The Rehabilitation Counselor is located within the Community Support Services (CSS) program, located in the Social Work Service (SWS) line. The Rehabilitation Counselor is responsible for the delivery of rehabilitation services to promote and support optimal functioning and development of veterans by utilizing appropriate counseling and training.

Duties

Serves as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor providing personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions, and case coordination services. Incumbent uses evidence-informed and evidence-based modalities to aid Veterans with severe disabilities, such as physical, psychosocial, psychological, or neurological barriers, integrate successfully into the community. Uses effective counseling skills to promote self-awareness, adjustment to disability, enhanced job retention and successful integration to the community. Incumbent serves Veterans who have myriad barriers to achieving competitive employment, educational, independent living goals. Serves as a consultant to the interdisciplinary treatment team other clinical staff regarding patient's problems related to vocational rehabilitation. Implements evidence-based and evidence-informed vocational models such as Individualized Placement and Support and professional counseling practices to include motivational interviewing to promote self-awareness, adjustment to disability, enhanced job retention and successful integration to the community. Conducts biopsychical assessment using medical records, pertinent disability documentation, observation and interviews with Veterans and their support systems to generate personal, vocational, and educational histories. Selects, administers, and interprets vocational instruments to evaluate abilities transferrable skills, aptitudes, interest, values preferences, and overall work resilience. Customizes vocational exploration activities to identify self-determined rehabilitation needs and goals. Consults with interdisciplinary teams to enhance coordination of care, ensure medical clearance, and provide for optimal timing of further interventions. 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. Synthesize assessment information to identify barriers to employment, their vocational implications, and possible solutions or accommodation to address the barriers. Completes various quality assurance and improvement activities to improve services provided. Determines clinical need for and capacity to benefit from therapeutic and rehabilitation services, including work restoration/resilience treatment, transitional work placement and compensation, financial benefits counseling, potential benefits protections, supported employment and assistive technology. Develops patient-centered treatment plans, using Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic, and Time-based (SMART) goals, and provides ongoing assessment of Veteran's progress. Devise solutions to reduce and/or eliminate barriers and meet Veterans' placement needs which may require substantial modification to environmental of functional demands within a work setting. 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 adaption services to both Veterans with severe disabilities and to educate and support employers. Provides vocational rehabilitation, including the assessment of vocational interests, aptitude, and abilities by using clinical tests, observations, interviews and specialized vocational assessment equipment. Administers Measurement Based Care instrument to track progress throughout treatment and goals and services as needed. Provides and coordinates a variety of professional rehabilitation counseling and case management services. Assess data received from medical and psychological reports, develops rehabilitation plans, and as appropriate, provides rehabilitation services. Provides personal adjustment and problem-solving counseling, thus allowing treatment to continue as scheduled. Uses effective counseling skills to determine the cause and extent of the adjustment problem and referring the veteran, if the problem is unresolved after counseling, to other treatment professionals. Complete interpretive data reports, including monitoring and reporting summary data used for the associated performance measures. 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. Performs other assigned duties. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 26200F Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements Citizenship: Candidates must be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a). 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 Foreign graduates with a degree acceptable by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). Certification-Current, full and unrestricted certification as a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) from the CRCC to practice vocational rehabilitation counseling. Loss of Certification. An employee in this occupation who fails to maintain the required certification must be removed from the occupation, which may also result in termination of employment. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Rehabilitation Counselor, GS-11 (Full Performance Level) 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities- In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) Knowledge of physical and psychological disabilities, appropriate accommodations and assistive technology principles to mitigate and reduce or eliminate barriers to integrate into the community. (b) 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. (c) Ability to use evidence-based and evidence informed vocational and professional counseling practices to include individual placement and support (IPS), 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. (d) 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. (e) 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. (f) Knowledge of marketing strategies to develop collaborative partnerships/Memorandums of Agreement within VA and local business community to enhance employment and/or work opportunities. (g) 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/PART II/APPENDIX G62 Applicants with a current, valid drivers license preferred Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. The full performance level of this position is a GS-11 which is the grade an applicant will be selected for.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Bronx VA Medical Center 130 West Kingsbridge Rd. Bronx, NY 10468 US
• Name: Kelli Bencic
• Phone: 716-458-6982
• Email: [email protected]