Assignment Readiness Counselor - Short Term or On Demands

About the role

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) will provide coverage in short-term, surge and on-demand situations resulting from military needs such as post-deployment events or to cover existing assignments for counselors who are absent. The Summer ARC counselor position covers assignments during the May 15th through September 15th time period, coinciding with the school summer break.

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.
• 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.
• Enters counselor activity data daily through smart phone or web application, ensuring accuracy from assigned installation while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity of service/family member.
• 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.

Requirements

• Masters 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. Can cover, on a full-time basis, assignments of varying length from a weekend to two weeks.
• 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.
• Quickly builds rapport with service personnel clients, family members, students, parents and co-workers.
• Requires 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, which includes the need to traverse short and/or long distances within the base to both indoor and outdoor locations, to maneuver through rugged, outdoor or uneven locations (e.g., steep inclines, stairs, grass), and work in outdoor weather and other military base conditions.
• Ability to prove US Citizenship and must be fluent in English.
• 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 recognize the program to be confidential; for CYB counselors -- creates a presence in child and youth settings, is available to children, youth, and staff.
• When working with children, counselor must abide by line of sight protocol.
• Establishes and maintains working relationships with community resources and provides appropriate linkages.
• Partners with POC to provide Adult and CYB services in a manner that addresses the needs of the installation/facility.
• Develops an excellent working relationship with the installation/facility POC.
• Manages duty to warn and restricted reporting situations according to DoD protocol and staffs the cases with Regional Supervisor/Regional Director.

Qualifications

• Master’s Degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health related field, or social work.
• Independent license in any state, such as LCSW, LPC, LMFT.

Skills

• Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
• Prior military service/military family member and/or strong familiarity with military culture desired.
• Experience working in a school setting for CYB counselors.

Benefits

Not specified.

Pay

Not specified.

Schedule

Not specified.