The Licensed Profession Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) - Program Coordinator is administratively responsible for the oversight of the ICMHR-RANGE program. The ICMHR-RANGE program provides treatment to patients in a major specialty for the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VATVCBHCS). This includes planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures for the ICMHR-RANGE Program as well as monitoring, operating, evaluating, coordinating, and overseeing the program.

Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU ICMHR-RANGE is a complex program with a current maximum capacity of 110 Veterans with severe functional impairments. To meet the needs of this program, there are currently 10 FTEs allotted (3 clinical social workers, 3 licensed professional counselors, and 4 MH RNs) in addition to the Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator is clinically responsible for the ICMHR-RANGE staff as a subject-matter expert in the field of community-based mental health and recovery. The Licensed Profession Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) - Program Coordinator Is responsible for ensuring that ICMHR-RANGE services meet criteria for CARF accreditation. Conducts ongoing intensive reviews and appraisals to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing and accreditation bodies. provides direct clinical services for a portion of their time. Is directly responsible to the Recovery Services Program Manager and ultimately to the Chief of Psychology and Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health (ACOS MH). Works to ensure all current directives of VHA, Joint Commission, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), State licensure, and VA-OIG expectations are met by ICMHR-RANGE Program services. Exhibits leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups served through the ICMHR- RANGE program that crosses service and discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care. Provides programmatic and clinical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the service. Provides general and beneficial programmatic and clinical supervision for ICMHR staff. Nursing staff assigned to the program will report to the Nurse Manger in the MHSL clinical supervision. Provides informal feedback to program staff and provides feedback to the Recovery Services Program Manager on formal employee performance evaluations. Assists with performance measure monitoring, evaluation, and action plans for enhancement as well as for accreditation reviews and pertinent site visits. Guides and oversees ICMHR-RANGE services, determining staffing requirements and assignments in conjunction with members of treatment teams and staff areas where individual skills are best utilized. Serves as the professional expert relative to ICMHR-RANGE practice issues. Assists with directing operation and management of key clinical, training, and administrative programs of the team. Provides oversight of programmatic resources for the multidiscipline team delivering specialized, complex, and highly professional mental health services. Recommends awards and changes in position classification to the Chief of Psychology Service or the Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health. Develops and regularly updates policies and standard operating procedures(SOPs) for the ICMHR-RANGE program. Provides clinical and programmatic orientation for all new ICMHR-RANGE staff. Resolves informal complaints. Provides feedback to the Recovery Services Program Manager for performance improvement purposes. Hears and resolves complaints voiced by ICMHR-RANGE staff and works to resolve issues. Reviews and assures that the documentation of the assigned staff reflects the services provided and meets TJC, CARF, Health Care System, and mental health documentation standards. Works with local medical center, health care center, or community-based outpatient clinic leadership to meet site specific administrative and operational goals and may assume local leadership functions as necessary and as approved by Chief of Psychology Service. Works with Recovery Services Program Manager and Chief of Psychology Service in identifying and prioritizing ICMHR resource needs to include staffing and equipment needs of ICMHR providers. Provides work related advice and counsel to employees with purposes of further developing careers as deemed appropriate by Incumbent and in line with employees' clinical disciplines and practice areas. Coordinates and monitors clinical training and development of ICMHR program staff who provide psychotherapy, mental health assessments, care management, and other psychosocial services based on staff abilities, goals, and clinic operational needs. Encourages research activities deemed beneficial to VHA patient care of Veterans or to clinical and health care system operations. Duties are continued in the Education Section of this Announcement. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4:30 PM Telework: Ad/Hoc telework may be authorized. 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 Education. Must have 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. Must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor is a U.S. State or Territory 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-12 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator) Grade Requirements. In addition to the Basic Requirements, must have at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. NOTE: To be equivalent to the GS-11 level, experience must have been gained while holding a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor is a U.S. State or Territory. Experience must have been in a majors specialty treatment program area such as, but not limited to, Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), mental health intensive case management (MHICM), or other areas of equivalent scope and complexity. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. GS-11 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor 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. GS-11 Full Performance Level Knowledge, Skills, and 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. GS-12 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: In depth knowledge of the program coordinated, and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and or practice guidelines for the program. Ability to make key decisions in the hiring and identification of top candidates. Ability to provide leadership in facilitating the process of coordinating program consults, assessments, admissions, care assignments and discharges. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to other colleagues and trainees within the field of counseling working on an interdisciplinary team. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/106 PART II APPENDIX G43, VA Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Qualification Standard Dated April 3, 2018 This position is above the full-performance level (GS-11) for this occupation. The grade a candidate may be selected for is GS-12. Physical Requirements: There are no set physical requirements for this occupation. Standing, walking, and light carrying may be needed to attend meetings. Mental/cognitive stability are needed to successfully perform the functions of this position.

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.

Duties Continued:

• Reviews, analyzes, approves, or disapproves all new program developments or role changes within the ICMHR service.
• Presents, interprets, and implements new policies and procedures or changes in the previous ones.
• Travels to other system campuses as appropriate to support the functioning and operations of ICMHR services and staff.
• Participates in decision-making meetings with other Mental Health leadership with respect to mental health practice issues.
• Maintains a level of productivity and quality consistent with facility and mental health standards and the complexity of the assignment.
• Participates in development of a treatment plan that includes measurable goals based on relevant biopsychosocial information for each Veteran contacted through outreach, and is responsible for the assessment, identification, facilitation, referral, and linkage to appropriate medical, psychiatric, and social services for Veterans identified as eligible for services.
• Conducts individual and family clinical interventions to facilitate the identification of substance abuse, psychiatric illness, and social needs as treatment issues. Professional judgment, including the knowledge of normal and abnormal behavior, is a competency applied in daily interactions with Veterans.
• Participates in the assignment of Veterans to VA treatment teams and programs, including consulting with relevant program clinical staff in planning treatment for Veterans with comorbidities.
• Facilitates community organization and outreach to alleviate problems that may interfere with Veterans' ability to achieve independence.
• Assists the Veteran in service stabilization by consulting and intervening when problems arise with service providers and assists in prioritizing the management and pace of services Veterans receive.
• Provides community based ICMHR Services with use of government owned vehicle, including the transportation of Veterans in government owned vehicles when clinically indicated and a part of the Veteran's recovery plan.
• Ensures utilization of government owned equipment (i.e., laptop computers, phones, hotspots, and government owned vehicles) in accordance with medical center policies.
• Assesses high risk factors, acuity, and need for services of Veterans who tend to have frequent and severe crises, lack family or an adequate community support network, be poor at self-monitoring, frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychosocial support.
• Diagnoses mental disorders and conducts psychosocial assessments as needed to determine appropriate treatment interventions, modalities, and referrals, including provision of adjunctive interventions for treatment of mental disorders using individual, family, and group psychotherapies.
• Identifies and interviews Veterans community-based and clinic-based settings to conduct needs assessments and determine appropriate referrals, linkages, and coordination for VA and non-VA services to enhance function in the community.
• May provide clinical consultation to various disciplines and levels of training including PACT Team members, Social Workers, General Mental Health Providers, and other members of the VA community.
• May provide training/consultation to incoming social work interns, psychology interns, medical residents, nursing students, and fellows.
• May provide leadership, guidance, and consultation on staff education and development to all ICMHR staff, as appropriate.
• Exhibits leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups served through the ICMHR- RANGE program that crosses service and discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care.

Contacts

• Address VA TX Valley Coastal Bend HCS 2601 Veterans Drive Harlingen, TX 78550 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]