Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (PCMHI) - EDRP Approved

About the role

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Responsibilities

• Conducts assessment interviews, develops treatment plan, and provides treatment to eligible Veterans. Treatment modalities may include crisis intervention, intake evaluations, outreach services as well as empirically based treatment for a variety of mental health conditions.
• May refer clients to other programs and professionals as appropriate.
• Participates in and provides consultation to other team members; participates in conjoint emergency treatment with medical facility mental health personnel.
• Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services which requires advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans with a range DSM diagnoses, substance abuse/dependence, and poly-traumatic injuries.
• May have clinical program management responsibilities, which include the operation and management of various psychology or mental health programs within the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Healthcare System (VATVCBHCS).
• May have responsibilities for and oversight of the administrative and programmatic resources of various clinical programs that are specialized/complex and significantly impact the delivery of health care services to Veterans in the VATVCBHCS.
• May coordinate programming within the various mental health programs with managers of other programs in mental health as well as with discipline supervisors of affected staff assigned to these programs.
• Aids managers of mental health programs in making sure that work is assigned in a systematic way and meets facility and VA guidelines/standards.
• Serves as the representative for Psychology Service on various Psychology Service, Mental Health Service Line, System, or VISN administrative committees or work groups as assigned.
• Provides subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in the specialty area, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective practice skills. In addition, there may be opportunities to teach and mentor staff and students in the specialty area of practice.
• Expands clinical knowledge in the profession, demonstrating innovation in the creation of new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention to identify and address specialized clinical needs.
• Aids in drafting policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the specialty population or specialty treatment program as assigned.

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: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Education - Master's or doctoral degree in one of the following:
• 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.
• Licensure - Must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment. NOTE: Applicants pending the completion of the licensure requirement may be selected (GS-09 only) and given up to a three-year temporary appointment.
• Grandfather Provision: An LPMHC employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (4/3/2018) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard may not be promoted beyond the full performance level (GS-11) or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions until meeting the full qualification requirements.

Qualifications

• VA Health Profession Trainees (HPT)'s 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.
• All applicants pending licensure may be appointed at the GS-9 level (must become fully licensed within 3 years to remain in the position).
• 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. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Education - Master's or doctoral degree in one of the following:
• 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 - Must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment. NOTE: Applicants pending the completion of the licensure requirement may be selected (GS-09 only) and given up to a three-year temporary appointment.
• Grandfather Provision: An LPMHC employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (4/3/2018) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard may not be promoted beyond the full performance level (GS-11) or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions until meeting the full qualification requirements.