Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor-PTSD Clinical Team

Summary

Seeking new provider to join a vibrant PTSD Clinical Team (PCT). This PCT has high evidence based psychotherapy reach and embodies a team based care approach to serving Veterans. The Dayton VA PCT Mission is "To empower Veterans by providing well-researched, evidence-based treatments for PTSD and other trauma-related disorders that promote awareness, wellness, and recovery from the harmful impact of trauma."

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Duties

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The Senior Licensed Mental Health Professional Counselor (LPMHC) is located within the Mental Health Service with primary assignment to the Trauma Recovery Clinic (TRC) at the Dayton VA Medical Center. The TRC is staffed by the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Clinical Team (PCT) which provides comprehensive outpatient services to patients with PTSD and other related mental health needs.

Duties:

• The Senior LPMHC independently performs case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs.
• The incumbent possesses advanced knowledge and abilities to independently implement treatment, provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals, families and groups using evidence-based treatments for PTSD, co-occurring PTSD and Substance Use Disorders, and other mental health issues.
• Independently conducts psychosocial assessments including standardized evaluation for PTSD and other mental health conditions. Develops treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team. Engages in measurement-based care to facilitate optimal treatment outcomes. Possesses the skills to offer psychosocial interventions and to measure outcomes of interventions. Provides appropriate services via telehealth.
• The incumbent will provide clinical services including, but not limited to, assessment, individual and group therapy, psychoeducation, and case management services to veterans in the assigned work area(s) at the Dayton VAMC. Knowledge of the principles and theoretical concepts of the practice of professional mental health counseling at the advanced practice level is required. Incumbent keeps up to date on new findings, trends, and treatment techniques pertinent to their area of clinical practice.
• Independently provides case management and service coordination for Veterans as assigned to include facilitating admissions, treatment planning, and discharge planning. Coordinates community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community agency programs. The incumbent is required to have knowledge of Veterans community programs and resources and interact not only with the Veteran but also with family and significant others, when indicated, interdisciplinary team members, other VA staff, and community organizations and social service agencies.
• Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and their families. Independently works with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems utilizing individual, group and family counseling and therapy skills.
• Independently provides consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plan. Demonstrates the ability to evaluate own practice through professional peer review, case conferences and other organizational means. Communicates effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds. The incumbent demonstrates the ability to teach and mentor staff and students in the special area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications.
• The Senior LPMHC will provide clinical supervision to new professional mental health counselors who are unlicensed or dependently licensed and professional mental health counselor graduate students, as assigned.
• The Senior LPMHC may assist the PTSD Programs Manager with the day-to-day functioning of the PCT, including assisting with planning, establishing, and implementing policies and procedures within the program along with conducting ongoing reviews to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing bodies.

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

Telework: Not available

Remote : This is not a remote position

Functional Statement # : 94003-O

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• 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 identification 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 :

• 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. 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.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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:

1. Advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex mental illness. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Ability to determine priority of services needed and provide specialized treatment.

2. Advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needs. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling, or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial, and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans.

3. Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data.

4. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the psychosocial treatment of patients, rendering professional opinions based on experience, expertise and role modeling effective clinical skills.

5. Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications.

6. Ability to engage in written and oral communication with leadership/staff and community stakeholders regarding policies, procedures, practice guidelines, and issues pertaining to the practice of the profession.

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

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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

VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Receiving Service Credit for 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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