The Senior Professional Licensed Counselor provides treatment to patients with complex needs including multiple mental health diagnoses, and numerous psychosocial issues, using independent judgment.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to : Providing evidence-based psychotherapy to Veterans and eligible family members, including evidence-based interventions for general mental health conditions, such as PE, CPT, and/or EMDR. Demonstrating skills in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. Ability to diagnose mental disorders and conduct psychosocial assessments for Veterans suffering from a wide variety of mental disorders. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Provide a full range of therapeutic interventions including: assessment, individual and group psychotherapy for individuals with mental health and medical disorders utilizing empirically supported modalities when indicated. Provides specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills. Senior Licensed Counselors may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. Consistently tracks all assigned consults and verifies that consults are answered in a timely manner. Works closely with all Veteran participants to educate them regarding the importance of attending all appointments as scheduled and canceling appointments in advance when absence is unavoidable. Provides services via WC as clinically indicated. Consistently reviews clinical reminders and counsels Veterans as appropriate regarding issues such as alcohol use, smoking cessation, etc. Collaborates with staff on Mental Health Treatment Team (SHIP) Serves on Medical Center, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces. Represents Mental Health on decision-making committees at the Medical Center, VISN or National VA committees, as needed. Represents the Medical Center or VISN at professional/program community group/events and committees, as need. Supports the Mission, Vision, Values, and Goals of the Medical Center and actively participates in Performance Improvement activities. All employees are encouraged to identify opportunities to take immediate actions that are intended to increase the patient's level of satisfaction or exceed the patient's/family's expectation of service. Provide On-Call Mental Health services on a rotating basis. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00AM-4:30PM Telework: Not eligible for telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.). 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. GRADE REQUIREMENTS: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor GS-12 Experience, Education, and Licensure: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must have been in a major 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. Assignments: LPMHC Program Coordinators are administratively responsible for a clinical program and provide treatment to patients in a major specialty. They manage the daily operations of the program, develop policies and procedures, and prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national use. They may supervise unlicensed graduate LPMHCs and may administratively manage any employees assigned to their program. 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. Advance 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. Advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment Preferred Experience: Mental Health experience preferred References: VA Handbook 5005/106, Part II, Appendix G43The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the medical center is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, standing, bending, and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities, it may be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community interviews with the Veterans where they conduct ns, their families, representatives of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies. The incumbent must possess a current Driver's License and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary. Work Environment: Work is performed primarily in a patient care setting; adequately lighted, temperature controlled, and ventilated. Office temperatures fluctuate periodically; involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as clinics, offices, meeting and training rooms or libraries; exposure to noise and dust on occasion. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures.

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 Beckley VA Medical Center 200 Veterans Avenue Beckley, WV 25801 US
• Name: Casey Fahey
• Phone: 914-737-4400 X202104
• Email: [email protected]