Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC)

About the role

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment.

Responsibilities

• Completes brief functional assessments and includes pertinent information in all the required areas of functioning in order to determine appropriate diagnoses and other treatment-related conclusions.
• Provides a DSM diagnosis to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families.
• Provides emergency/crisis interventions that are provided to Veterans in an effort to stabilize.
• Provides psychotherapy as individual - group &/or family interventions when clinically indicated/appropriate and when of therapeutic benefit to the recipients.
• Willing to be successfully trained and implement Evidenced Based Psychotherapies.
• Consults with other treatment team and staff members regarding psychosocial needs of Veterans and/or their families and the impact of the identified psychosocial problems on the Veteran's health care planning - compliance with treatment - and discharge planning.
• Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and/or their families.
• Works independently with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical - psychiatric - emotional - behavioral - and psychosocial problems.
• Facilitates discharge planning through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate discharge plans are executed in a timely manner.
• Provides consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources - VA benefits and specialty programs - and advance directives.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

  Requirements

  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.

  Qualifications

  • 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).
  • Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3.j
  • May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

    Skills

    Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities:

    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Ability to use empirically supported and/or theoretically appropriate treatments.
    • Ability to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and/or their families.
    • Ability to facilitate discharge planning through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate discharge plans are executed in a timely manner.
    • Ability to provide consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources - VA benefits and specialty programs - and advance directives.
    • Ability to coordinate the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services - including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs - other government programs - and community programs.
    • Ability to perform clinical services to Veterans in a variety of formats including face to face - phone - CVT - and VVC as clinically appropriate.
    • Ability to regularly and effectively participate in multidisciplinary team meetings as required by the supervisor.
    • Ability to perform other duties as assigned.

      Benefits

      Not specified.

      Pay

      GS-11.

      Schedule

      Monday- Friday 8:00 AM- 4:30 PM.