Founding Director, Therapeutic Arts in Macon, Georgia at Wesleyan College

FOUNDING DIRECTOR, THERAPEUTIC ARTS

Position Summary

Wesleyan College, the first college in the world chartered to grant degrees to women, seeks a licensed therapist and educator to build and lead a new undergraduate major at the intersection of the creative arts and therapeutic practice. The program's focus, whether expressive arts therapy or therapeutic recreation and arts, will be finalized early in the role through market and workforce research, so the successful candidate will help shape the program's direction as well as its design. This is a founding staff role: the successful candidate will design the program from the ground up, shepherd it through internal and external approvals, build community-facing partnerships, support student wellbeing, and begin teaching in the program's first term. The position reports to the Provost and works in close collaboration with the Creative Arts faculty and the Director of the Leadership Lab. The College anticipates the opportunity to transition this role into a faculty appointment in year two, contingent on successful program launch and institutional approval.

Primary Responsibilities

• Program design and development. Develop a new undergraduate major in expressive arts therapy or therapeutic recreation and arts, including program learning outcomes, curriculum, and individual courses, in partnership with the Creative Arts department.
• Approvals and accreditation. Prepare and present materials for faculty governance, Board of Trustees, and SACSCOC substantive change review, and coordinate any discipline-specific accreditation or credentialing alignment.
• Market and enrollment research. Research workforce demand, comparable programs, and prospective-student interest to inform program positioning, and partner with Marketing and Enrollment on recruitment messaging.
• Field placement and partnerships. Identify, vet, and establish internship and clinical placement sites, and develop the affiliation agreements and supervision structures these require.
• Community programming. Collaborate with the Director of the Leadership Lab to develop community-focused programming in soft-skills development and, more broadly, in art therapy.
• Student wellbeing and group programming. Lead expressive-arts wellness workshops and psychoeducational groups for students (for example creative resilience and stress-management sessions), distinct from clinical treatment, in coordination with the Leadership Lab and Student Affairs.
• Clinical services. Provide up to 10 hours per week of counseling services to students through the College's counseling center, under its supervision and protocols. The successful candidate will not provide clinical services to any student enrolled in or registered for their courses.
• Teaching. Teach one course in the spring term in the newly developed program.

Required Qualifications

• Active, unrestricted license or credential in a relevant therapeutic field, such as art therapy (ATR-BC), expressive arts therapy, recreational therapy (CTRS), or licensed counseling (LPC, LCSW, or LMFT), with eligibility for Georgia licensure and willingness to obtain any additional credential the final program direction requires.
• Master's degree required; doctorate preferred, in art therapy, expressive arts therapy, recreational therapy, counseling, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience teaching in art therapy or a comparable field at the college level.
• Demonstrated experience designing or launching academic or clinical programs.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively across academic departments and administrative offices.
• Commitment to the mission of a small, student-centered women's liberal arts college.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience navigating institutional governance and regional accreditation (SACSCOC or comparable).
• Experience establishing internship or clinical placement sites and supervising student field experiences.
• Familiarity with the assessment of program learning outcomes.

Terms of Employment

• Appointment. Full-time, twelve-month position; one-year contract with the option to renew contingent on program success and institutional need.
• Start date. July 8, 2026.
• Salary. Commensurate with credentials.
• Benefits. Full benefits package, including health insurance, retirement, and tuition benefits in accordance with College policy.
• Status. Full-time, exempt staff position.
• Pathway to faculty appointment. The College anticipates, subject to successful launch and approval of the program and to institutional and budget conditions, the opportunity to transition this role into a faculty appointment beginning in year two. This reflects current intent and is not a guarantee of continued employment or of a specific rank.