Core Candidate Assistant or Associate Professor - Buddhism Informed Contemplative Counseling

Core Candidate Assistant or Associate Professor - Buddhism Informed Contemplative Counseling

Position Title: Core Candidate Assistant or Associate Professor

Department/Program: CPBP 12010

Work Location Authorization: 100% On-Site

Campus Location: Nalanda Campus

Reports to: Dean, Graduate School of Counseling

FLSA Classification: Exempt/Salaried

FTE: 100% (40 hrs/week)

Compensation: $55,000 - $70,000 DOE

Number of Openings: 1

Application Deadline: June 10, 2025 or until filled

Job Summary

Graduate School of Counseling (GSC) seeks to fill a full-time in-person core faculty position in the Buddhism-Informed Contemplative Counseling (BICC) concentration (formerly Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology (CPBP)) beginning July 1, 2025. Applicants would be able to teach in at least two of the following areas: Contemplative/Buddhist Psychology and Counseling as applicable to group dynamics and leadership, counseling & helping relationships, human growth and development across the lifespan, professional counseling orientation & ethical practice, social and cultural foundations, assessment, research methods, career counseling, or diagnosis and treatment planning. The position includes administrative duties for the BICC concentration, the Graduate School of Counseling, and Naropa University, including but not limited to recruitment and admission, networking within the field of counseling, assessment, generating research, scholarship and or creative works disseminated within the discipline for state, regional, national, and international audiences, contemplative engagement, and active participation in the leadership of the BICC concentration. 

Qualified applicants must be able to demonstrate interest and capability in negotiating the pedagogical, clinical, research, administrative, and collaborative responsibilities of a faculty appointment within the concentration, the degree program, within the Graduate School of Counseling (GSC) and  the structure of the university at large.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Teach 20 credits each academic year, primarily in the Buddhism-Informed Contemplative Counseling (BICC) concentration, but potentially in other degree programs of the university, as well


• Attend and actively participate in concentration and school-wide meetings and committee retreats, as well as co-curricular events sponsored by the BICC concentration


• As a member of the BICC leadership team, develop and conduct plans for assessment, community building, and ongoing curriculum development


• Participate in all the administrative operations of the BICC program, including admissions interviews and events


• Engage in socially transformative and contemplative development both personally and in one’s teaching


• Hold regular office hours as indicated in the Faculty Handbook


• Serve on and actively participate in appointed university committees


• Understand and adhere to the policies, procedures, and protocols outlined in the Naropa University Faculty and Employee Handbooks


• Contribute to the advancement of the Contemplative/Buddhist counseling field through professional involvement such as conference presentations, original research, and publications


• Complete additional program and university duties as assigned


• Rotate into the BICC Concentration Chair position

What We Require

• Candidates must demonstrate a commitment to co-create a diverse and inclusive community and actively participate in related JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) professional development regarding the dynamics of privilege and oppression and the impact these have in the workplace.


• Candidates must demonstrate their level of understanding of the dynamics of privilege and oppression, and the impact these have on equity, access, and opportunity.


• Candidates must demonstrate an understanding of and appreciation for the values of Naropa University and the capacity to demonstrate an integration and embodiment of these values as evidenced in work, communication, collaboration styles, and other general workplace behaviors with students, staff, and faculty peers.


• Commitment to co-create an inclusive community and actively participate in related professional development, including openness to receiving and integrating feedback and ongoing self-examination


• Familiarity with Buddhist Psychology and its application to counseling


• Three or more years of clinical experience as a counselor/psychotherapist and an understanding of the counseling field and those it serves demonstrated engagement with a variety of aspects of the counseling field.


• Licensed or eligible for licensure in the State of Colorado at the professional counselor level (LPC) 


• Demonstrated skill in recognizing and addressing issues related to privilege, oppression, diversity and inclusivity, especially regarding curriculum content and classroom facilitation


• An established mindfulness-awareness contemplative practice


• Skillful and creative verbal communication

Educational degree/diploma:

• A doctoral degree or ABD from a graduate institution of recognized standing in counseling or counselor education from a CACREP-accredited program or have a related doctoral degree and have been employed as a full-time faculty member in a counselor education program for a minimum of one full academic year before July 1, 2013. 

