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The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) practices in the VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (VAECHCS). This position is assigned to the outpatient Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Clinic under the Mental Health Service. The incumbent participates as a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team and provides comprehensive psychosocial assessments; individual, family and group treatment of a broad spectrum of substance use and cooccurring mental health disorders. 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 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-0101 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. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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. Grade Determinations: Grade Determinations: Senior 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 LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior LPMHCs must have five years of post-licensed experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise and be licensed to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs. Assignments. Senior LPMHCs provide treatment to patients with complex needs including multiple mental health diagnoses, and numerous psychosocial issues, using independent judgment. LPMHCs at this level provide clinical consultation to less experienced staff which may include coordinating crisis situations. Senior LPMHCs will provide clinical supervision to LPMHC staff and/or LPMHC trainees and may serve as the subject matter expert for the discipline. Senior LPMHCs develop behavioral health related training curriculum and often conduct trainings for clinical staff. LPMHCs model ethical and professional behaviors and standards to include multicultural awareness. Senior LPMHCs meet routinely with inter professional team members and leadership to communicate about program and patient issues for in depth problem solving. Senior LPMHCs collaborate with internal and external stakeholders and frequently serve as a liaison. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. 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: 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. 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. Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data. 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. Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications. 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/106, Part II, Appendix G43 The actual grade for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the work are generally minor, as the position requires sitting, standing and walking. Some travel is required as the incumbent is required to conducted monthly active outreach in the community which may require traveling long distances. The emotional demands can be stressful in working with high risk for suicide veteran population and their families. A high level of self-awareness is essential. Work, divided between office and clinical settings, is primarily sedentary. May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. Requires carrying light items, such as books, files, or laptop computer. ["The LPMHC is certified in at least two evidence-based treatments (or non-VA equivalent) and has actively practiced each for at least two years. It is preferred that at least one of these directly targets Substance Use Disorders (e.g. MI/MET, CBT-SUD). The LPMHC actively implements these evidence-based treatments within the SUD Clinic. The LPMHC, in addition to the functions listed below, provides clinical supervision towards licensure in social work or addictions counseling and/or actively represents the SUD Clinic in facility or VISN-level workgroups/committees. The LPMHC provides clinical consultation to other members of the workgroup, as needed. The LPMHC provides administrative and/or clinical coverage in the absence of the Program Manager, Detox/MAT Coordinator, or as other clinical needs indicate .The incumbent, being trained and experienced in the assessment and treatment of substance use and co-occurring disorders completes all components of the intake and assessment process and develops a treatment plan pertaining to all assessed needs. The incumbent, being trained and experienced in case management, serves as case manager for a panel of patients, the size of which is commensurate with other clinicians on the staff of the SUD Clinic. As case manager, the incumbent attends to a broad range of patient needs that are not fully met directly through the clinical services provided by the SUD Clinic itself, including but not limited to those needs dealing with physical health, employment, finances, family, social support, and housing. The incumbent, being trained and experienced in crisis management, provides same-day access services, as needed, for Veterans enrolled in the SUD Clinic, including referring patients for emergency medical treatment, psychiatric medication evaluation, or non-medical detoxification as well as coordinating the admission of patients to the inpatient psychiatric unit of the nearest VA Medical Center or local non-VA facilities. The incumbent, being trained and experienced in the treatment of patients with substance use disorders, and co-occurring disorders, provides a range of treatment services, including but not limited to individuals, families, and group treatment. Group treatment includes psycho educational as well as psychotherapeutic groups. The incumbent utilizes evidence-based treatment methods whenever possible. They employ Motivational Interviewing skills and techniques, as clinically indicated, and applies, as clinically indicated, interventions based on both abstinence and harm reduction approaches to substance use disorders. The incumbent assesses patient interest in and eligibility for Medication Assisted Therapies and provides referrals for evaluation for these treatments. The incumbent participates in triage services through the daily same-day access clinics and assists with drug and alcohol monitoring, as needed, in conjunction with psychosocial services. The incumbent is responsible for timely follow up with Veterans on their case load who prematurely drop out of treatment in compliance with any VA policies or SOPs. The incumbent actively participates in weekly staff meetings and team huddles regarding clinical, administrative, and staff development issues. The incumbent maintains up-to-date charting in the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS), documenting all assessment, treatment, and case management contacts with patients. Documentation meets all local, state, and national guidelines and is completed in a professional and timely manner. The Social Worker completes encounter forms in expected timelines, adheres to proper coding guidelines, and strives to meet productivity targets and clinic utilization standards. The incumbent actively participates in program planning and development, making recommendations for changes in policies and procedures as needed, as opportunities arise. The incumbent takes responsibility for meeting continuing education requirements and completing all mandatory trainings including those accessed on the Talent Management System (TMS). The incumbent participates in the planning and executing of specific staff-development projects, attends seminars and other training events, and participates in the training programs of other disciplines (psychology, psychiatry, nursing, addiction counseling) as requested. General knowledge of Veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service connected compensation, and non-service-connected pension is required. The incumbent facilitates referrals based upon veterans needs and eligibility. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: May be available with approval of supervisor and service Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 54773-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified applicants Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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