Rehabilitation Counselors in the Veterans Health Administration 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. They utilize various professional counseling and clinical modalities to promote and support optimal functioning, independence, personal adjustment, adaptation to disability, community reintegration, and recovery.

Duties

The duties of this position include, but are not limited to: Provides personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions, and case coordination services. Aid Veterans with severe disabilities, such as physical, psychosocial, psychological, or neurological barriers, with successful integration into the community. Uses effective counseling skills to promote self­awareness, adjustment to disability, enhanced job retention and successful integration to the community. Serves Veterans who have myriad barriers to overcome and achieve competitive employment, educational, and independent living goals. Selects, administers, and interprets vocational and other psychometric instruments to evaluate abilities, transferrable skills, functional capacity, aptitudes, interests, values, preferences, and overall work resilience to support Veterans in identifying rehabilitation needs and goals. Incumbent administers Measurement Based Care instruments to track progress throughout treatment and adjust goals and services as needed. Provides professional recommendations and guidance regarding the 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. Consults with interdisciplinary teams to enhance coordination of care, ensure medical clearance, and provide for optimal timing of further interventions. Synthesize assessment information to identify barriers to employment and their vocational implications. Devises 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. Determines clinical need for and capacity to benefit from therapeutic and rehabilitation services to include work restoration/resilience treatment, transitional work placement and/or competitive employment, assistive technology, financial benefits counseling and potential benefits protections. Develops patient-centered treatment plans utilizing Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic, and Time-based (SMART) goals and provides ongoing assessment of Veteran's progress. Provides psychoeducational and/or psychotherapeutic groups to facilitate effective job search skills, employer-desired soft skills, work and life skills fostering independence and recovery. Provides job development, customized employment, job carving, job coaching, job accommodation, advocacy, and adaptation services to both Veterans with severe disabilities and to educate and support employers. Utilizes knowledge of the military culture, military transition to civilian occupations, and specific factors and dynamics associated with Veterans, particularly combat Veterans, to advise those who are returning to the community, and community-based work. Professionally represents the Medical Center within the community, in addition to, uses knowledge of marketing strategies to develop collaborative partnerships/Memorandums of Agreement within VA and local business community to support competitive employment opportunities for Veterans Provide disability education and program-specific training to staff and stakeholders. Communicates appropriately with community health care professionals to provide useful input to other team members and employers concerning the Veteran and the family's psychosocial needs. Completes comprehensive assessments and collaborative safety plans when clinically indicated, providing follow-up contacts or appointments for all Veterans upon initiation of the "High Risk for Potential Suicide List" or other at-risk Veteran populations, in compliance with VA policy. Adheres to the professional rehabilitation standards of the Joint Commission and CARF. As directed by VHA Vocational Rehabilitation Services Supervisor or CRS Senior Leadership, serves or chairs task groups or administrative committees on behalf of VHA Voc Rehab Service. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Ad-Hoc only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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 (4) Foreign graduates with a degree acceptable by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) Certification: Current, full and unrestricted certification as a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) from the CRCC to practice vocational rehabilitation counseling. (COPY OF CERTIFICATION REQUIRED FOR GS-11) Exceptions for Graduate RCs: 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). VA Handbook 5005/133 July 21, 2020 PART II APPENDIX G62 II-G62-4 Graduate RCs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. Temporary graduate RC appointments may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment. 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: GS-9: 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. 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. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) 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 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), July 21, 2020 VA Handbook 5005/133 PART II APPENDIX G62 II-G62-7 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 5005/133, Part II, Appendix G62, July 21, 2020 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 Preferred Experience: Experience working with populations engaged in SUD treatment Physical Requirements: Light carrying (under 15 pounds), Use of fingers, Walking and standing (1-2 hours), Operation of crane, truck, tractor or motor vehicle, Both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish basic colors, ability to distinguish shades of colors, Hearing (aid may be permitted), Mental and emotional stability required, work with psychiatric patients with behavioral problems, work with patients with drug and ETOH problems

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 VA Portland Health Care System 3710 Southwest US Veterans Hospital Road Portland, OR 97239 US
• Name: Laurie Johnson
• Phone: (503) 220-8262 X51488
• Email: [email protected]