Job opening: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Outpatient Psychotherapist/Care Manager)
Salary: $72 777 - 94 608 per year
Published at: Feb 23 2024
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
Duties include, but are not limited to:
Provide a variety of direct psychological treatment services addressing the complex psychosocial issues faced by the Veteran patients served in the BHIP setting. These direct services include, but are not limited to intake assessment, treatment plan development and implementation, treatment interventions (such as individual, family, marital, or small group therapy, trauma, crisis intervention, case management, education, advocacy), and support group development and leadership.
Provide a variety of assessment, psychotherapeutic, and training services within the outpatient BHIP setting.
Facilitate utilization of resources by assessing eligibility and making referrals to a variety of VA resources and community agencies for assistance with social, emotional, financial, and physical problems. Aid as needed with applications for benefits or negotiating service systems.
Coordinate placements in therapeutic housing and other placement options including domiciliary, state soldier's homes, and community residential alternatives.
Provide services to established patients of BHS, including patients who need assistance with behavioral health care, housing acquisition, close attention, and monitoring of symptomatology, and assistance with meeting treatment plan goals.
May 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.
Participate in community or field activities in a variety of situations to better coordinate care resources for Veterans.
May provide training opportunities and either direct or indirect supervision of graduate Clinical Social Worker students or other related human services students as directed by the Supervisor.
Provide consultation to VAMC or community program staff regarding special problems of, and resources for, Veterans suffering from mental health related problems.
Uses word processing software to execute several office automations functions such as storing and retrieving electronic documents and files; activating printers; inserting and deleting text, formatting letters, reports, and memoranda; and transmitting and receiving e-mail. Uses the Veterans Health Information and Technology Architecture to access information in the Medical Center Computer System.
Maintain tracking system for special projects, and ongoing data requirements. Attend appropriate educational programs, seminars, etc.
Work Schedule: 8AM - 4:30PM, Monday - Friday
Telework: Available (Ad-hoc)Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact
[email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Qualifications
May also be filled by a Social Worker, announcements for that occupation can be found at: Federal- USAJOBS - Job Announcement Public- USAJOBS - Job Announcement
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
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:
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/. 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.
May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).
Grade Determinations:
Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-11 (Full Performance Level)
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) and must be licensed to practice at the independent practice level and demonstrate the KSAs in subparagraph (c) 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 the KSAs for the GS-9 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
1. Ability to make professional evaluations, decisions, and recommendation for treatment planning and implementation.
2. Advanced knowledge and mastery of the fundamentals of the counseling process which includes defining patient/family problems and maintaining an effective counseling relationship.
3. 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.
4. Ability to provide complex crisis intervention and stabilization to patients who are in psychological distress. Requires independent judgment and skill.
5. Ability to establish goals/treatment through a collaborative process with the patient utilizing advanced counseling skills, including evidenced- based practices, screening, and psychosocial assessment.
6. Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or familial counseling interventions; demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and possesses multicultural counseling skills.
7. 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.
8. 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.
Preferred Experience: Experience with veterans. Mental Health experience in outpatient setting with adults age 18 to geriatric.
References: VA Handbook 5005/106, Part II, Appendix G43
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.
Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15 lbs.), use of fingers, ability to see computer screen, and hearing (aid may be permitted). Environmental factors include working closely with others, and 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:
https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.
Contacts
- Address Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center
4815 North Assembly Street
Spokane, WA 99205
US
- Name: Gabriel Johnson
- Phone: (503) 220-8262 X53014
- Email: [email protected]
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