Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - Peer Coordinator

Full Job Description

This 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.

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

Education: Hold a master's or doctoral degree in: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; or 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 Counseling; Community Counseling; Gerontology Counseling; Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling.

CACREP defines the date when graduates are considered to have graduated from a CACREP accredited program. Additional 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 counseling.

Licensure: 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 treatment.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - Program Coordinator GS-12 Experience, Education, and Licensure: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.

Experience must have been in a major specialty treatment program area such as, but not limited to, Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), mental health intensive case management (MHICM), or other areas of equivalent scope and complexity.

Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency.

Demonstrated 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: In depth knowledge of the program coordinated, and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and or practice guidelines for the program.

Ability to make key decisions in the hiring and identification of top candidates.

Ability to provide leadership in facilitating the process of coordinating program consults, assessments, admissions, care assignments and discharges.

Ability to provide subject matter consultation to other colleagues and trainees within the field of counseling working on an interdisciplinary team.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Major Duties:

The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC)/Peer Coordinator in Integrated Care (IC) works at the interface between primary care (PC) or specialty medicine (SM) and mental health care in an integrated care model.

**Location selection within Dayton VHA is negotiable dependent upon facility need. This can include Lima, Middletown or Springfield, OH, or Richmond, IN if available.

Location will be discussed during interview.

Duties include, but are not limited, to: Clinical Functions - 80% Routinely provides curbside consultations with medical providers and other members of the medical team about plan of care for patients and provides feedback in a timely manner.

The incumbent must use a high level of skill in conducting structured functional assessments and treating the complicated behavioral health problems of Veterans with a wide range of mental health and medical diagnoses.

Treatment modalities include brief individual or group psychotherapy for individuals and/or families with an emphasis on evidence-based treatments appropriate to the setting.

Performs case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs.

Independently provides consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of Veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plan.

Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness, standards for documentation and proper patient check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes).

Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds and has the ability to remain organized.

Participates in scheduling, triaging, and monitoring the flow of patients. Contributes to interdisciplinary care planning conferences, and team huddles/meetings.

Administrative Functions - 20% Adheres to, supports, and contributes to the development of operational policies and procedures of the medical setting, IC, MHS and the Medical Center, especially as it pertains to Peers in PACT.

Executes ongoing program evaluation and data driven quality improvement of Peers in PACT to monitor the effectiveness, which is reported to the Integrated Care Program Manager.

Facilitates liaisons with other health care providers and/or programs in order to effectively coordinate services.

Tracks, collects, and reports relevant data on Peers in PACT to local, VISN, and National entities, as indicated.

May be assigned other administrative tasks as well at the discretion of the Integrated Care Program Manager.

Serves on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN, and/or VA Central Office levels, especially in an effort to improve peer support programing and outcomes.

Keeps supervisor appraised of problems and recommended solutions to problems encountered in the incumbent's area of responsibility.

Participates in appropriate service/facility meetings and LPMHC meetings.

Shares knowledge and experiences gained from own clinical practice and education relevant to the field of professional counseling.

Complies with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Program and safety policies and procedures.

Work Schedule: 8 am - 4:30 pm Monday through Friday Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 93399-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.

Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized