This Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LMHC/LPMHC) position is administratively aligned with the Psychiatry Service and is assigned as a Colocated Collaborative Care (CCC) behavioral health consultant in Primary Care; component of the interdisciplinary Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The LMHC provides brief, evidence-based interventions, education, and consultation services to Veterans, Primary Care Providers (PCPs).

Duties

Duties of the PCMHI Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor are to include, but not limited to: Provide functional assessment, triage, brief intervention, education, and consultative services regarding a wide range of possible concerns. Consistent with the VA Whole Health philosophy, the PCMHI LMHC promotes awareness of the important mental and behavioral aspects of wellness and overall health outcomes. The PCMHI LMHC utilizes a Population-Based Care and Public Health approach, recognizing the PCP as the overall leader of the treatment team and maximizing the reach of services to as many Veterans as possible. . The PCMHI LMHC maintains competences in the following core domains: PCMHI CCC Clinical Practice Management: Collaborates with PCPs and the interdisciplinary PACT to support high quality, effective, and coordinated service delivery at the patient and programmatic levels Maintains daily open access slots and encourages same day warm handoffs within PACT Completes most individual appointments (e.g., 75%) within 30 minutes Uses Measurement Based Care (MBC) in accordance with nationally recommended guidelines for PCMHI Conducts initial functional assessments that are focused on the main reason(s) for referral and are less extensive than traditional mental health intake evaluations (e.g., 30 minutes functional assessment vs. 60 or 90 minutes for traditional intake evaluation) Supports Stepped-Care principles to facilitate "on-time, on target" services to Veterans, matching the intensity of services with the level of clinical need Refers Veterans with more severe or complex needs to the appropriate general or specialty mental health program Provides time-limited, brief, evidence-based, individual or group interventions (e.g., approximately 1-6 sessions) for a broad range of behavioral health and health behavior concerns within the primary care setting Utilizes intermittent visits and flexible patient contact strategies to support brief but longitudinal PCMHI care as part of PACT Documentation Skills: Writes clear, concise notes that are optimized for collaboration within PACT based on the PCMHI CCC functional assessment and follow-up visit guidelines Notes document important elements for team collaboration (e.g., MBC, curbside consultation/team care discussion, liaison with specialty care providers) as appropriate Notes are completed same day or within 24 hours, in accordance to Medical Center Policies Consultation and Interdisciplinary Team-Based Skills: Engages in PACT huddles and meetings to cultivate collaborative team functioning and serve as a subject matter expert for behavioral health considerations Provides education to PACT on behavioral health and health behavior issues, as well as tips to promote effective patient communication, motivational enhancement, and behavior change Integrates self into routine workflow of Primary Care and seeks opportunities to offer expertise or direct patient care services to support team-based care Tolerates interruptions, demonstrates flexibility and adaptability, and maintains availability for ad hoc team discussion Accepts and encourages same day warm handoffs Routinely provides feedback (verbal and/or written) to PCP and other PACT members same day as referral Works collaboratively with other team members in PCMHI (e.g., PCMHI Health Technicians, Collaborative Care Managers, and Providers with Prescribing Privileges) ensure high quality, effective, Veteran-centered services at the patient and programmatic levels Administration Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces, as endorsed by supervisors Participates in Psychiatry privileging, educational and peer review activities, in accord with Psychiatry and medical center policies Abides by applicable medical staff by-laws and participates accordingly Supports Psychiatry administrative initiatives and performance improvement activities (e.g., by taking on assigned projects and serving on committees) Completes required clinical and administrative documentation in a timely manner and in accordance with governing regulations Academic/Teaching/Training Provides staff and student didactic training and consultation as requested in content areas of scholarly and/or clinical expertise May supervise or train allied health providers in accord with facility and regulatory standards regarding such training Research/ Program Evaluation May participate in program evaluation and/or research activities Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, Day Shift (07:30a-4:00pmor 08:00a-4:30pm) Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized 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. 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-0101 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. This exception only applies at the entry level (GS-9). 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: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-9 (Entry Level) Experience, Education, and Licensure. The GS-9 grade level is the entry grade level for LPMHCs with less than one year of experience(post-master's degree) or for LPMHCs at the master's or doctoral level) who are graduates not yet licensed at the independent practice level. Unlicensed LPMHCs at the GS-9 grade level have completed the required education listed above. In addition to the basic requirements, the candidates must demonstrate, in their resume, all of the Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: Ability to engage in intake and assessment, problem identification, diagnosis, treatment planning and implementation, continuum of care, evaluation and follow-up. Knowledge of current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders in formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical interventions using professional counseling practices. Basic knowledge of professional counseling practice with emphasis on human development principles through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systemic interventions, and strategies that address high risk behaviors, wellness, personal growth, and career development across the life span. Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or family counseling interventions; demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and possesses multicultural counseling skills. Ability to serve on an interdisciplinary team with focus on the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and relational functioning of individuals, groups and families and on the counseling approaches, strategies, and techniques that will best help patients function effectively. Basic skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, maintaining accurate, timely and thorough clinical documentation and delivery of services, such as Telehealth. Ability to learn and utilize software programs in use by VHA. Knowledge and understanding of existing relevant statutes, case laws, ethical codes, and regulations affecting professional practice of counseling. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds. Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, 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 demonstrate the KSAs in subparagraph (c) below. LPMHCs may provide clinical supervision over the clinical practice of an unlicensed LPMHC or LPMHC trainee. Some state licenses do not license an individual to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs. Please refer to specific state licensing laws regarding the requirements for providing clinical supervision. In addition to the basic requirements, the candidates must demonstrate, in their resume, all of the Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: 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 diversity 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 HANDBOOK 5005/106 PART II APPENDIX G43 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: While performing the duties of this job, the incumbent is frequently required to stand, walk, bend, climb stairs, push, lift light materials, and reach with hands and arms. The incumbent must have good manual dexterity and keyboarding skills. The incumbent must demonstrate emotional stability. The incumbent must be able to communicate efficiently by expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken wor Vision must be correctable to 20/40. The incumbent must be able to work in an environment with constant noise, work closely with others, and work alone. In addition, the incumbent must be able to utilize, view, and read information on computer screens; operate a pager; and operate the required phone equipment. The individual must be able to operate a motor vehicle.

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 Richard L Roudebush VA Medical Center 1481 West Tenth Street Indianapolis, IN 46202 US
• Name: Eileen Archer
• Phone: 463-867-6722
• Email: [email protected]