Summary 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 Provide professional, independent, specialized mental health treatment to veterans who are diagnosed with Substance Use Disorders & who are experiencing a wide range of complex medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, & psychosocial problems. These therapeutic relationships also extend to family members. Provides individual, group & family psychotherapy interventions used in the treatment of veterans with substance use disorders & comorbid mental health needs, including post-traumatic stress disorder, & serious mental health disorders. Implement Measurement Based Care for measuring effectiveness of clinical practice & services in specialty areas, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services. Use subjective & objective data in making clinical assessment of the veteran's needs. Uses advanced clinical training, & experience to identify viable treatment options & makes appropriate referrals for care. Develop treatment plans in coordination with RRTP Team Members, including goals for treatment. Maintains a current & productive network of referral resources. Makes referrals to other services in the VA, as well as to other agencies, community resources, & other Governmental agencies. Act as a community & family liaison by initiating & maintaining necessary contact with the patient, his/her family, VA Healthcare System service programs & personnel, mental health agencies, & other related resource agencies. Independently assesses the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans & family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, & psychosocial acuity. The incumbent interviews Veterans & their family members/significant others to establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting problems & their causes, & the impact of such problems on the Veteran's functioning & health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Reviews all data, subjective & objective, & makes a clinical assessment identifying strengths, needs, abilities, & preferences. Assesses & documents identified behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation and/or intimate partner violence. Independently conclude the appropriate action, even in instances where actions can have serious impact on the life of the veteran. Possess expertise in participating in the professional development of colleagues through mentorship & teaching. Establishes & maintains ongoing education programs for Veterans, community agencies, students, & staff to facilitate understanding of counseling interventions specific to the Veteran/Military population. Advocates on behalf of the veteran to ensure that services & benefits are obtained in a timely manner. Receives & completes requests for services (consults) from interdisciplinary team members on complex, difficult cases. Utilizes crisis intervention techniques with Veterans who are in an acute crisis & knows & implements the Suicide Prevention & Management of Suicidal Behavior policy. Possess advanced skill in working with individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy & advanced level psychosocial and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of veterans with multiple co-occurring conditions. Demonstrate advanced & expert skill in a range of specialized evidence-based interventions & treatment modalities used for treatment of Substance Use Disorders & other co-morbid mental health conditions. Employ counseling methods & techniques to maintain a therapeutic relationship that will help the Veteran work toward the best way of achieving their goals. Demonstrate ability to tailor treatment plans to individual Veterans needs to include but not limited to differential diagnoses, maladaptive coping skills, available or lack of resources/support, and/or on-going need for psychological support. Attend interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, updating treatment & discharge plans as appropriate. Develop discharge plans & set achievable discharge goals in consultation with the interdisciplinary treatment team. Coordinate post-discharge services, including VA services & community-based services. Document independently in the medical record, including psychosocial assessments, diagnostic assessments, treatment, progress notes, follow up, & referral. Utilize MBC scores to monitor & track treatment progress. Analyze MBC data & develop performance improvement project to improve treatment services. Provide consultation regarding the impact of the identified psychosocial problems on the Veteran's health care planning, compliance with treatment, & discharge planning. Provide oversight & clinical supervision for LPMHC trainees to progress toward licensure or certification. Work Schedule: M-F 8-4:30 Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 59218O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until September 15, 2025. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be October 17, 2024, with subsequent cut-off dates once prior certs are returned. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled. Qualifications BASIC REQUIREMENTS. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. Education. 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). 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/. NOTE: Traditional Rehabilitation counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP do not meet the LPMHC qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counseling. Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to LPMHC positions in the GS-0183 series in VHA must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment. English Language Proficiency. LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-12 Experience, Education, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior 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 LPMHCs. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-11 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex mental illness. Ability 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 practice. Ability to determine priority of services needed and provide specialized treatment. Advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needs. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling, or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial, and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans. Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data. Ability 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 skills. Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications. Ability 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 profession. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/106 PART II APPENDIX G43 This vacancy is for a GS-12 position, which is above the full performance level. Physical Requirements: The work is moderately active. Typically, the employee is driving a vehicle, walking around various facilities/settings, visiting with patients or community partners standing up, and at times sits comfortably while working. There will also be some light exertion required when walking, standing, bending or climbing stairs, carrying of light items such as papers, books, laptop, small objects, or driving an automobile. Must be able to sit/stand for long periods of time and lift 20 lbs. Ability to complete a Basic Life Support (BLS) course is a position requirement. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.