This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

General Description of Assigned Duties: The Residential and Rehabilitation Division (R&RS) is under the Mental Health Care Line Integrated Care Community (MHCL ICC) at the VA Medical Center, Chillicothe, Ohio. R&RS includes the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (MHRRTP) as well as Addiction Recovery Services (ARS.) MHRRTP includes several tracks of residential programming including Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PRRTP), Substance Abuse Treatment Program (SATP), and Trauma Track (TT.) ARS includes an intensive outpatient virtual program for SATP, Medication Assisted Treatment Clinic (MAT-C), Aftercare Clinic, Contingency Management (CM), and Tobacco Cessation Clinic. Additional individualized services are available as well. All aspects of R&RS offer a range of evidence based treatment for substance abuse, including data-gathering, assessment, treatment planning, treatment delivery, consultation, patient-family education, professional education, referral, and documentation in the medical record. R&RS conducts follow-up, program planning, program evaluation, and program administration, in accordance with VA, CARF and Joint Commission standards of quality. Scope of Assigned Duties: Program Management Responsibilities: (50% of time) The incumbent is responsible for leading efforts to maintain CARF and Joint Commission accreditation for Addiction Recovery Services. They interpret and comply with policies, directives, information letters, etc., from VACO, VISN, and the Medical Center to ensure adherence by program staff; interprets and complies with regulations and guidelines governing each of the programs to the facility staff and community; develops and maintains standard operating procedures to implement policies and patient care for each program. And completes periodic reviews and revisions as necessary; provides public relations and community education regarding the VA and the programs within Addiction Recovery Services to various social, health, mental health agencies, legal representatives, housing authorities, and welfare organizations which include State, County, and City government offices, as well as private non-profit service agencies and organizations. The incumbent is responsible for developing and updating brochures that will be used to provide information on the programs to Veteran service organizations, public service agencies, and to Veteran patients in the community. Clinical Responsibilities: (20% of Time) Provides a full range of mental health services tailored to the incumbent's professional discipline, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. Provides comprehensive, evidence-based interventions. Provides consultation to professional staff and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. Develops, implements, and documents the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders. Supervisory Responsibilities: (30% of time) The Addiction Recovery Services Program Manager provides direct supervision to a total of 11 FTEE of staff including psychiatrists, psychologists, masters level social workers and licensed professional counselors, advanced practice providers, registered nurses, and a program support assistant. In addition this position programmatically supervises addiction therapists. The ARS Program Manager will work closely with the Division Manager of Residential and Rehabilitation Services and MHRRTP Social Work Supervisor to ensure appropriate staffing are allocated to outpatient and residential addiction recovery services. Supervisory Controls: The incumbent reports administratively and clinically to the Division Manager, Residential and Rehabilitation Services at the Chillicothe VAMC. As a fully qualified professional, the incumbent carries out clinical duties and administrative assignments independently. Consultations with other professional staff may be necessary at times in applying agency policies and practices to new matters. Their work is reviewed only for appropriateness and ensuring work aligns with program objectives, technical adequacy, and conformance with procedures and practices applicable to the subject.

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. a. 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.) .b. 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). 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. c .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. (1)Exception. VHA may waive the licensure requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure. This exception only applies up to the full performance level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be licensed.(2)The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 3 years for a LPMHC that provides care under the clinical supervision of a licensed LPMHC who is at or above the full performance level. This exception only applies at the entry level (GS-9). For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be licensed. The Human Resources Office will provide the unlicensed LPMHC in writing the requirement to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. The written notice must be provided prior to the entrance on duty date.(3)Failure to Obtain License. In all cases, LPMHCs must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed within three years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0183 LPMHC series and may result in termination of employment.(4)Loss of Licensure. Once licensed, LPMHCs must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted license to independently practice mental health counseling, which includes diagnosis and treatment. Loss of licensure will result in removal from the GS-0183 LPMHC occupation and may result in termination of employment. d. Grandfather Provision. All persons employed in VHA in as LPMHC on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education and licensure/certification/registration that are art of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: (1)Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance level, or demoted within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. (2)Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels. (3)Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (4)If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. (5)Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. e. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. f. English Language Proficiency. LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.j 4.GRADE REQUIREMENTS. a. Creditable Experience (1)Knowledge of Current LPMHC Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current mental health counseling practice. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice at the post- master's degree level, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional mental health counselor. (2)Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is post- master's degree experience as a mental health counselor directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to LPMHC experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity(difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. (3)Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a LPMHC is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. (4)Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post- graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., mental health counseling. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. (5)Practicum in a VA Setting. VHA practicum experience may not be substituted for experience, as the practicum (field placement) is completed prior to graduation with a master's degree in mental health counseling or related field. b. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. (1)Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-9 (Entry Level) (a)Experience, Education, and Licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the basic requirements, the candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 1.Ability to engage in intake and assessment, problem identification, diagnosis ,treatment planning and implementation, continuum of care, evaluation and follow-up. 2.Knowledge of current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders in formulation of treatment goals and application References: VA Handbook 5005/106 Part II APPENDIX G43 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 13.

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 Chillicothe VA Medical Center 17273 State Route 104 Chillicothe, OH 45601 US
• Name: Nicole Huyghe
• Phone: 989-392-9239
• Email: [email protected]