Job opening: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (General Mental Health)
Salary: $69 107 - 89 835 per year
Published at: Dec 21 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
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
Functions:
The incumbent follows VACO guidelines and community best-practice standards of care in providing mental health treatment to Veteran patients.
Provide a variety of direct psychological treatment services addressing the complex psychosocial issues faced by the Veteran patients served in outpatient General Mental Health. These direct services include, but are not limited to: intake assessment, treatment plan development and implementation, treatment interventions (such as individual, family, couple, or small group therapy, trauma therapy, crisis intervention, case management, education, advocacy), shared decision-making and support group development and leadership.
Provide a variety of assessment, psychotherapeutic, and training services within outpatient General Mental Health.
Assists Veterans in crisis, in collaboration with the Suicide Prevention Team, General Mental Health, other Behavioral Health Service programs, Emergency Department, and others. Facilitates referrals for patients in crisis, when indicated.
Maintain a caseload of patients
Serve as an active member of an interdisciplinary BHS treatment team that develops, implements, evaluates, and updates individualized treatment plans for identified Veterans seeking care through various BHS outpatient programs.
Provide occasional coverage for other areas of activity within BHS or coverage while other staff is on leave. Record clinical information in the patient's medical record according to prescribed standards. Collect and maintain required statistical information. Participate on a variety of service and facility committees, task groups, or special projects groups as assigned by Supervisor or BHS Chief.
May provide training opportunities and either direct or indirect supervision of graduate Social Work or Mental Health Counselor students or other related human services students as directed by the Supervisor or BHS Chief.
Maintain tracking system for special projects, and ongoing data requirements. Attend appropriate educational programs, seminars, etc. Participation in an evidence based psychotherapy training sponsored by the VA will be expected, as will completion of the consultation requirements
Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 0800-1630
Telework: Available Yes - as determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Please contact the VISN 20 EDRP Coordinator @
[email protected]
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
Applicants pending 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.
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.
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/.
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 LPMHC, which includes diagnosis and treatment.
Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements, the following criteria must be met when determining grade of candidates.
Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-11 (Full Performance Level)
Experience, Education, and Licensure
In addition to 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 KSAs 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.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
In addition to meeting KSAs for the GS-9 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below
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: VHA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G43, Qualifications for Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors
Full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.
Physical Requirements: Light Lifting; use of fingers;Specific visual requirement (see computer screen); hearing (aid permitted)
Environmental Factors: Working closely with others; working alone
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 Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
4815 North Assembly Street
Spokane, WA 99205
US
- Name: Melissa Quilter
- Phone: 360-696-4061 X38599
- Email: [email protected]
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