The Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) will be assigned to the Psychology Service of the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio TX. The LPMHC has specialized knowledge and expertise in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a variety of general mental health disorders/conditions.

Duties

Administrative Responsibilities: LPMHC may have some clinical program management responsibilities Serve as the psychology service representative on various Psychology Service, Mental Health Service Line, System-level, or VISN administrative committees or work groups. Coordinate programming within both various mental health and primary care programs in coordination with managers of such programs as well as with discipline supervisors of affected staff assigned to these programs. May be involved in research activities, especially as related to program evaluation responsibilities. Responsibility for and oversight of the administrative and programmatic resources of various clinical programs that are specialized/complex and significantly impact the delivery of health care service to Veterans in the STVHCS. Clinical Responsibilities: Provide a full range of psychological services and diagnoses mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients with comorbid mental and physical health problems. Provide education to patients, family members, and significant others. Provide a range of psychological therapeutic interventions with individuals with mental health and medical disorders utilizing empirically supported modalities when indicated. Consult with and serves as a resource for other professional personnel concerning the need for, evaluation of, and development of psychological services in STVHCS. Assist in the selection, training, and supervision of staff at lower grades within assigned program area, Psychology Service, or STVHCS to include the LPMHC training program. Academic/teaching/research: Prepare and teach seminars/workshops for STVHCS trainees/staff on topics within interest/competency areas. Serve as a member of the STVHCS LPMHC Training Committee. Conduct approved psychological research that supports the mission of STVHCS alone or in collaboration with other professional in STVHCS or affiliated academic institutions. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am - 4:00pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 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. English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in written and spoken English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.j. 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. NOTE: It is VHA policy that a LPMHC who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. 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: Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-12 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 (AND) five years of post-licensed experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise (AND) have or be working toward the credential in a U.S. state or territory to provide clinical supervision to trainees and unlicensed LPMHCs. Reference GS-11 Assignment: This is the full performance grade level for LPMHCs. At this level they are licensed to independently practice professional counseling and to provide mental health services within the knowledge, theory, and training foundations of professional counseling. LPMHCs may be assigned to any VHA area, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. LPMHCs may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities 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: (1) 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. (2) 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. (3) Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data. (4) 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. (5) Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications. (6) 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: Minimum of 3 years experience working with a complex and wide range of psychosocial issues related to the practice of mental health care Senior LPMHCs model professional behaviors and uphold high ethical standards Advanced consultation experience on patient care References: VA Handbook 5005/106 Part II Appendix G43, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Qualification Standard GS-0183. This position is above the full performance level. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12 Physical Requirements: Light lifting/carrying 15 pounds,use of fingers, both hands required, hearing (aid may be permitted), ability to perform privileges, ability to independently perform physical exam as appropriate to position, emotional and mental stability, and mostly sitting with some walking.

Education

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

Accreditation Information: The master's or doctoral degree must be fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Verification of accreditation may be made 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.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

NOTE: If your school was accredited by Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the CACREP website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

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 Audie L Murphy Memorial Veterans Hospital 7400 Merton Minter Boulevard San Antonio, TX 78229 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]