Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

Full Job Description

Position maybe filled as a Senior Social Worker or Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor This Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) is responsible for behavioral and psychosocial health services for Veterans within the interdisciplinary pain team located at the Sioux Falls VA Health Care System.

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.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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 3.j.

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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, 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 level.

Senior 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 LPMHCs.

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: Advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex mental illness.

Ability 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 practice.

Ability to determine priority of services needed and provide specialized treatment.

Advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needs.

This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling, or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial, and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans.

Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data.

Ability 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 skills.

Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications.

Ability 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.

Preferred Experience: Experience in evidence based practices for pain management. Preferred experience with biopsychosocial model of pain management.

Versed in performing psychological assessments related to pain. Versed in providing group and individual counseling related to Pain Management.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position.

Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Major Duties:

Duties include but are not limited to the following: Incumbent must use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the behavioral and psychosocial problems of Veterans referred to the REC Pain Team.

The incumbent will provide at least one evidence-based behavioral intervention for pain (i.e.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction).

The incumbent will conduct comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments and risk assessments and develop and implement treatment plans that guide practice.

The incumbent will coordinate care with the interdisciplinary pain team, associated referral sources, and the behavioral/mental health care team members to integrate psychosocial factors and evidence based treatment into case conceptualization and treatment planning.

The incumbent will possess (or obtain) advanced training in behavioral medicine, trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, and working with special populations (such as women's health).

The incumbent will collaborate with interdisciplinary team members to offer shared visits (such as shared medical appointments or co-assessments).

The incumbent will provide interdisciplinary group treatment with a range of intensity including Active Management of Pain (AMP) and comprehensive Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program (s) and will possess the knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities, provide counseling and/or supportive groups for Veterans and families and assist with addressing Goals of Care and Advance Directive/Living Will with the Veteran.

Maintains records and statistics required by the assignment, as well as any other information which may be needed for special studies and reports.

Participates in staff development and training activities, research, program planning and development.

Assumes responsibility for professional development by various venues such as: education of current theory and treatment modalities, reading professional journals, attending conferences, clinic seminars and teleconferences, and utilizing materials provided by VAMC.

Serves on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility as deemed appropriate by immediate supervisor.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm Telework: Ad Hoc Emergency Telework MAY BE Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized