Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

The Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) works as a member of the Trauma Recovery Program (TRP)/ Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinic Team (PCT) and provides evidence-based and other expert clinical services to Veterans with mood, anxiety, adjustment, substance use, and co-occurring psychiatric conditions, primarily complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Qualifications:

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.
• English Language Proficiency: LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• 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/.
• 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.
  • 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.

Grade Determinations: The experience and Knowledge, Skill, Abilities (KSAs) required below must be evident in your resume.

Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) GS-0183-12

Experience, Education, and Licensure: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior LPMHCs must have five 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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-11 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data.
4. 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.
5. Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications.
6. 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.

Preferred Experience: Experience working with mental health populations.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

Responsibilities:

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Senior LPMHC performs screenings high risk Veterans, expert evaluations for diagnosis and treatment planning, and provides a full range of psychological interventions, including motivational enhancement and evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs). The duties of the Senior LPMHC may include, but are not limited to:

Senior LPMHC - PTSD Clinical Team (90% of time)

• Provides a range of diagnostic and treatment services within the Trauma Recovery Program (TRP, PTSD Clinical Team), including screening for PTSD and highly prevalent comorbid conditions, for the VAMC's Veteran population; and implementation of evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) protocols as outlined in the clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of PTSD.
• Provides expert assessment and diagnostic services for patients with problems related to post traumatic stress disorder.
• Provides treatment/rehabilitation services for Veterans with a wide range of problems, including individual and group therapy, family/relationship counseling, and psychoeducation.
• Provides expert evidence-based treatment/rehabilitation services for problems related to post traumatic stress disorder and comorbid conditions.
• Provides psycho-educational and treatment services to the families of Veterans with problems related to post traumatic stress disorder, when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan for the Veteran and will allow better care for the Veteran.
• Provides screening for cognitive deficits to determine if a referral for an expert neuropsychological evaluation is needed.
• Promotes communication/interactions between medical team members, patients, and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process.
• Provides training for and coordinates work of staff as assigned.
• Provides education about trauma treatment and programs to staff, Veterans, community members and/or media.
• Completes all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center as appropriate.
• Supervises the practice of professional counseling students or less experienced LPMHCs as appropriate.
• Coordinates treatment and communicate with the care lines to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans.
• Maintain data and statistical compilations to comply with Joint Commission, VA, and medical center policy and procedures.

Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Coordinator (10% time)

• Serves as practitioner in this specialty at the facility and provides direct patient care services in the program area.
• Oversees research programs, in the role of co-investigator, designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches.
• Assists in preparation of reports and proposals for program expansion/improvement as assigned.
• Reviews all incoming consultations for Military Sexual trauma and Therapy Services Clinic services and manages all referrals received through multiple referral sources.
• Completes tracking and trending of data in order to monitor success of attempted contacts, rate of no-shows, scheduling patterns, and other data reflected in the Medical enter performance measures.
• Develops action plans for program performance in any measures that are not meeting required expectations, providing recommendations to Therapy Services management, for inclusion in the Medical Center Quality Improvement Plan.
• Conducts MST Quality Reviews, both external and internal, as applicable to the requirements of MST/ MHC Handbook for the purpose of program evaluation and service pattern modification based on unmet Veteran needs and/or systemic barriers to care.
• Serves as the Point of Contact for Veterans requiring a higher level of care, assessing and coordinating care for inpatient military sexual trauma treatment.
• Acts as liaison with providers at the G. V. Sonny Montgomery Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, and/or any treatment facility.
• Coordinates community-based services, including information and referral for additional services form other VA programs, other government programs and community agency programs.
• Provides direct patient contact for the assessment and coordination of MST related treatment.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday: 7:30am - 4:00pm, subject to change based on the needs of the facility.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 586-01465F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Salary : $89,508