Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager)

The incumbent provides supervision to Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team assigned to the Fargo VA Health Care System which may include Social Workers, Psychologists, and Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors (LPMHC). This vacancy will be filled by either a Supervisory Social Worker, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager), or a Psychology Program Manager. 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 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). Creditable Experience 1. Knowledge of Current LPMHC Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current mental health counseling practice. Experience satisfying this requirement must have active professional practice at the post- master's degree level, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional mental health counselor. 2. Quality of Experience Experience is only creditable if it is post- master's degree experience as a mental health counselor directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to LPMHC experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher level duties must consist of significant scope, administrative independence, complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. 3. Part-Time Experience Part-time experience as a LPMHC is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a LPMHC employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service. 4. Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training Fellowship and post- graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., mental health counseling. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. 5. Practicum in a VA Setting VHA practicum experience may not be substituted for experience, as the practicum (field placement) is completed prior to graduation with a master's degree in mental health counseling or related field. Grade Determinations GS-13 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager) 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 and is defined as: Working in depth knowledge of the program coordinated, and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and or practice guidelines for the program. Making key decisions in the hiring and identification of top candidates. Providing leadership in facilitating the process of coordinating program consults, assessments, admissions, care assignments and discharges. Providing subject matter consultation to other colleagues and trainees within the field of counseling working on an interdisciplinary team. 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. 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. 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. Reference For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair