The incumbent of this position serves as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) providing clinical services within the Community Recovery Programs for the Mental Health Intensive Case Management Team (MHICM) for Canandaigua and Rochester.

Duties

The incumbent will provide clinical assessment, treatment planning, evidence-based individual and group psychosocial and therapeutic interventions, and consultation with other staff members. Performs assessment, evaluation, and treatment for patients individually, in group and/or in family therapy with problems of personality, emotional adjustment, or mental illness. Uses therapeutic techniques within their clinical privileges or scopes of practice to assess lethality. Provides crisis intervention, case management, education on Advance Directives, grief counseling, guidance, advocacy, supportive counseling, and recovery focused counseling and other treatment approaches that may be necessary. He/she must have knowledge of family dynamics, developmental theory and interpersonal relationships and system approach to care. Through clinical interviews and observation, assesses patient's apparent level of intelligence, behavior, and personality variable. Responsible for selection of a recovery intervention modality, monitoring the patient's safety and assess progress in all indicated treatment modalities and, with the consultation of the treatment team, termination of services. Conducts interviews or observes the patient to assess emotional, functional, or psychological condition. Employs professional maturity in using interview, observation, personal histories, and other measurement devise in the assessment of adverse group of clients. Plans an appropriate clinical treatment with individual patients. Develops comprehensive treatment plans specific to the patient. The patients assigned often have multiple complicating factors (i.e., physical disabilities, lack of support or resources) or other external or environmental consideration that complicate treatment. Acts as a liaison with community hospitals and agencies, as well as individuals providing information and access to VA resources. Coordinating the use of VA, and community resources to meet the Veteran's needs. These resources include, but are not limited to referral to respite, hospice, Hoptel, HECC, Prosthetics, benefits, Lifespan, Eldersource, Social Services, Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, legal, disability, Lifeline and Liftline. Incumbent judges' effectiveness of techniques and when indicated seeks advice from the clinical treatment team or adjusts practices if therapies seen ineffective. Continually monitors patient's progress. Determines when reassessment is appropriate and adjusts treatment plan accordingly. When appropriate and has a competency may use newly proven therapies. Assess and manage psychiatric emergencies in the primary care community setting where there are far fewer immediately available resources to respond to psychiatric emergencies. Functions as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team. Functions as the point of contact for assigned patients throughout their treatment program. Meets with patients before each treatment team meeting to ensure that the treatment planning process is ongoing. Reviews assessments/assists patients with the development of recovery goals/needs/interventions. Completes discharge/transition and progress notes in a timely manner. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm. Telework: Ad-hoc. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 21S82-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required .

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: The following are the basic requirements and qualifications for appointment as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Education Requirement - You must have a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, 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. 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: Candidates must possess a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements you must meet the following requirements: GS-11 Experience, Education, and Licensure. In addition to the 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) performing duties such as: engaging in intake and assessment, problem identification, diagnosis, treatment planning and implementation, continuum of care, evaluation and follow-up; using a wide variety of individual, group, or family counseling interventions; providing professional mental health counseling services; and must be licensed to practice at the independent practice level. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): 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: VA Handbook 5005/106, Part II, Appendix G43, dated 4/3/2018.

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 Canandaigua VA Medical Center 400 Fort Hill Ave Canandaigua, NY 14424 US
• Name: Douglas Gonzalez-Delgado
• Phone: (813) 897-5403
• Email: [email protected]