The Licensed Professional Counselor (LPMHC) serves as a member of a treatment program of the General Mental Health (GMH) Program in the Mental Health Service Line of the Atlanta VAHCS. The GMH Program is a multi-disciplinary team of mental health professionals which provides comprehensive, accessible, Veteran-centered mental health care. The LPMHC assigned to this team is responsible for coordinating and providing specialty mental health counseling.

Duties

**This posting may also be used to fill Care Manager positions in General Mental Health or other sections of the Mental Health Service Line as they become available. Clinical Responsibilities (90% of time) Provides professional evaluations, decisions, and recommendations regarding the mental health care of Veterans for treatment planning and implementation of care. Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Facilitates patient and family education appropriate to the general mental health outpatient setting and the specific presenting mental health issues. Provides consultation services to professional staff within the VAMC-Atlanta and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. The following elements are not grade determining: Administrative/Program Evaluation/Outcome Measurement/Research (5% time) Assists the program director or coordinator in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment providers. Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, established by the affiliated MHSL Director/Manager. 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, 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 the Mental Health Service Line Director (or designee) and facility Director. Other Significant Responsibilities (5% time - optional) Participates in hospital and or Mental Health Service Line committee membership, and/or ongoing special project assignments. Work Schedule: Flexible tours available (may include evenings and/or Saturday hours) Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55514F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. 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. English Language Proficiency. LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Regulations. 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). Must pass a background check. Grade Determinations: GS-11 LPMHC 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. 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 below. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/106, Part II, Appendix G43, LICENSED PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR QUALIFICATION STANDARD The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-11. Physical Requirements: Usually works indoors in areas which normally have adequate heat, light, and ventilation. The work is primarily sedentary; however, there is some walking, standing, bending, and carrying of light items such as papers, files, manuals and records.

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 Atlanta VA Medical Center 1670 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033 US
• Name: Jenna McCarthy
• Email: [email protected]