Professional Identity, Other Experience, Knowledge, Skills, or Competencies Requirements and Minimum length of prior relevant professional experience:

• At least one-year experience teaching or co-teaching coursework typically related to a professional counseling curriculum


• Demonstrated sustained engagement in activities of the counseling profession and its professional organizations. Maintaining memberships, dissemination of research, scholarship and creative works, holding credentials, and engaging in service activities with organizations such as the American Counseling Association and/or its divisions, Chi Sigma Iota (both at the chapter level and national level), and the National Board for Certified Counselors and Affiliates. 

(PLEASE NOTE: each applicant’s experience and demonstrated skills are assessed on a case-by-case basis as to their relevancy to the position applied for as well as whether they may substitute for required degree.)

Professional license(s)/certification(s) required:

• Licensed or eligible for licensure in the State of Colorado at the professional counselor (LPC) 

What We’d Like You to Have

• A collaborative and playful style


• Three or more years of teaching experience at the graduate level that is informed and enriched by clinical practice, including demonstrated proficiency in using contemplative approaches which enhance students’ cultivation of mindfulness-awareness, compassion, and connection with others


• Demonstrated understanding of and commitment to the principles of contemplative education and familiarity with the vision of Naropa University and the BICC concentration


• Familiarity with the literature and practices of contemplative education


• Record of institutional service and work in leadership roles at a university.


• Ability and willingness to teach in an online setting

If applying for the rank of Associate Professor, the following qualifications are also required: 

• Achieved the rank of Associate Professor at another accredited university


• Demonstrates a record of institutional service and work in leadership roles at a university and within the discipline.


• Evidence of significant work in the field such as professional presentations, publications, clinical practice, and/or a demonstrated interest in research

Physical Requirements & Environmental Conditions
During regular daily activities, employee must be able to do the following with or without reasonable accommodation (check all that apply):
☒ Stand
☐ Walk
☒ Sit
☐ Run
☐ Handle/Finger
☐ Bend at the waist
☐ Reach above shoulder level
☐ Kneel
☐ Crouch
☐ Crawl

Naropa recognizes the following holidays throughout the year:

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day


• Memorial Day


• Juneteenth


• Independence Day


• Labor Day


• Fall Break, 4th Thursday and Friday in November


• Winter Break, the last two weeks in December encompassing the Christmas holiday as well as New Year’s

Naropa’s health and welfare benefits include the following: medical, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, employer-paid short-term and long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment, an employer-sponsored pre-tax retirement savings plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching, and a variety of voluntary, employee-paid supplemental insurance plans.
A comprehensive benefits package is available to full-time employees who work a minimum of 30 hours each week. Employees who work 20 – 29 hours each week are eligible for only the employer-paid short-term & long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance & accidental death and dismemberment, and the retirement plan, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.

Employees who work fewer than 20 hours per week are eligible to participate in Naropa’s retirement plan only, which includes up to 2.5% employer matching.

All regular full-time and part-time faculty and staff, including student workers, accrue sick leave benefits. Full-time and part-time staff positions accrue vacation and personal time. All leave accrual rates vary based on the position, hours worked, and years of service.

The University recognizes the importance of including its employees in its organizational mission and values and welcomes employees into the classroom to “touch the magic.” Specifically, regular employees are provided generous tuition remission opportunities for themselves and their family members.

Naropa University participates in the Council of Independent Colleges Tuition Exchange Program (CIC-TEP). CIC-TEP is a network of CIC colleges and universities willing to accept, tuition-free, students from families of full-time employees of other CIC participating institutions (full-time as designated by the employer/institution). Additional information can be found here: https://www.cic.edu/member-services/tuition-exchange-program. Naropa University’s commitment to diversity aligns with its highest aspirations to apply contemplative inquiry and education to explore and embody the human qualities that facilitate collaboration to create a common humanity and a just society. Individuals who have experience with and a commitment to inclusive communities are encouraged to apply. EOE

Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits gender discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual and relationship violence. This law applies to all students, faculty, and staff.

To apply, visit: https://apptrkr.com/5718348