Counselors Committee

Safety Not Stigma

From Burnout to Belonging

Mental Health Crisis Services and Resources

A handbook of employment rights for all CFA represented Counselors.

A curated list of suggestions to make counselor work better.

Counselors are hired as SSP/AR I, SSP/AR II and SSP/AR III. Probationary and permanent (tenured) counselors are promoted in much the same way as teaching faculty. After normally a six- year probationary period, they go through the tenure and promotion process and move to an SSP/AR II. After five years as an SSP/AR II, they are promoted to an SSP/AR III. The process is generally consistent with the process that tenure track faculty go through.

However, counselors hired on temporary appointments do not have the same structure. Rather, counselors on temporary appointments can request to be reclassified. Article 12.30 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement explains the process:

12.30: A temporary counselor faculty unit employee or coaching faculty unit employee may request a classification review at any time during the appointment. All such requests shall be made to the appropriate administrator. Review criteria shall be based on the applicable classification standards for counselor faculty unit employees or coaching faculty unit employees. Procedures for classification review shall be determined by the President. The employee shall be notified in writing of the decision. If the employee is granted a higher classification, the employee shall receive compensation at the higher rate retroactive to the first day of the pay period immediately following the submission of the classification request. Decisions shall not be subject to the grievance procedure, but CFA may submit appeals of decisions for final and binding adjudication to a third-party neutral selected by the parties within 60 days of ratification of this Agreement. Costs shall be borne equally by the parties pursuant to the side letter to be developed by the parties.

If you are a counselor on a temporary appointment and are interested in being classified at a higher range, we recommend the following steps:

1.  Review the classification standards for counselors.  If you meet the standards then:

2.  Request a classification review from your Counseling Center Director.  You may begin your request as:

Dear [Insert Director’s name],

I have reviewed the Counselors Classification Standards and I believe I am performing the duties of an SSP/AR II [or III as appropriate]. Therefore, I am requesting a classification review pursuant to Article 12.30 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please let me know what materials I need to provide.

If you have any problems, please contact your CFA campus representatives.

Article 25.5 of our Faculty Contract provides a way for Counselor Faculty to be reimbursed for all normal or customary credential or licensing fees that they need to maintain.

It states:

With the prior approval of the President, Counselor Faculty Unit Employees who are required to maintain a license or credential as a condition of employment, shall be reimbursed for all normal and customary credential or licensing fees consistent with program needs. Any denial shall include a written explanation.

We encourage counselor faculty to seek approval from your local campus president for reimbursement of any fees required for renewals of your professionally required licenses or credentials.

If you are denied reimbursement, the administration must provide a written explanation for the denial. We want to hear from you if you receive such denials. Please contact CFA immediately if your campus president refuses to reimburse you for licensing fees that you are required to have to maintain employment in the CSU.

If you would like to learn more about Faculty Rights or have a faculty rights question, contact your faculty rights representative.

December 2004 – Adam Ojakian takes his life while attending UC Davis. Adam’s father, Victor Ojakian, begins statewide campaign to increase mental health services on college campuses.

2006 – University of California Regents vote to increase student registration fee and double the number of mental health counselors on UC campuses.

April 7, 2007 – Virginia Tech Massacre: 32 dead, 17 injured.

February 14, 2008 – Northern Illinois University shooting: five students dead, 17 injured.

2007-08 – The Association of University College Counseling Center Directors Annual survey reveals national increases in counseling center budgets to address increase in mental health demands.

March 2009 – CSU Select Committee on Student Mental Health Services convenes with a charge to survey, collect, and analyze campus data on mental health services provided to students. CSU promised this committee that recommendations would be funded. No additional funding for mental health services was provided. On many CSU campuses, funding sources were reduced and eliminated (general fund dollars).

May 2010 – CSU Select Committee on Student Mental Health Services Report delivered to CSU Board of Trustees. Contains eight recommendations. Does not recommend hiring more counselors despite need documented in report.

October 2010 – CFA Council for Affirmative Action Resolution to Address Dearth of Counseling Resources at CSU campuses.

October 21, 2010 – CFA Counselors Committee response to the CSU Select Committee Mental Health Report.

December 2010 – Executive Order 1053: Policy on Student Mental Health issued: The order provides for CSU to develop and communicate systemwide policies and procedures and/or guidelines for mental health services to matriculated students. Mandates that mental health services be provided on each campus, but does not speak to mandating appropriate staffing levels.

March 11-April 14, 2011 – CSU Faculty and staff RFA proposal authored for $6.9 million CalMHSA mental health prevention funding. Proposal is accepted with revisions June 2011.

July 2011-June 2014 – CalMHSA grant start and end dates. All services created must be delivered within this timeframe.

September 2012 – CALMHSA prevention program delivered on some campuses (e.g., Mental Health First Aid Training, Red Folder Program). Lag time due to Chancellors Office decision to hire an administrator to oversee this program. Deliverables proposed in grant were ready to launch June 2011.

January 22-23, 2013 – Systemwide and campuswide Student Mental Health Services Report made to Board of Trustees. Brags about prevention efforts, ignores that treatment needs have not been increased or staffed sufficiently.

March 16-1, 2013 – Academic Senate Resolution AS-3123-13/AA (Rev) Enhanced Support of Student Mental Health and Counseling Services, approved unanimously by the Academic Senate of the California State University. 

April 2013 – Resolution in support of Tenure Track Faculty Staffing of University Counseling Centers in the California State University System passed by the California Faculty Association.

December 2013 – Resolution in support of mental and emotional health of CSU Stanislaus students approved by Stanislaus State Faculty Senate.

April 2014 – CSU San Bernardino Faculty Senate passes policy prohibiting the overscheduling of counselors to remedy current excessive workload demands.

July 28, 2016 – Analysis of Model Practices for Tenure and Tenure Track Counseling Faculty Report delivered to Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at San Francisco State University.

Nov 16-17, 2016 – IACS Site Visit Report of a CSU Counseling Center notes it is dangerously overbooked and understaffed with a student-to-counselor ratio of 1:5,550 students (available through public records request). Similar results can be found in any IACS review of CSU counseling centers.

May 2017 – San Francisco State Faculty Senate unanimously approves Resolution S17-363 In Support of and Commitment to Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) to Provide Quality Mental Health Services to SF State Students.

March 2018 – The CSU Statewide Academic Senate passes a resolution calling on the CSU to hire more counselors.