Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

Summary

The Oklahoma City VA Health Care System - Mental Health Service - is currently recruiting for One Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor to help care for our Veterans. Individuals selected will work at the Oklahoma City VA Medical Center in Oklahoma City - Oklahoma until the Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) they are selected for opens.

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

• 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)
• Education: 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
• 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
• 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
• Grade 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
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Services.
  
  

Duties

• *Complete all application requirements detailed in the \"Required Documents\" section of this announcement.* Major Duties and 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: Full-time - Monday - Friday - 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Situational (ad-hoc) per agency policy
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 58307-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized