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.
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. 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: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors must be proficient in spoken & written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.j Education: Hold a master's or doctoral degree in: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling & Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; or a related field, from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling & 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, & 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-183 series in VHA must hold a full, current, & unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis & treatment Grade Determinations: GS-12 Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor 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. GS-11 Assignment. This is the full performance grade level for LPMHCs. At this level they are licensed to independently practice professional counseling and to provide mental health services within the knowledge, theory, and training foundations of professional counseling. LPMHCs may be assigned to any VHA area, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. LPMHCs may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities. 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: 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data. 4. 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. 5. Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications. 6. 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 Preferred Experience: SUD, Couples Therapy, or PTSD Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. The incumbent must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the incumbent or others. The incumbent must be able to pass VA requirements for operation of a government vehicle. Position may require walking throughout the clinic and/or Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams. Position may require travel to provide clinical services to Veterans in the community, clinics, medical centers, CBOC's, etc. This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) provides psychological services to Veteran patients in the outpatient mental health clinic of the Idaho Falls CBOC. The duties and responsibilities are to practice independently in the provision of mental health services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors (LPMHC) diagnose mental disorders, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders as appropriate, and provide case management and care coordination. The LPMHC is the sole mental health provider in the Idaho Falls CBOC, responsible for daily functioning of mental health services, as well as crisis intervention as needed, therefore will need to practice with significant independence. Provides a full range of diagnostic and assessment services appropriate to the interdisciplinary addictions treatment setting; Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions, including: individual, group, and couple therapy, psychoeducation, and care coordination, with special emphasis on evidenced-based interventions; Utilizes advanced training and experience in the evidence-based treatment of at least one specialty area such as PTSD, substance use disorders, or couple and family treatment. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients utilizing resources effectively, determining appropriate level of care, making referrals as needed, and providing advanced level of care as indicated; Facilitates patient and family education appropriate to the setting and the specific presenting issues Engages in crisis intervention and psychiatric triage as needed Provides consultation services to support team decision-making, building on team interventions and improving team-patient working relationships; Provides consultation to non-LPMHC team members and other health care system staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. May provide full oversight to LPMHC students and trainees. May be involved in the training of medical students, psychiatric residents, and nursing students or other trainees as appropriate. Administrative/Program Evaluation/Outcome Measurement/Research: Participates in the monitoring of performance measures that pertain to Mental Health Service and the CBOC. Develops and participates in quality improvement projects Completes all clinical charting and documentation required by Mental Health Service and the VASLCHCS in a timely manner. Participates in program-wide outcome evaluation studies. Acts as liaison to community organizations and Veterans Organizations Establishes and maintains ongoing educational programs for Veterans, community agencies, trainees, and staff in order to facilitate understanding of LPMHC practice and interventions specific to BHIP. Work Schedule: M-F 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: May be available as determined by agency policy. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 60917-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized