for Teaching and Learning Clinical Laboratory Science Computer Science and Technology Criminal Justice Cultural Affairs Custodial and Grounds Dental Hygiene Deployment & Operations Diagnostic Imaging Education Educational Opportunities Program Educational Partnerships English Enrollment Support Services Environmental Health and Safety ESL CAPE Financial Aid Global Studies Governance Honors Program HVAC Information Services & Network Infrastructure Interdisciplinary Studies Liberty Partnership Program Library Mail and Copy Services Maintenance Mathematics Movement Science Nursing Occupational Therapy Payroll Physical Therapy Records and Registration Science Engineering and Architecture Student Services - Data Management Student Services Central Student Services Newburgh Campus Student Support Initiatives Testing Center TRiO Student Support Services Unused Wellness Center Work Force Development CAPE	Initiative Title	Department
		Notes View	2	1	Hire a Part-time Mental Health Counselor $25,000.00 / $25,000.00	Wellness Center

Prioritization Notes

Level 3

Level 3 (Academic Affairs and Student Services, Provost, VP Office)

Noting that positions are not being considered for prioritization in PIP as the College utilizes another process for requesting and filling positions.

Assessment

Date	Department Name	Status	Cost to Date	Funding Source
No results found.