The Bath VAMC is hiring a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) for the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) and Mental Health Intensive Case Management (MHICM) programs. The LPMHC provides clinical services for both programs. Primary responsibilities of this position are providing case management, individual therapy, group counseling, family counseling, and clinical assessments to veterans. This position works with the Serious Mental Illness (SMI) population.

Duties

Major Duties:-Independently performs case finding functions and outreach, identifies and screens patients for psychosocial needs. PRRC/MHICM Program LPMHC must possess the knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities and provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals, families and groups at the appropriate level of licensure and within current scope of practice-Provide intensive case management services to assigned veterans and significant others, consistent with the goals and methods as outlined for each program, Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC) and with all relevant Medical Center policies and procedures. Frequent, direct contacts with patients to provide therapy and support. Frequency of contacts is increased in times of crisis. Flexibility of veteran contact (veterans are seen in any location and with any team clinician who can provide assistance). A focus on strengthening the patient's ability to address acute and chronic problems. Use of naturalistic community settings for teaching and modeling problem-solving skills. Provision of continuity of care within the framework established by each program. Outreach and assertive provision of services to treatment resistant patients. Assist veterans with community integration. Provide group psychoeducation, group therapy, individual therapy, and family interventions as needed. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Ad Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Social Work PRRC/MHICM Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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. 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. A NY State License does not qualify to independently practice at this time 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) (a) 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. (b) Assignments. This is the full performance grade level for LPMHCs. At this level they are licensed to independently practice professional counseling and to provide mental health services within the knowledge, theory, and training foundations of professional counseling. LPMHCs may be assigned to any VHA area, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. LPMHCs may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. (c) 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: 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. Preferred Experience: Specialized experience with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) population. Experience facilitating groups is required. Case management experience preferred. Skills related to completing intake assessments, treatment plans, and discharge plans preferred. Three years of behavioral health experience preferred. Must have clean driving record and be able to transport veterans. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/106 PART II APPENDIX G43 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11 Physical Requirements: Work demands include standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying/lifting items up to (30 lbs).

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 Bath VA Medical Center 76 Veterans Avenue Bath, NY 14810 US
• Name: Valerie Rarick
• Phone: 315-425-4400 X56571
• Email: [email protected]