This position is temporary not-to-exceed 12 months. The Rehabilitation Counselor (RC) is located within the Mental Health Service Line at the Iron Mountain VA Medical Center. The RC will be assigned to a specialty area, which may include Supported Employment, Transitional Work, or Community Based Employment Service Programs.

Duties

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provide personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions, and case coordination services, utilizing evidence-informed and evidence-based modalities to aid Veterans with severe disabilities in achieving competitive employment and educational and independent living goals. Conduct biopsychosocial assessments using medical records, pertinent disability documentation, observation and interviews with Veterans and their support systems to generate personal, vocational, and educational histories. Select, administer, and interpret vocational instruments to evaluate abilities, aptitudes, interests, values, preferences, transferrable skills and overall work resilience. Customize vocational exploration activities for identification of self-determined rehabilitation needs and goals. Consult with interdisciplinary teams (IDT) to enhance coordination of care, ensure medical clearance, and provide for optimal timing of further interventions. Determine clinical need for and capacity to benefit from therapeutic and rehabilitation services to include work restoration/resilience treatment, transitional work placement and compensation, supported employment, assistive technology, financial benefits counseling and potential benefits protections. Develop patient-centered treatment plans utilizing SMART goals and provides ongoing assessment of Veteran's progress. Procure and manage transitional work agreements from community, state, and federal agencies. Monitor work site compliance with agreements to ensure Veterans are appropriately trained and evaluated consistent with industry standards. Devise solutions to reduce and/or eliminate barriers and meet Veterans' placement needs which may require substantial modification to environmental or functional demands within a work setting. Provide psychoeducational groups to teach effective job search skills, employer-desired soft skills and life skills fostering independence. Promote employment programs to community employers to establish relationships that will result in providing work opportunities for Veterans with significant behavioral, physical, emotional, and/or cognitive challenges. Conduct outreach and job development to match Veterans strengths to local workforce needs. Facilitate job placement for Veterans by teaching valuable job search skills, resume/application development, interview skills and basic computer skills; Coordinate transportation to interviews/hiring events; Complete job analyses to facilitate job coaching and retention services to aid Veterans in learning and maintaining proficiency in performance of essential job tasks. Counsel Veterans regarding importance of soft skills when employed to enhance job satisfaction and foster natural supports in the workplace. Complete clinical charting and participate in professional peer reviews. Synthesize assessment information to identify barriers to employment and their vocational implications. Complete interpretive data reports. Provide disability education and program-specific training to staff and stakeholders. May supervise vocational rehabilitation students. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full-time; Monday - Friday; 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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: A master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or clinical rehabilitation counseling from a rehabilitation counseling program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). If the applicant's degree was granted prior to July 1, 2017, the program must be accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education. OR; A master's degree in counseling or clinical rehabilitation counseling from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).OR;A master's or doctoral degree in a related field of study with course content that emphasized rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness, or human development from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by CHEA.OR;Foreign graduates with a degree acceptable by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). Certification: Current, full and unrestricted certification as a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) from the CRCC to practice vocational rehabilitation counseling. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. ? 7403(f). Grade Determinations: Rehabilitation Counselor, GS-11(1) Experience. Completion of one year of professional experience equivalent to the next lower grade level directly related to the position being filled. OR( 2) Education. A doctoral degree in rehabilitation counselor education or related field (e.g. rehabilitation psychology) from a CACREP accredited institution or from an institution accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by CHEA. (3) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of physical and psychological disabilities, appropriate accommodations and assistive technology principles to mitigate and reduce or eliminate barriers to integrate into the community. (b) Knowledge of counseling theory, medical and psychiatric terminology and signs and symptomology of suicidal and homicidal ideations, to communicate appropriately with community health care professionals to provide useful input to other team members and employers in relation to the Veteran and/or his/her family's psychosocial needs and to recommend and help implement suitable treatment plans. (c) Ability to use evidence-based and evidence informed vocational and professional counseling practices to include individual placement and support (IPS), customized employment and supported employment models and motivational interviewing skills to promote self-awareness, adjustment to disability, enhanced job retention and successful integration to the community. (d) Knowledge of career development processes and job analysis methodology to determine essential functions of jobs, worksite modifications and/or alternative vocational goals given the work history and residual functional capacities of individuals with disabilities. (e) Ability to administer and interpret a wide variety of assessment methods including transferrable skills and labor market analyses to evaluate for individual interests, aptitudes and abilities and to identify suitable vocational goals for the development of an effective individual service delivery plan. (f) Knowledge of marketing strategies to develop collaborative partnerships/Memorandums of Agreement within VA and local business community to enhance employment and/or work opportunities.(g) Knowledge of military culture and specific factors and dynamics associated with Veterans, particularly combat Veterans, to assist those who are returning to community and community based-work. Loss of Certification: An employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required certification must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment. References: VA Handbook 5005/133 Part II Appendix G62The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts, which require safety precautions typical of offices and meeting rooms. Position requires travel to different work sites and community locations. Patients served may display a board variety of psychological and/or physical disabilities. Interaction requires safety precautions may entail some risk of physical harm.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Oscar G Johnson Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facility 325 East H Street Iron Mountain, MI 49801 US
• Name: Jeremy Burton
• Phone: 7089010850
• Email: [email protected]