Supervisory Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - Recovery Services

Summary

As the Division Director of Recovery Services, the incumbent has clinical, technical, professional, supervisory, and administrative responsibility for all aspects of the SUD division in the Behavioral Health Service. Recovery Services is made up of programs which include 1) Intensive Outpatient Treatment, 2) Low intensity Rehabilitation/Aftercare, 3) Ambulatory Detoxification, 4) On-site Suboxone (buprenorphine) services, 5) Tobacco Cessation 6) Dual Diagnosis Treatment (SUD/PTSD and SUD/SMD).

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Duties

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• The incumbent interprets policies, procedures, directives, information letters, etc., from VA Central Office, the VISN, and local facility leadership in order to assure adherence by Recovery Services staff. The incumbent develops and maintains policies and procedures concerning patient care, specifying program and service operation, and evaluating such programs and services as necessary.
• Provides public relations and community education regarding the VA, and responsible programs and services, to various social, medical, mental health, legal and housing and welfare organizations. These include Federal, State, County, and City government offices, as well as private non-profit service agencies and organizations. The incumbent represents the VA at meetings with stakeholders, community partners and other agencies, and collaborates to form partnerships and develop alternatives and improvements to the current system of program and service delivery.
• The incumbent manages and coordinates day-to-day operations, administrative tasks, clinical staff, and quality improvement meetings and activities. The incumbent oversees the practice, qualifications, competencies and ethical standards and concerns that may arise from the staff and the treatment provided. The incumbent oversees the provision of services to all Recovery Services programs. Incumbent reviews workload, productivity, utilization, and cost data for staff, programs and services, and such data is communicated to the staff for program and service assessment, implementation and evaluation. The incumbent carries full administrative responsibility and consults closely with local discipline leadership regarding clinical issues.
• The incumbent must know and understand a wide range of clinical concepts, administrative principles, and management practices, and must possess skill in applying this knowledge to difficult and complex situations. The incumbent must have knowledge of VA administrative procedures related to personnel actions, control point and fiscal management, veteran eligibility and benefits, and community resources. The incumbent serves as Control Point Official for funds related to Recovery Services.

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework : Available ( Ad hoc )

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 93037-O

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

Requirements

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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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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 :

Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.).

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 3 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.

• Exception. VHA may waive the licensure requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure. This exception only applies up to the full performance level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be licensed.

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 :

Supervisory 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 experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills, judgment, and 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:

1. Ability to administratively supervise other providers and conduct meetings.
2. Ability to maintain a professional environment by following organizational policies, guidelines and safety standards.
3. Ability to establish and clearly communicate guidelines and performance expectations for staff.

Preferred Experience: SUD experience is preferred.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Physical qualifications require the ability to sit frequently and for long periods of time. Must be able to spend long periods of time on a computer. Must have good hearing and eyesight. Must be clean and neat in appearance. This position may require travel. 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.

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: 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:

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.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

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.

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.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.