VA Jobs – Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

Summary

The announcement is for a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor. The incumbent selected will be assigned to the Mental Health & Behavior Sciences Service and may be assigned to any location within the C.W. Bill Young VA. The incumbent is expected to practice professional counseling services and provide mental health services within the knowledge, theory, and training foundations of professional counseling.

Learn more about this agency

Help

Duties

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT, it will remain open until December 31, 2022. Applications will be accepted ongoing and qualified applicants will be considered & referred every 15 days. Applicants will remain on file until December 31, 2022. If you are not selected for a vacancy, you will still be referred for future vacancies. You do not need to reapply. Please call the HR Specialist on this announcement for further clarification on the referral process.

Licensed Professor Mental Health Counselor duties include but not limited to the following;
Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions to include individual, group, couples and family psychotherapy to promote improved functioning within the individual and/or family/relationship;
Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others;
Provides consultation to professional staff within the assigned program concerning clinical findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients;
Timely and accurately develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders;
Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical findings, patient care decisions, and documentation; and Develops patient education materials/modules and assists with Veteran Peer and Family activities as assigned.
Upon direction from BPVAHCS leadership, and in support of the VA patient care mission, conducts patient care services through telehealth mediums, to include, but not limited to face-to-face, telephonic, and video encounters and
Responsible for completing current suicide awareness and prevention related training and demonstrating ability to implement associated suicide prevention screening, evaluation and safety planning, as indicated.
Facilitates liaisons with other treatment programs/settings to effectively coordinate services;
Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screenings and completion of clinical reminders for all patients, as indicated;
Complies with all Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) documentation procedures, including accuracy and timeliness standards for documentation and appropriate patient check out procedure (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes and completion of encounters, etc.);
Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Program Manager, Service Chief, Chief of Staff and Facility Director, etc.;
Attends regular MH&BSS staff meetings and complies with established Service peer review procedures;
The incumbent is actively involved in MH&BSS LPMHC training, educational, and administrative activities as indicated.

Work Schedule: Monday – Friday 8am – 4:30pm (possible need for extended hours tour of duty)

Telework: Yes- As determined by Service

Position Title/Functional Statement #:Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor/PD000000 and PD20599F

Relocation Incentive: Authorized

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Help

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
You may be required to serve a probationary period.
Subject to background/security investigation.
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details.

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-0101 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.
(1) 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.
(2) Exception. 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).
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 3j.

Grandfather Provision. All persons employed in VHA in 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 and licensure/certification/registration that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

GS-11:Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Full Performance Level)
Experience, Education, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least 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.
KSA’s: In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-9 level, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below:
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 familial counseling interventions; demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and possesses multicultural counseling skills.
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.

References: VA Handbook 5005/106 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Qualification Standard Appendix G43.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.

Physical Requirements: This position requires Light lifting, under 15 pounds; Light carrying, under 15 pounds; Use of fingers, Both hands required; walking (2 hours); Standing (2 hours); Repeated bending (1 hour); Operation of a motor vehicle; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable at 13″ to 16″ to Jaeger 1 to 4; Depth perception; Hearing (aid permitted); Clear distinctive speech; sitting up to 8 hours/day; computer use, up to 8 hours/day; telephone, up to 8 hours/day.

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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This is an open continuous announcement open until December 31, 2022. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. Applicants will remain on file until December 31, 2022. If you are not selected for a vacancy, you will still be referred for future vacancies. You do not need to reapply. Please call the HR Specialist on this announcement for further clarification on the referral process.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

Due to COVID-19, VA is currently in an expanded telework posture. If selected, you may be expected to temporarily telework, even if your home is located outside the local commuting area. Once employees are permitted to return to the office, you will be expected to report to the duty station listed on this announcement. Management officials will provide information about returning to the official, pre-pandemic worksite, when applicable. At that time, you may be eligible to request to continue to telework depending upon the terms of your organization’s telework policy and the duties of the position.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

Read more

Help A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.