Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

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. Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

01Basic Requirements

Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

02Education

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.

03Licensure

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. 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 Proficiency Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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).

04Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-12 Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Above the Full Performance Level) Experience, Education, and Licensure.

In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have: 1 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.

Senior LPMHCs must have 5 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. AND must meet the below GS 11 KSAs 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 family counseling interventions.

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. GS 12 Knowledge Skills and Abilities.

In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-11 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the GS-12 KSAs below: 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. This vacancy is a GS-12 position, which is above the Full Performance Level.

05Physical Requirements

The work is moderately active. Typically, the employee is driving a vehicle, walking around various facilities/settings, visiting with patients or community partners standing up, and at times sits comfortably while working. There will also be some light exertion required when walking, standing, bending or climbing stairs, carrying of light items such as papers, books, laptop, small objects, or driving an automobile. Must be able to sit/stand for long periods of time and lift 20 lbs.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major Duties and Responsibilities: Develops an assessment of the Veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members, and significant others. Incorporates complex multiple causation in the differential diagnosis and treatment.

Understands the range of specialized treatment, interventions and skills needed for all adult Veterans including geriatric Veterans related to their physical limitations, psychological needs, and age-associated illnesses and conditions.

Must have an understanding of the problems of advancing age and respect for the diversification of the aging Veteran population, being sensitive to human growth and development, age-appropriate needs and concerns of the geriatric Veteran and be able to provide current and advanced techniques to the treatment of this Veteran population. It is the responsibility of the incumbent, working within the interdisciplinary treatment team to develop a treatment plan with the Veteran based on this assessment.

Counseling and Psychotherapy - The CBOC Senior Social Worker provides individual, group, and (if credentialed and privileged) family psychotherapy and psychoeducational services, as well as advanced case management. The incumbent will practice at an advanced, independent practice level and may receive training on various evidence-based treatments.

Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The CBOC Senior Social Worker is responsible for collaboratively developing the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family. The treatment plan will be completed by the Veteran's third visit for mental health services. The plan will be updated yearly or more frequently if there is a change in the Veteran's condition or needs.

Referral to Service Providers - Throughout the course of treatment the CBOC Senior Social Worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. The incumbent will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs. The incumbent is responsible for educating the Veteran and/or caregiver of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the Veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision-maker.

Resource Usage/Development - The CBOC Senior Social Worker is responsible for using the current social work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of Veterans. The incumbent will refer the Veteran to needed services. Advocacy - The CBOC Senior Social Worker understands the intimidation of bureaucracy and will act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran/family.

When appropriate and feasible, the incumbent will educate and encourage the Veteran/family to advocate on their behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence and empowerment. Collaboration with Primary Care - The CBOC Senior Social Worker assumes a collaborative role with the primary care staff at the CBOCs, providing timely social work and psychological consultations for treatment of Veterans of all eras, including on an emergent or walk-in basis.

This may involve open access hours for warm handoff referrals from primary care for consultation, mental health screening, or crisis intervention. The incumbent consults with CBOC primary care staff to address the impact of psychosocial and psychological areas of functioning on broader health care issues. Crisis Intervention - The CBOC Senior Social Worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs.

The incumbent has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of the CBOC and Healthcare System.

Coordination of Non-institutional and Institutional services - The CBOC Senior Social Worker will review the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each Veteran being referred for mental and medical health services. The incumbent will educate the Veteran, their family, and the team of all the options available to them and will collaborate with the Veteran and family on the preferred option.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Not Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 635-54575A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.