Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator)

Summary

This is an open continuous announcement. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. Applications will remain on file until February 4, 2027.

Duties

• The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) Clinical Coordinator provides mental health services under the Mental Health/Behavioral Sciences Service (MHBSS) at the James A. Haley Veterans Administration Hospital (JAHVAH) in Tampa, FL. These mental health services include programmatic responsibility for assessment, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment/aftercare planning, case management, and individual/group therapy to 30 complex care Veterans with the JAHVAH. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Management responsibilities include assisting the assigned Program Manager with ongoing development of program missions, goals, objectives, timelines, target populations to be served and admission criteria consistent with requirements from the VA Central Office (VACO). Assisting the Program Manager with physical plant planning and evaluation to include safety, therapeutic and regulatory considerations are also part of the required duties. Ongoing review of proposed program staffing patterns and respective position descriptions to best meet programmatic needs and requirements as well as interviewing/recommending new staff for final consideration for selection to the Associate Chief of Staff, Mental Health and Behavioral Science Services (ACOS MHBSS) and Human Resources (HR). Maintaining primary responsibility for the development and management of the clinical programming schedule. Complying with all HR policies; development of procedures and trial implementation of administrative and financial processes that support program services and staff productivity; development of forms/routing system to improve efficiency of patient flow from referral to completion of care; implementation of best practices/Evidence Based Psychotherapy (EBP) protocols. Assisting in the development of community awareness and educational materials, forums, presentations and contacts. Providing a full range of assessment/treatment services to assigned patients that would include comprehensive review of current mental illness symptoms, advanced psychosocial case and care management, discharge planning, health care coordination advocacy and referral, community referrals, and the rendering of a decision regarding the presenting diagnosis with coordination of the treatment plan including recommendations for continued treatment or therapy for a variety of different mental disorders that could include particularly complex or unusually difficult patients. Educating patients, family members, and significant others. Developing, implementing, and documenting the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders. Consulting with professional staff within Tampa VAMC and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. Assuming complete professional responsibility for clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. Assisting the Program Manager in training other staff in procedures for documenting clinical program milestones (admission date, length of stay, discharge dates, treatment and discharge plan completion, etc.)., encounters, interfacing with DSS, HAS, DAAS, Coding and Billing. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: This position may be authorized for Ad Hoc, and will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #71954F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates upon review and approval by management, available funding, and in accordance with agency policy. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. ContactV8_EDRP_Tampa@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Qualifications

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. 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. 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 http://www.cacrep.org/directory/. 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. The appointing official may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 3 years for a LPMHC that provides care under the clinical supervision of a licensed LPMHC who is at or above the full performance level. This exception only applies at the entry level (GS-9). For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be licensed. The Human Resources Office will provide the unlicensed LPMHC in writing the requirement to obtain licensure, the date by which the license must be acquired, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. The written notice must be provided prior to the entrance on duty date. Failure to Obtain License. In all cases, LPMHCs must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed within three years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0183 LPMHC series and may result in termination of employment. Loss of Licensure. Once licensed, LPMHCs must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted license to independently practice mental health counseling, which includes diagnosis and treatment. Loss of licensure will result in removal from the GS-0183 LPMHC occupation and may result in termination of employment. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occup…

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 http://www.cacrep.org/directory/. 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. 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.