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

Job Title

This position provides Mental Health services to the Veteran population enrolled at the Fargo VA Healthcare System.

Services include provision of high quality clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers and agencies as needed by the client. This is accomplished in collaboration with other members of the MHC Team or other interdisciplinary treatment teams as appropriate. This position is located on the main campus of the Fargo VA Healthcare System.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Coordinates care for Veterans at high risk for suicide. Identifies and tracks high-risk Veterans and monitors treatment to ensure that needed services are received.
• Answers and closes service consults from the Veteran's Crisis Line, to include but not limited to taking the following actions: arranging follow-up mental health assessment and treatment; health and safety checks in the home; and follow-up hospitalization and/or outpatient care as clinically indicated.
• Plays an active role in the RCA (Root Cause Analysis) process by performing individual case reviews, assisting with preparation of yearly aggregate summaries, and facilitating the implementation of system improvement and policies/procedural changes recommended by the RCA team. Provides training to clinical staff on the development of Veteran safety plans to prevent at risk behaviors.
• Trains clinical and non-clinical staff in the VA Health Care System, Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) and community in the completion of comprehensive suicide risk evaluations.
• Trains fellow clinical staff in the development of Veteran safety plans to prevent at risk behaviors.
• Trains non-clinical staff using Operation S.A.V.E. information to ensure staff are alert to Veterans who appear at risk for suicide; options for Veterans whom they may encounter in crisis situations; and appropriate actions to take in those situations.
• Promotes the use of evidence-based interventions and strategies for suicide prevention in the medical center.
• Ensures that all Veterans at risk have a 24 hour resource number to contact and ways to receive assistance when needed.
• Develops and distributes outreach materials to include brochures, fact sheets, web content, and other targeted information which highlights suicide prevention, warning signs, and risk factors.
• Participates in suicide prevention activities in the community and assists in implementation of plans/educational endeavors in this regard both internal to VA, VISN wide, and in the external community.
• Develops and implements ongoing plans for providers, Veterans, families, and members of the community on risk factors and warning signs for suicide treatment options. Develops criteria for facility wide identification of medical record flag system for Veterans who are at risk for suicide, oversees implementation of monitoring system for these identified Veterans and monitoring of compliance with treatment plan.
• Independently plans, designs, implements the program, determines program goals and objectives, and completes reports for the VISN or VA Central Office. Results of the work are considered technically authoritative and are normally accepted without significant change.
• Prepares and maintains administrative records, data bases, and reports in accordance with VACO and local guidelines.
• Develops and monitors quality improvement measures. The incumbent formulates and implements an internal evaluation process through which progress toward goals and objectives can be objectively monitored. Implements changes based on the results of evaluations and performs impact assessments of these changes. Insures that any required external evaluation of the program is submitted within established time frames.
• Interfaces with services throughout the medical center, including but not limited to medical providers and VA Patient Advocate to resolve administrative and clinical problems. This includes collaboration on individual Veterans and the coordination of medical care within the treatment team.
• Develops treatment protocol for suicidal Veterans in the Emergency Room, calls received through ongoing 24 hours nurse triage telephonic system, and interventions of suicidal Veterans identified in outpatient and acute levels of care. Identifies gaps in treatment and services and works within the system to ensure that Veterans' treatment needs are provided in a timely and clinically appropriate manner.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Telework: Available (Ad-hoc)

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized