Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator) - Suicide Prevention

Summary Suicide Prevention Coordinators are clinically trained and dedicated fulltime to Suicide Prevention Program implementation at the VA medical facility and provide outreach and education to the surrounding communities. The position is responsible for facilitating the implementation of suicide prevention program (SPP) using public health approaches at a local level through education - outreach - monitoring - care and coordination of activities related to suicide prevention. Qualifications 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: LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and 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 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 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 NOTE: It is VHA policy that a LPMHC who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record 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: Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator) - GS-12: 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-11 grade level Experience must have been in a major specialty treatment program area such as - but not limited to - Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - mental health intensive case management (MHICM) - or other areas of equivalent scope and complexity Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment - demonstrating progressively more professional competency 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: In depth knowledge of the program coordinated - and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and or practice guidelines for the program Ability to make key decisions in the hiring and identification of top candidates Ability to provide leadership in facilitating the process of coordinating program consults - assessments - admissions - care assignments and discharges Ability to provide subject matter consultation to other colleagues and trainees within the field of counseling working on an interdisciplinary team All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12 The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12 Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination Duties Major duties include but are not limited the following: The incumbent provides clinical and administrative consultation to VA health care leadership - VA medical center-based committees - and all staff regarding suicide prevention Using the established chain of command - the incumbent reports any barriers to suicide prevention in the VA medical facility - including patterns of non-adherence to requirements or SOPs Toward these ends - the incumbent is responsible for the following specific duties: Tracking and reporting on Veterans who have attempted suicide or are at high risk for suicide Responding to referrals from the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL) and self-referrals from other sources Ensuring that all VA staff members have received discipline-appropriate suicide prevention training (VA S.A.V.E training or equivalent) Collaborating with community organizations and partners to increase awareness of suicide prevention best practices and providing training to individuals who have contact with Veterans Providing subject matter consultation to healthcare providers on available resources for suicidal individuals - as well as expertise and direction in the areas of system design to prevent deaths by suicide within their local VA medical centers Working with health care providers to ensure that monitoring and treatment is intensified for high-risk patients while making sure that those who are at elevated risk receive education and support about approaches to reduce risks Reporting to Office of Suicide Prevention (OSP) on Veterans who attempted or died by suicide and sending OSP requested data - which is used to determine characteristics and risks associated with these groups of Veterans Making sure that providers follow up on missed appointments to ensure patient safety for high-risk patients and initiate problem-solving decisions about possible tensions or difficulties in patients' ongoing care Ensuring that medical centers have established a High-Risk for Suicide List (HRSL) of Veterans and a process for establishing Patient Record Flag Category 1 - High Risk for Suicide (HRS-PRFs) - which includes: Exclusively controlling all HRS-PRFs and limiting their use to patients who meet the criteria for being placed on the facility HRSL Coordinating with facility committees that manage PRFs to incorporate the use of HRS-PRFs into overall facility flag processes Assessing the risk for suicide in individual patients in collaboration with their treating clinicians and ensuring that those patients receive appropriate follow-up care for any missed mental health appointments Establishing a system of reviewing HRS-PRFs at least every 90 days Documenting - when appropriate - the nature of the follow-up care and plans for continuing treatment in the electronic health record (EHR) Identifying training needs related to suicide prevention Maintaining communication with the facility-designated advisory groups to keep them aware of flag placements and review outcomes Implement facility suicide prevention strategies in accordance with VHA policies and clinical practice guidelines Use available online tools - training materials - and resources to enhance the care provided to Veterans and raise awareness among community stakeholders Obtaining any relevant Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) clearances to allow transmittal of medical center data on suicide attempts and individuals at risk to the VA Midwest Health Care Network (VISN 23) for trending quality assurance purposes and transmitting the data following cyber security requirements as applicable for this sensitive data Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #:000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs