Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor-Outpatient-Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program

Summary

The Veterans Health Administration, VHA, is currently recruiting for one GS 9 target 11 as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor or a Marriage Family Therapist, or Social Worker to work in the Mental Health-Outpatient-Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program.

Qualifications

Applicants pending completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred & tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met

Basic Requirements:

Citizenship Must be US citizen
Non-citizens may be appointed when it's not possible to recruit qualified US citizens English Language Proficiency Applicants must be proficient in spoken & written English Education: Hold master's or doctoral degree in: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; or a related field, from program accredited by Council on Accreditation of Counseling & Related Educational Programs (CACREP)
Examples of related mental health counseling fields include, but aren't limited to Addiction Counseling; Community Counseling; Gerontology Counseling; Marital, Couple & Family Counseling
CACREP defines date when graduates are considered to have graduated from CACREP accredited program
Additional information may be obtained from http://www.cacrep.org/directory/
NOTE: Traditional Rehabilitation counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP don't meet LPMHC qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counseling Licensure
Persons hired/reassigned to LPMHC positions in GS-0183 series in VHA must hold a full, current & unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis & treatment NOTE: It's VHA policy that LPMHCs who don't yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who's a VA staff member & who has access to the electronic health record Exception
VHA may waive licensure requirements for persons otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure
Exception only applies up to the full performance level
For grade levels at/above full performance levels, candidates must be licensed
Appointing official may waive licensure requirement for a period not to exceed 3 years for a LPMHC that provides care under the clinical supervision of a licensed LPMHC who's at/above the full performance level
Exception only applies at the entry level, GS-9
For grade levels at/above full performance levels, candidates must be licensed
The Human Resources Office will provide deadline requirement to obtain licensure in writing to unlicensed LPMHC & 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 their appointment date
Failure to become licensed w/in 3 years from their appointment date will result in removal from the GS-0183 LPMHC series & may result in employment termination Loss of Licensure
Once licensed, LPMHCs must maintain a full, valid & unrestricted license to independently practice mental health counseling
This includes diagnosis & treatment
Loss of licensure will result in removal from the GS-0183 LPMHC series & may result in employment termination Grandfather Provision
All persons employed in VHA as LPMHC on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education & licensure/certification/registration that are part of the occupation basic requirements
For employees who don't meet all the basic requirements required in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure, may be reassigned, promoted up to & including the full performance level, or demoted w/in the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the full performance level/placed in supervisory/managerial positions
Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure/certification/registration only at higher grade levels must meet the licensure/certification/registration requirement before they can be promoted to those higher grade levels Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the qualification standard effective date may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard
If an employee who was retained (grandfathered) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status & must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education &/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all qualification standard basic requirements must maintain required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation Grade Determinations GS-9 Experience, Education & Licensure
The GS-9 grade level is the entry grade level for LPMHCs w/ less than 1 year's post-master's degree experience OR LPMHCs at master's or doctoral level who are graduates not yet licensed at the independent practice level
Unlicensed LPMHCs at the GS-9 grade level have completed the required basic education listed & are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure
AND In addition, candidates must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities, KSAs 1) Ability to engage in intake and assessment, problem identification, diagnosis, treatment planning and implementation, continuum of care, evaluation and follow-up 2) Knowledge of current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders in formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical interventions using professional counseling practices 3) Basic knowledge of professional counseling practice with emphasis on human development principles through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systemic interventions, and strategies that address high risk behaviors, wellness, personal growth, and career development across the life span 4) Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or family counseling interventions; demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and possesses multicultural counseling skills 5) Ability to serve on an interdisciplinary team with focus on the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and relational functioning of individuals, groups and families and on the counseling approaches, strategies, and techniques that will best help patients function effectively 6) Basic skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, maintaining accurate, timely and thorough clinical documentation and delivery of services, such as Telehealth 7) Ability to learn and utilize software programs in use by VHA 8) Knowledge and understanding of existing relevant statutes, case laws, ethical codes, and regulations affecting professional practice of counseling 9) Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds GS-11 Experience, Education & Licensure In addition to basic requirements, candidates must have at least 1 year post-master's/post- doctoral degree mental health counseling experience, VA or non-VA experience & must be licensed to practice at independent practice level & demonstrate KSAs below
LPMHCs may provide clinical supervision over clinical practice of an unlicensed LPMHC/LPMHC trainee
Some state licenses don't license individuals to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs
Please refer to specific state licensing laws regarding requirements for providing clinical supervision AND GS-11 KSAs Qualification requirements continued in Additional Information section

Duties

'Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor-Outpatient-Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program, BHIP-duties include but aren't limited to: Provides Veteran-centered, recovery-oriented & evidence-based care Functions as a mental health therapist for Veterans on a BHIP team Is responsible for providing patient-centered, evidence-based care independently & autonomously Provides services to Veterans, their families & the interdisciplinary team regarding evaluation, identification and treatment of psycho-social concerns & psychiatric diagnoses in the outpatient behavioral health setting Duties include outpatient behavioral health services & crisis response to veterans w/ the full spectrum of mental health disorders including Serious Mental Illness, PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, other mental health diagnoses & Substance Use Disorders Has working knowledge & experience in the use of mental health diagnoses & basic medical terminology Assesses & treats Veterans' complicated psychosocial problems Independently identifies high-risk patients & implements appropriate safety protocols Provides crisis intervention services & has working knowledge of referral process for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization and residential PTSD, SUDS & other specialty programs Assesses patient to determine: the presenting problem, in-home factors impacting it, obstacles to recovery & provide follow-up in regard to recommended treatments Case management w/ members of the outpatient interdisciplinary team is provided as needed to coordinate a collaborative effort to meet the agreed upon goals for a Veteran's recovery needs & includes serving as a liaison w/ community professionals in regard to services for Veterans&/or their families Services include but are not limited to referral to programming to address homelessness, hospice services, nursing home care, home health services, financial resources, VA benefits & transportation services Establishes & maintains effective therapeutic relationships w/ Veterans in the outpatient behavioral health setting &/or their families Independently works w/ Veterans and/or their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral &/or psychosocial problems Must independently complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the diagnosis, psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans &/or their families Uses assessment to facilitate the Veteran's maximum use of treatment to attain the highest level of independence that is possible & practicable Must possess knowledge & ability to independently implement treatment modalities, provide educational classes &/or therapeutic groups for Veterans & families via in-person & virtual modalities Utilizes human growth & development principles over the life span and assists Veterans' in coping with the loss and grief experiences from disability & terminal illness Member of interdisciplinary treatment team & actively collaborates w/ Veterans & family & interdisciplinary treatment team to develop & implement treatment plans Provides consultation to other treatment team members regarding Veterans &/or their families psychosocial needs & impacts of identified psychosocial problems on Veteran's health care planning & compliance w/ treatment Uses mental health diagnoses, disabilities & treatment procedures, including acute, chronic & traumatic illnesses, common medications & their effects/side effects & medical terminology Serves as liaison between Veterans &/or their families & VA & community resources to ensure delivery of services Maintains knowledge of Veteran's benefits & services, community resources & process to make appropriate referrals to community/other governmental programs/agencies Possesses skills & knowledge to provide case management services to Veterans & their families throughout continuum of care Possesses/demonstrates ability to communicate effectively, both orally & in writing w/ people from varied backgrounds.
treatment goals & interventions Serves as member of interdisciplinary team as a resource for referrals, mental health recommendations & coordinates care Demonstrates I-Care values when interacting w/ all internal/external customers Maintains current knowledge of & practices in accordance w/ The Joint Commission requirements Protects printed & electronic files containing sensitive data according to Federal privacy Act & confidentiality statutes Follows regulations & instructions regarding release of sensitive/protected patient/ employee information May serve on Service Line committees, workgroups, &/or task forces, etc Performs other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: May be available for the highly qualified applicant Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: PD9-436-55413-O, 11-436-55414-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for the highly qualified applicant Financial Disclosure Report: Not required'