The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator) position is located in the Mental Health Integrated Care Community (MH ICC) at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator) manages the administrative and clinical aspects of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team (PCT), and Substance Use Disorder Services (SUD).
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. 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 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). Grade Determinations: GS-13 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager) (a) Experience, Education and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. The experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. (b) Assignments. LPMHCs manage the daily operations of multiple programs, develop and implement program policies and procedures, or serve as chief or principal counselor to a number of LPHMCs. They are responsible for oversight of administrative and programmatic resources and monitoring of outcomes. They prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national leadership. Decisions may affect staff and other resources associated with the programs managed and are made while exercising wide latitude and independent judgment. They may be responsible for the program's budget. They may also supervise employees assigned to the program. (c) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-12 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: Ability to make judgments and decisions associated with program management. Ability to monitor program outcomes using data driven quality assurance process. Ability to develop productivity standards appropriate to each service provided. Ability to manage a wide range of programs which include the operation and management of key clinical, training or administrative programs. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
Duties include, but are not limited to the duties below: The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator) oversees the daily operations of the PCT and SUD programs. Gathers and maintains information and uses analytical systems to evaluate and enhance the quality of services provided. Monitors multiple data points such as SAIL, productivity, access, utilization, bookability, CPT coding, Veteran and employee satisfaction and compliance with accreditation bodies. Supervises the PCT and SUD clinical staff and coordinators. Performs the administrative and personnel management function relative to staff supervised including personnel actions, clinical and administrative supervision, consultation, negotiation with other departments, and quality improvement. Works collaboratively with internal staff, VISN and VACO leadership, and external stakeholders to expedite service delivery. Provides consultation and briefings to other staff and internal/external stakeholders on the special needs of Veterans served in specialty mental health care. Subject matter expert to VA facility leadership and staff for all PCT and SUD related issues and serves as a consultant to other VA professionals and administrators on program specific activities. Works collaboratively with facility, VISN and national staff to develop and implement solutions, participating in local mental health meetings, VISN and national operational calls. Monitors performance measures at the local, VISN and national levels, providing responses to congressional inquiries, and briefings to providers, VA leadership, community organizations and other internal and external stakeholders at the behest of the ACOS for Mental Health ICC. Develops policies and procedures for program operation, and prepares reports and statistics for facility, VISN and/or national use at the request of the ACOS. Manages the PCT and SUD clinical and business operations, accountability for program effectiveness, and modification of service patterns to comply with the delivery of standardized processes found in program specific directives, the Uniform Mental Health directive and other national memorandums and SOPs. Addresses congressional inquiries, VISN and national action items as requested. Plans, organizes and coordinates administrative, operational, clinical and personnel activities for the complex specialty mental health clinics. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday: 8:00-4:30 Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized