The Rehabilitation Counselor is assigned to VHA Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VHA VR) within the Syracuse VA Medical Center and is under the clinical and administrative supervision of the Vocational Rehabilitation Service Team Leader. Rehabilitation Counselors work with persons who experience functional impairments and disabilities associated with mental health, physical, and/or psychosocial challenges affecting employment, independent living, or personal adjustment.

Duties

GS-9 Serves as a developmental Rehabilitation Counselor (RC). Assists Veterans in obtaining and maintaining employment. Provides vocational and personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions, and case coordination services to Veterans with a wide array of psychiatric and physical disabilities and psychosocial condition. Conducts biopsychosocial assessments using medical records, pertinent disability documentation, and observation. Synthesizes information to develop case conceptualization and make clinical recommendations to facilitate treatment planning and provision. Determines clinical need for and capacity to benefit from therapeutic and rehabilitation services. Develops patient-centered treatment plans. Customizes vocational exploration activities, including informational interviews and labor market research, to identify self-determined rehabilitation needs and goals. Facilitate job placement for Veterans by teaching valuable job search skills, resume/application development, interview skills and basic computer skills. Teaches valuable job search skills, resume/application development, interview skills and basic computer skills. Coordinate job search clubs for Veterans to improve in self-directed job search activities. Utilizes clinical counseling techniques to assist Veterans with developing soft skills (e.g. personal hygiene, cooperation with coworkers, and following instructions) when employed to enhance job satisfaction and foster natural supports in the workplace. Understands the basics of military culture to assist Veterans with returning to the community, including community-based work. Serves as a consultant to an interdisciplinary treatment team or other clinical staff as it relates to the Veteran's vocational rehabilitation needs. Communicates appropriately with community health care professionals to provide useful input to other team members and employers concerning the Veteran. Complete clinical charting and participate in professional peer reviews. other duties as assigned GS-11 Utilizes evidence-informed and evidence-based modalities and professional counseling practices to aid Veterans with severe disabilities in achieving competitive employment and educational and independent living goals. Provides a variety of professional rehabilitation counseling services such as personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions and case coordination services. Uses rehabilitation counseling theory, medical and psychiatric terminology, and symptomology and signs of suicidal and homicidal ideations to provide effective services. 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. Synthesize assessment information to identify barriers to employment and their vocational implications. Determine clinical need for and capacity to benefit from therapeutic and rehabilitation services. Selects, administers, and interprets vocational and other psychometric instruments to evaluate abilities, transferrable skills, functional capacity, labor market analyses, aptitudes, interests, values, preferences, and overall work resilience and synthesize into an interpretive data report. Develops strategies to engage Veterans who may be reluctant to actively pursue employment or risk a reduction of benefits. Helps the Veteran determine vocational goals and objectives. Assists Veterans in making contact with employers. Supports Veterans in all work-related tasks, including but not limited to: transportation, on the job training, dealing with co-workers and supervisors, ongoing and follow along supports, and compliance with specifications of appropriate clinical support(s). Provides psychoeducational and/or psychotherapeutic groups to facilitate effective job search skills, employer-desired soft skills, work and life skills fostering independence and recovery. Reports program progress to the Vocational Rehabilitation Team Leader in accordance with established procedures. Coordinates with various resources to locate vocational training programs in the community that will be suitable from the standpoint of the particular needs and problems of the Veteran. other duties as assigned. Must have clean and unrestricted drivers license. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21N18-A Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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. Exceptions for Graduate RCs: (a) RC graduates from an approved counseling or rehabilitation counseling program who otherwise meet the basic qualification requirements and the additional degree requirements for CRC certification by the CRCC, but do not possess the required certification, may be appointed, pending certification, as a graduate RC on a full-time temporary appointment not-to-exceed two years under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(a)(1)(D). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Rehabilitation Counselor GS-09 Experience: None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of human development and behavior, medical, psychosocial, and vocational aspects of disability and differential influences of environmental and cultural factors to assist persons with disabilities in determining suitable vocational goals. Knowledge of history, philosophy and disability rights legislation in the field of rehabilitation to apply in the practice of rehabilitation counseling. Ability to synthesize assessment and diagnosis information in conjunction with labor market trends and community/educational resources to develop an effective individual service delivery plan. Knowledge of caseload management strategies to maximize an individual's independent functioning from assessment through provision of post-employment services. Ability to employ person-centered job development strategies to facilitate successful job placement. Knowledge of assessment tools and methods, functional capacity evaluations and specific vocational preparation to evaluate transferrable skills, residual capacities and needs for accommodations and assistive technology. Rehabilitation Counselor GS-11 Experience: Completion of one year of professional experience equivalent to the next lower grade level directly related to the position being filled. OR 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of physical and psychological disabilities, appropriate accommodations and assistive technology principles to mitigate and reduce or eliminate barriers to integrate into the community. 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. 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. 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. 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. Knowledge of marketing strategies to develop collaborative partnerships/Memorandums of Agreement within VA and local business community to enhance employment and/or work opportunities. 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. References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II, Appendix G62 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 Syracuse VA Medical Center 800 Irving Ave Syracuse, NY 13210 US
• Name: Rebekka Fandrey
• Phone: 0000000000
• Email: [email protected]