Job opening: Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - Suicide Prevention Program
Salary: $86 962 - 113 047 per year
Published at: Jan 18 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
The Oklahoma City VA Health Care System, Mental Health service, is currently recruiting for a provider for the Suicide Prevention Program.
Duties
The incumbent must practice independently at an advanced level in providing assessment and treatment of complicated psychological and psychosocial problems of identified high-risk Veterans who are experiencing a wide range of complicated mental, emotional, behavioral, physical, psychosocial, and environmental problems. Advanced psychotherapy is provided as needed.
List of major duties and responsibilities are, but not limited to:
Clinical Case Management
Ensure weekly clinical contact (by phone or in-person) for high-risk Veterans discharged from inpatient status for the first thirty days post discharge (by Veteran's mental health provider or suicide prevention team).
Minimum of monthly contact for Veterans deemed at high-risk for suicide following national guidelines, and those Veterans placed on the high-risk list.
Coordination of all elements of mental health and primary care including active communication with all providers involved in the provision of comprehensive care to high-risk Veterans assists Veterans in maintaining appointments at VA medical centers and other community agencies for medical, psychiatric, substance abuse, vocational and other services consistent with Veteran's goals associated with healthful independent living.
Assessment
The incumbent evaluates the Veteran's situation, abilities, and capabilities, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion including an assessment of vulnerability and prioritization for emergency intervention.
The incumbent assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary plan, involving the Veteran and family or significant others, if possible, and performs an insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness which also may include, catastrophic medical condition, dementia, traumatic brain injuries, and other high risks diagnoses.
The incumbent participates in the assignment of Veterans to treatment teams and programs and consults with other specialists in planning treatment for Veterans with co-morbidities.
Counseling and Psychotherapy
The incumbent provides direct mental health and substance abuse services for Veterans and family members or significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment.
Provides guidance, emotional support, coordination of expert case management and provides individual, group therapy, psychoeducational interventions, crisis management services as needed to maintain the Veteran safely in his/her residence.
Assists and encourages Veteran and significant others in facing problems, thinking them through, evaluating the situation, considering alternative courses of action and arriving at plans for using resources to resolve problems.
Crisis Intervention
Incumbent is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans in conjunction with the psychiatrist for admission to mental health inpatient programs.
Incumbent has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of the VA Healthcare System. Receives and completes consults requesting services from interdisciplinary team members and from other mental health professionals on complex, difficult cases, using advanced practice skills and expertise. Also provides consultation to interdisciplinary team members.
Referral to Service Providers
The incumbent is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor collaborates with other service providers concerning available resources and services both within and outside the VA. Refers Veterans to appropriate VA and other government/community services-including local shelters, food banks, employment services, Veteran's benefits, and Social Security Administration.
Advocacy
Incumbent understands the intimidation of bureaucracy and will act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran. When appropriate and feasible, incumbent educates and encourages the veteran/family to advocate on his/her own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment.
The incumbent understands disparate values and reaches Veterans and their families from different social and ethnic groups while communicating confidence in the Veteran's ability and worth, helping the Veteran address problems utilizing larger support systems as appropriate.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm; Irregular tours and/or Saturday work may be required.
Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized
Telework: May be authorized (Ad-Hoc)
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 55932-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Qualifications
BASIC REQUIREMENTS.
Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States.
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.
English Language Proficiency. LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English
Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.
Senior 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 LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior LPMHCs must have five years of post-licensed experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise and be licensed to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs.
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:
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.
Advanced 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.
Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data.
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.
Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications.
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.
Preferred Experience: Experience working with suicidal persons and prevention of suicide.
References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/106 PART II APPENDIX G43
This vacancy is for a GS-12 position, which is above the full performance level.
Physical Requirements: The work is moderately active. Typically, the employee is driving a vehicle, walking around various facilities/settings, visiting with patients or community partners standing up, and at times sits comfortably while working. There will also be some light exertion required when walking, standing, bending or climbing stairs, carrying of light items such as papers, books, laptop, small objects, or driving an automobile. Must be able to sit/stand for long periods of time and lift 20 lbs. Ability to complete a Basic Life Support (BLS) course is a position requirement.
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 Oklahoma City VA Health Care System
921 Northeast 13th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73104
US
- Name: Travis Green
- Phone: 303-202-8679
- Email: [email protected]
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