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.

01Basic Requirements

English Proficiency Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Citizenship Must be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

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.

Grandfathering Provision: 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

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.

05Preferred Experience

BHIP experience preferred but not required. HM would like to consider all candidates.

06Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services.

The incumbent of this position serves as a Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) within the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System (OKC VA HCS) (635). As a Senior LPMHC, the position is licensed to independently practice professional counseling and to provide mental health services within the knowledge, theory, and training foundations of professional counseling. Senior LPMHCs may be assigned to any VHA area, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate.

Senior LPMHCs may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. Senior LPMHCs provide 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.

Senior LPMHCs will provide clinical supervision to LPMHC staff and/or LPMHC trainees, and may serve as the subject matter expert for the discipline. Senior LPMHCs develop behavioral health related training curriculum and often conduct trainings for clinical staff. LPMHCs model ethical and professional behaviors and standards to include multicultural awareness. Senior LPMHCs meet routinely with interprofessional team members and leadership to communicate about program and patient issues for in depth problem solving.

Clinical Responsibilities: - Diagnoses mental disorders.- Treats Veterans with complex needs including multiple mental health diagnoses, and numerous psychosocial issues, using independent judgment, using a variety of modalities, including: individual, family and group counseling, triage/crisis management, and other interventions such as community based interventions.

Advanced psychotherapy is provided as needed. - Conducts initial intakes/biopsychosocial assessments and treatment planning in accordance with Joint Commission/VA requirements and service/clinic-level SOP. - Practices measurement-based care using the Collect, Share, Act model, in accordance with Joint Commission/VA requirements and service/clinic-level SOP. - Consults with OKC VA Health Care System staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. - Consults with referring provider/team and other OKC VA HCS mental health staff, as necessary, on a wide variety of patient care issues. - Participates in regularly scheduled Program/Clinic team meeting(s). - Evaluates and makes disposition of patients to treatment programs in the OKC VA Health Care System, as well as referral to community programs and vocational placement.

Serves as a consultant to other staff in evaluating and assisting Veterans with complex vocational problems.

Places consults for Veterans when clinically indicated. - Ensures documentation is completed timely in accordance with the facility medical bylaws. - Ensures coding is in accordance with the OMHSP MH Coding Guidelines. - Places RTCs in accordance with VHA directives and scheduling guidelines to ensure accurate patient appointment scheduling. - Obtains PMDB training in accordance with workplace setting per the annual Workplace Behavioral Risk Assessment. - Develops behavioral health related training curriculum and often conduct trainings for clinical staff. - Provides clinical consultation to less experienced staff. - Provides clinical supervision to unlicensed LPMHC staff and/or LPMHC trainees. - May serve as the subject matter expert for the discipline. - May be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. - Assists with other activities as assigned by OKC VA Health Care System Management.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Compressed/Flexible: Not available Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Telework: Situational Ad-hoc Basis According to Agency Policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 58307-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized