students in dorm room

Counselor-In-Residence (CIR) Program

The Counselor-In-Residence (CIR) program serves as a link between the Student Housing Office and the Counseling and Student Development Center. The CIRs are counselors who live and work on campus and are available to provide student housing residents with on-site counseling, workshops and seminars, and to provide crisis intervention, referral services, consultation, and training to housing staff.

If you are a resident in student housing at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, or if you are concerned about a housing resident, please feel free to call and consult with a CIR: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at CSDC: (808) 956-7927.

CIR Job Description

Introduction

This document summarizes the conditions and responsibilities of the Counselor-In-Residence position. The Counselor-In-Residence (CIR) program is a cooperative effort between Student Housing Services and the Counseling and Student Development Center (CSDC). It is administered jointly by the two departments.

The CIR is an intern or counselor at the CSDC who resides in the Student Housing residence complex and is available to provide consultation, counseling, programmatic, and emergency services to residents and staff. The CIR position is in addition to the internship experience at CSDC. CIRs must be able to meet the expectations and requirements of both positions. The CIR works as a specialist in a team effort with housing and counseling center staff to meet the mental health needs of residents and housing staff. The CIR seeks to facilitate wellness in the residence halls.

Duties

As part of a four-member team, the CIR will rotate primary on-call duties and be available as back-up for large scale emergencies. The CIR will be provided with a CIR cell-phone to facilitate on-call service. The CIR cell-phone must be used by the CIR on-call between the hours of 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 a.m. on weekdays and 24 hours a day on weekends and holidays. The CIR on-call must remain within 15 minutes of campus (by car or foot) when on duty. The CIR will be responsible for program development, crisis intervention, consultation, counseling and administrative duties.

Program Development

  • Develop and facilitate training for housing staff at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters. Topics may include communication, crisis intervention, and team building.
  • Present a minimum of 3 workshops per semester in the residence halls. Topics may reflect CIR's professional interests or meet the requests of housing staff. Topics presented in the past included communication skills, relaxation techniques, and time management.
  • Assist housing staff in developing workshops that they will present to residents.
  • Consult with senior housing staff in planning and developing staff training opportunities other than those identified above.

Crisis Intervention

  • Provide counseling, consultation and support to residents and housing staff during emergency and crisis situations.
  • Act as the first-response professional person by assessing the emergency and determining the most appropriate action.
  • Consult with senior staff at CSDC, and facilitate an effective and expedient response to the emergency in a team effort with the housing staff, the crisis team and campus security/HPD.

Consultation and Counseling

  • Establish and maintain high visibility in residence halls (e.g., attend hall staff orientation, resident orientation, special events etc.) to facilitate referrals, consultations and counseling contacts.
  • Provide consultation services to housing staff regarding communication with residents, group dynamics, and other topics as requested.
  • Provide counseling services to residents and housing staff at CSDC, or in a "neutral" place such as a residence hall lounge room. Counseling should not take place in the CIR's or resident's room.
  • Facilitate the referral of residents and housing staff to CSDC for ongoing counseling.

Administration

  • Meet with each of the twelve residence hall staff groups to establish and maintain effective working relationships at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters.
  • Meet with each Resident Director and Assistant Resident Director at least once each semester.
  • Maintain the separation of the CIR role with residents from the administrative day-by-day operational role and authority of the Resident Director and staff. Understand housing staff roles and communicate support to the staff.
  • Maintain monthly records of the number and type of interactions with residents and housing staff.
  • Maintain monthly records of responses to crisis situations in the residence halls.
  • Submit monthly reports to SHS liaison and the coordinator of the CIR program at CSDC.
  • Write a report at the end of the academic year that summarizes the CIR's experience of the year. Submit the report to SHS administration and the coordinator/supervisor of the CIR program at CSDC.

Supervision and Training

  • Orientation and training for the CIRs will be provided jointly by the housing staff and the coordinator of the CIR program.
  • The CIRs will meet weekly for 1 hour of supervision with the coordinator of the CIR program at CSDC.
  • Crisis-on-call situations will be supervised by the coordinator of the CIR program at CSDC.

Benefits

  • The CIR will be provided with a one-bedroom apartment in one of the residence hall complexes on the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa campus. The apartment is fully furnished and utilities (except long distance telephone service) will be paid by Student Housing Services.
  • The CIR's monthly salary is based on 10-12 weeks of primary on-call duties plus back-up coverage. Monthly rental (which is 50% of the total monthly rental costs) has already been deducted from the gross monthly compensation. Please note that the monthly compensation is subject to change as room rental rates change.
  • There are no fringe benefits such as vacation or sick leave. In the event that the CIR expects to be unavailable for a period of time, the CIR is responsible for obtaining the approval of Student Housing Services in advance of such plans.
  • If a parking permit is desired, the CIR must notify Student Housing Services as soon as possible. The Student Housing Services Director will make a special request to the Parking Office, but the issuance of the parking permit is subject to the availability of parking spaces on campus. The CIR is responsible for the payment of parking fees.

For more information about living in student housing, please visit http://manoa.hawaii.edu/housing/.


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