Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor- Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Program

Summary 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. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Qualifications Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA PolicyEnglish Language ProficiencyIn 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 EnglishEducation - Master's or doctoral degree in one of the following: Clinical Mental Health CounselingClinical Rehabilitation CounselingClinical Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation CounselingOR 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 CounselingCommunity CounselingGerontology CounselingMarital - Couple - and Family CounselingCACREP defines the date when graduates are considered to have graduated from a CACREP accredited programAdditional information may be obtained from http://www.cacrep.org/directory/NOTE: Traditional Rehabilitation counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP do not meet the Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counselingLicensure - Must hold a full - current - and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - which includes diagnosis and treatmentNOTE: Applicants pending the completion of the licensure requirement may be selected (GS-09 only) and given up to a three-year temporary appointmentGrandfather 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 requirementsGrade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above - the following qualification criteria must be met for each gradeThe candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the gradeSenior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - GS-12: Experience - Education - and LicensureIn addition to the basic requirements - candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade levelSenior LPMHCs must have five 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 LPMHCsAssignmentsSenior LPMHCs provide treatment to patients with complex needs including multiple mental health diagnoses - and numerous psychosocial issues - using independent judgmentLPMHCs at this level provide clinical consultation to less experienced staff which may include coordinating crisis situationsSenior LPMHCs will provide clinical supervision to LPMHC staff and/or LPMHC trainees - and may serve as the subject matter expert for the disciplineSenior LPMHCs develop behavioral health related training curriculum and often conduct trainings for clinical staffLPMHCs model ethical and professional behaviors and standards to include multicultural awarenessSenior LPMHCs meet routinely with inter- professional team members and leadership to communicate about program and patient issues for in depth problem solvingSenior LPMHCs collaborate with internal and external stakeholders and frequently serve as a liaisonThis assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position managementThis assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupationDemonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and AbilitiesIn addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-11 grade level - the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 1Advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex mental illnessAbility 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 practiceAbility to determine priority of services needed and provide specialized treatment2Advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needsThis includes individual - group - and/or family counseling - or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial - and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans3Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programsAbility to design system changes based on data4Ability 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 skills5Ability to teach - mentor staff and trainees - and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications6Ability 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 professionPreferred Experience: Mental Health and substance use disorders counselingReference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/The full performance level of this vacancy is 12Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this positionQuestions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Duties Duties of this position are - but not limited to: Provides specialized individual - group and family evidence-based psychotherapy for co-occurring Substance Use and Post Traumatic Stress DisordersServices are provided within OSATP including at the Coralville VA Mental Health Clinic - Clinical Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) and Community Resource and Referral Centers )CRRCs)Incumbent is a subject matter expert in treating SUD/PTSD co-occurring disorders and provides consultation to staff within and outside of the OSATP and the Mental Health Service LineProvides training and consultation to staff and trainees on evidence-based psychotherapies available for SUD/PTSD and demonstrates the ability to teach and mentor staff and students in the complex specialty area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certificationsIncumbent provides additional training and consultation for staff/trainees in other evidence-based therapies for SUD and co-occurring disordersCollects - analyzes and monitors data outcomes to determine treatment efficacy for programs within OSATPIncumbent oversees implementation and analysis of measurement-based care within OSATP and focuses on implementation - process improvements and program development based on data and program needsPerforms specialized treatment of highly complex physical or mental illness in group - individual and family therapyIncorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients - including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practiceIncumbent has a high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with veterans in the mental health clinic and/or their familiesAble to independently work with veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical - psychiatric - emotional - behavioral - and psychosocial problems.Incumbent must independently complete thorough biopsychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of veterans and/or their familiesThe incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicableDocuments the ASAM patient placement criteria in order to determine appropriate level of substance abuse treatment for the clientMust possess knowledge and ability to independently implement a variety of treatment modalitiesAdministers psychological instruments including but not limited to Audit/DAST and Brief Addiction Monitor - BDI-II - BAI - PCL in order to measure progress and effectiveness of treatment as well as monitor and improve treatment based on the individual client's current needsAble to administer Breath Alcohol tests and Urine Drug Screen testing based on requirements of the program the Veteran is participating in (Example: Matrix Intensive Outpatient Program)Possesses skills to provide case management services and provides case management to clients with high intensity needsProvides crisis counseling to veterans and their families who present with acute problems and needs including suicidal or homicidal ideationsIncumbent is able to screen for such crises and implement appropriate protocol and treatmentCompletes clinical documentation according to OSATP and medical center standardsDocumentation is clinically appropriate and thorough and demonstrates the components of treatment considered the standard of careWork Schedule: Monday thru Friday - 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual positionFunctional Statement #: 000000 EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentiveContact VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistanceLearn more