Assignment Readiness Counselor - short term and on demand

Responsibilities

• Provides the full breadth of Adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to military service members and their families at military installations.
• May include non-medical counseling, training/health and wellness presentations, consultation with parents, personnel at child daycare centers and schools, and consultation to installation command regarding behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and their family members.
• Supports MFLC services in a variety of military community and readiness centers, as well as on-demand and surge assignments.
• Works closely with the installation and military branch Points of Contact (POC) to assure that the program is provided within scope and meets the needs of the installation.
• Provides non-medical, short term, solution focused, counseling directly to adults, children, and youth of service members.
• Assures linkage to resources and follows up as indicated.
• Supports staff and personnel of CDCs, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs and summer camps.
• Provides training and health and wellness presentations, participates in health fairs and other base/installation activities.
• Enters counselor activity data daily through smart phone or web application, ensuring accurate reporting while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity of service / family member.

Requirements

• Master’s Degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health related field, or social work.
• With short notice, willing to accept assignments of undefined periods to include weekends.
• Cover, on a full-time basis, assignments of varying length from a weekend to two weeks.
• Quickly builds rapport with service personnel clients, family members, students, parents and co-workers.
• Adaptable to new working conditions, varying location rules, etc.; adjusts working style to align with each work environment.
• Able to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
• Listens carefully to instructions provided.
• Participates in regular in-services/training, Quality Improvement committees or other contract activities as assigned.
• Ability to quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses or children as assigned, in order to accomplish job functions, and to respond quickly to emergent situations in any physical location on a military installation and/or within a school setting.

Qualifications

• Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
• Prior military service/military family member and/or strong familiarity with military culture desired.
• For CYB positions must meet the Magellan MFLC CYB criteria for experience with children and youth and specialty in child and adolescent development/psychology.
• Creates a presence on the installation in which the service and family members feel comfortable approaching the counselor and recognizes the program to be confidential.
• Establishes and maintains working relationships with community resources and provides appropriate linkages.
• Manages duty to warn and restricted reporting situations according to DoD protocol and staffs the cases with Regional Supervisor/Regional Director.
• Communicates with Regional Supervisors and participates in regular individual and group supervision, sharing information regarding trends and issues on the installations and in facilities to which they are assigned for substitute or on call services.
• Responds to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.