Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor- Readjustment Counselor

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 (1 to 5 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: The basic requirements for employment as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C.

§ 7402(b)(11). To qualify for appointment as an LPMHC in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States.

(Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g.) 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).

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/.

Examples of related mental health counseling fields include but are not limited to: Addiction Counseling; Community Counseling; Gerontology Counseling; Marital, Couple, and Family 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.

Exception: VHA may waive the licensure requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure for a period not to exceed 3 years for a LPMHC that provides care under the clinical supervision of a licensed LPMHC who is at or above the full performance level.

This exception only applies at the entry level (GS-09).

English Language Proficiency: LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3j.

Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA as a LPMHC on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held.

For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, demoted, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.

Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.

**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.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements above for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade level for each candidate.

LPMHC, GS-11 (Full Performance Level): Experience, Education and Licensure: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of post-master's or post- doctoral degree mental health counseling experience (VA or non-VA experience) and must be licensed to practice at the independent practice level.

~AND~ Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the GS-11 experience, education and licensure grade requirements, candidates must demonstrate all the KSAs below: Ability to make professional evaluations, decisions, and recommendation for treatment planning and implementation.

Advanced knowledge and mastery of the fundamentals of the counseling process which includes defining patient/family problems and maintaining an effective counseling relationship.

Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the counseling process within various specialty areas, build on the foundation of competence through regular meetings and discussions to explain assignments, review progress of cases and confer about the counseling perspectives and orientation.

Ability to provide complex crisis intervention and stabilization to patients who are in psychological distress. Requires independent judgment and skill.

Ability to establish goals/treatment through a collaborative process with the patient utilizing advanced counseling skills, including evidenced- based practices, screening, and psychosocial assessment.

Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or familial counseling interventions; demonstrates sensitivity to and possesses multicultural counseling skills.

Ability to fully utilize the current DSM in making diagnoses and formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical intervention using professional counseling practices.

Ability to develop and facilitate psychotherapy and psycho- education groups that include life skills, family support, and community integration. This may include evidence-based psychotherapy.

References: VA Qualifications Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.

Physical Requirements: The work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodation.

Major Duties:

The incumbent serves as an RCS Vet Center Readjustment Counselor, providing counseling services, outreach, referral, and follow up care coordination to eligible individuals, couples, and family members.

In this capacity, the incumbent functions as a member of a small multi-disciplinary team of 4 or more staff members.

This entails the incumbent contributing proactively to internal coordination of care and collaborative planning and problem solving among all staff.

Duties include, but are not limited to: Screening and Assessment: Will work 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 functioning.

This information will be used as the foundation for identifying the presenting clinical focus areas and for developing the readjustment counseling service plan.

Counseling Planning/Goal Setting: Develop and periodically update an individualized readjustment counseling service plan that reflects a course of therapeutic and psychosocial interventions, including identification of achievable goals and measurable outcomes.

Direct Counseling Service Provision: Will implement the individualized counseling plan through an appropriate course of individual, group, couple and/or family readjustment counseling.

Will maintain an effective therapeutic relationship with eligible clients fully guided by professional ethics throughout the course of readjustment counseling.

Risk Assessment and Crisis Intervention: Will apply risk assessment procedures during the initial assessment and periodically throughout the planned course of readjustment counseling as required and appropriate.

For individuals identified from intermediate to high risk, the incumbent will work with the individual to develop a safety plan that identifies the precipitating life stressors and safety procedures identified by the client.

Will provide crisis case management services inclusive of coordinating services with the individual's family members.

Care Coordination: Will establish and maintain a network of community care relationships, internal and external to VA, to coordinate access to readjustment counseling through community referrals to the Vet Center, and to ensure that eligible individuals and/or family members receive the full spectrum of services to support the veteran's readjustment that are outside the scope of readjustment counseling.

In support of client care coordination, the incumbent maintains a general knowledge and understanding of the military experience and available VA benefits and services such as VA health care and VBA service-connected benefits.

Outreach: Will maintain active coordination with Vet Center outreach workers to ensure seamless referral to Vet Center services for those individuals and family members engaged in the community at outreach events that may require follow-up readjustment counseling.

Team Cohesion and Coordination: Will actively participate in Vet Center staff meetings designed to promote team building and staff development through cojoint planning and problem solving, staff discussion of problematic cases, coaching and mentoring new hires.

Documentation/Consultation: Will document all clinical interactions with eligible individuals and episodes of care coordination on their behalf as required by RCS policy.

Will provide consultation services to other staff inclusive of other community partners. Other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00a-4:30p; One evening a week and some weekend work Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 43860-0 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 NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker, Psychologist, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, and Marriage & Family Therapist.

Each discipline is announced separately, and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified.