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. Program 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

The Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - Substance Use Disorders Service (SLPMHC - SUDS) provides treatment to patients with complex needs including multiple mental health diagnoses, and numerous psychosocial issues, using independent judgment. LPMHCs at this level provide clinical consultation to less experienced staff which may include coordinating crisis situations. The SLPMHC - SUDS will independently provide clinical psychosocial and case management services at an advanced practice level to eligible veterans and their family members within the Special Programs Section under the Mental Health/Behavioral Sciences Service (MHBSS) at the James A. Haley Veterans' Administration Hospital (JAHVAH) in Tampa, FL. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Provides a full range of evaluation services and diagnoses mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients many of whom have psychiatric and medical problems. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. Provides evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy. Consultation to professional staff within the Lakeland CBOC, the James A. Haley VA and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients with psychological and psychiatric problems. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for Veterans with psychological and psychiatric problems-patients receiving services within the program. Provides case management and support to Veterans with psychiatric and psychological problems. Works collaboratively and cooperatively with an interdisciplinary treatment team to provide services to Veterans with psychiatric and psychological problems. Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. Adheres to operational policies and procedures established by the VA, supervisors and program for the treatment team. Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures and workload entry, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes). Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by supervisors and program treatment team, the MH&BSS ACOS (or designee), and facility Director. Assists the SUDS Team Lead in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment providers. Participates in program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using a data-driven quality assurance processes. If assigned, participates in research programs, designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches. Serves on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces as assigned. Represents Mental Health on teams and committees at the Medical Center or Healthcare System as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00 AM - 04:30 PM, with rotating tours of duty as needed. Telework: Yes - as determined by the agency policy. EDRP Authorized: If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the VISN 8 Compensation Center of Excellence at [email protected] 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. NOTE: It is VHA policy that a LPMHC who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. Exception: VHA may waive the licensure requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure. This exception only applies up to the full performance level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be licensed. The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 3 years for a LPMHC that provides care under the clinical supervision of a licensed LPMHC who is at or above the full performance level. This exception only applies at the entry level (GS-9). For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be licensed. The Human Resources Office will provide the unlicensed LPMHC in writing the requirement to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. The written notice must be provided prior to the entrance on duty date. Failure to Obtain License: In all cases, LPMHCs must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed within three years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0183 LPMHC series and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Licensure: Once licensed, LPMHCs must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted license to independently practice mental health counseling, which includes diagnosis and treatment. Loss of licensure will result in removal from the GS-0183 LPMHC occupation and may result in termination of employment. 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. 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: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-12 Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor 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. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. These are the KSA's for this subject position: 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. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/106, Part II, Appendix G43, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Qualification Standard. Preferred Experience: Knowledge/experience providing comprehensive substance use disorder diagnostic assessment, knowledge of and ability to provide evidence-based individual and group interventions (training available), along with ongoing program development. This position requires experience and/or knowledge of the biopsychosocial model of addiction and evidence-based intervention experience including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for SUD, Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Motivational Interviewing, Harm Reduction Therapy, and Contingency Management. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary (1-2 hours) in nature and usually occurs within climate controlled clinical and administrative settings. Use of fingers may be required to operate computers. There may be occasional light lifting/carrying (15 pounds or less) requirements to relocate boxed materials from one area to another, equipment and room set-up, and ambulation related to physical inspections of the facilities clear speech, hearing, and emotional stability) and environmental factors.

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 James A Haley Veterans Hospital 13000 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard Tampa, FL 33612 US
• Name: Kathryn Miller
• Phone: 1-407-631-8452
• Email: [email protected]