Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

SummaryThis position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.QualificationsBasic Requirements:United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA PolicyEnglish Language Proficiency must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - Section A - paragraph 3jEducation: You must have a master's or doctoral degree in: Clinical Mental Health CounselingClinical Rehabilitation CounselingClinical Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation Counselingor a related field - from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)Examples of related mental health counseling fields include - but are not limited to Addiction CounselingCommunity CounselingGerontology CounselingMarital - Couple - and Family CounselingCACREP defines the date when graduates are considered to have graduated from a CACREP accredited programAdditional information may be obtained from http://www.cacrep.org/directory/NOTE: Traditional Rehabilitation counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP do not meet the LPMHC qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counselingLicensure: Persons hired or reassigned to LPMHC positions in the GS-0183 series in VHA must hold a full - current - and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - which includes diagnosis and treatmentGrade Determinations: Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) - GS-12: Experience - Education and Licensure: In addition to the basic requirements - candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade levelSenior LPMHCs must have five years of post-licensed experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment - demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise and be licensed to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCsDemonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities: In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-11 grade level - the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex mental illnessAbility to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients - including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practiceAbility to determine priority of services needed and provide specialized treatmentAdvanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needsThis includes individual - group - and/or family counseling - or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial - and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of VeteransAbility to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programsAbility to design system changes based on dataAbility to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the psychosocial treatment of patients - rendering professional opinions based on experience - expertise and role modeling effective clinical skillsAbility to teach - mentor staff and trainees - and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certificationsAbility to engage in written and oral communication with leadership/staff and community stakeholders regarding policies - procedures - practice guidelines - and issues pertaining to the practice of the profession Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/Physical Requirements: The work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodationNOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker - Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - and Marriage & Family TherapistEach discipline is announced separately - and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified.DutiesThe Vet Center Senior Counselor provides direct counseling services - outreach - referral - and follow-up care coordination to eligible individuals - couples - and family membersThe Senior Counselor plays a key role in the coordination of client care and staff professional development - providing expert clinical consultation to other clinicians on complex psychosocial conditions - relational and readjustment stress utilizing evidence-based family systems theory/therapyResponsible for the following domains of service for providing direct readjustment counseling to eligible clients and for developing staff performance through training and clinical supervisionDirect Service Provision: Independently implement professional clinical practice applications in the provision of readjustment counseling to individuals - couples - families - and groupsRisk Assessment and Crisis Intervention: Provides consultation and associated support for staff developing crisis intervention strategies - which includes assessment - safety planning - and complex treatment planning using independent clinical judgment using family systems theory/therapyCare Coordination: Communicates routinely with inter-professional team members and leadership to communicate about program and patient issues for in-depth problem solving - while consistently modeling ethical and professional behaviors and standards to include multicultural awarenessServes on committees - work groups - and task forces at the facility - Medical Center and Zone - District - or national level - or in the community as deemed appropriate by the Vet Center DirectorOutreach: Acts as clinical consultant to the Vet Center outreach workers to improve their sensitivity to clinical indicators and basic interviewing questions to expedite the transition of prospective clients contacted on outreach to actual Vet Center readjustment counseling clientsActively Coordinates with Vet Center Outreach Specialists to ensure seamless referral of individuals engaged in the community at outreach eventsDocumentation/Administrative Responsibilities/Consultation: Actively participate in one-to-one clinical and administrative oversight during administrative and clinical staff meetings as directed by the Vet Center DirectorDocuments clinical interactions and services delivered as required by policyScreening and Assessment: Works directly with eligible individuals to establish a therapeutic relationship sufficient for completing all required readjustment counseling intake procedures to include an assessment of risk for self-harm and psychosocial stressorsCounseling Planning/Goal Setting: Based on the outcome of the intake - will develop and periodically update an individualized readjustment counseling service plan that reflects a course of therapeutic and psychosocial interventions - inclusive of outcome measurementsClinical Supervision - Consultation - Training - Review and Evaluation: Provides clinical consultation services to other staff members with clinical service responsibilities under the supervision of the Vet Center DirectorThe scope of clinical consultation services will include all aspects of direct readjustment counseling service such as advising on the clinical assessment - service planning - and case coordination with community providers when the individual's needs are beyond the scope of services available at a Vet CenterWill provide clinical consultation and supervision to meet the requirements for independent licensure with special attention to providing to unlicensed staff/trainees systematic clinical supervision towards licensureWill provide clinical oversight (chart auditing - etc) as outlined by policyTeam cohesion and coordination: Actively participate in staff meetings designed to promote team building and staff developmentOther Duties: May perform other duties as assigned as appropriate for the grade and assignment and which are within the scope of practice Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pmsome nights and weekends requiredTelework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual positionFunctional Statement #: 822630 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentiveContact VHAEDRPProgramSupport@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistanceLearn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS):Not Authorized