Assignment Readiness Counselor - Short Term or On Demand

Magellan Health • Virginia Beach, VA

2d

About The Position

The Assignment Readiness Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage for military counseling needs, including post-deployment events and coverage for counselors who are absent. Summer ARC assignments cover May 15 through September 15. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor delivers adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to military service members and their families at military installations. Assignments may include DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, military community and readiness centers, and other installation settings. CYB school backup assignments require experience working in a school setting.

The counselor provides non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling, assessment, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referrals and follow-up. Other services include training and health and wellness presentations, parent guidance, consultation with school and child-care personnel, and consultation with installation command on behavioral health issues. The counselor works with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services meet installation needs and remain within program scope. Activity data is entered daily through a smartphone or web application while maintaining the confidentiality and anonymity of service members and family members.

This role requires flexibility to accept short-notice assignments of undefined duration, including weekends, and to cover full-time assignments lasting from a weekend to two weeks. Counselors may need to respond to emergent situations across indoor and outdoor installation or school locations, comply with site-specific requirements, and participate in training, supervision, and other contract activities. Additional duties aligned with the role may be assigned.

Requirements

• Master's degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field or social work.
• Current independent-level licensure as a Social Worker (LCSW, LICSW, LCSW-R, or LICSW-CP), Mental Health Counselor (LPC or LMHC), Therapist (LMFT), or equivalent, meeting applicable state, Commonwealth, or customer-specific requirements.
• Candidates must be local or willing to relocate to become local.
• Clinical work experience is required.
• Must be willing, with short notice, to accept assignments of undefined duration, including weekends, and cover full-time assignments lasting from a weekend to two weeks.
• Ability to quickly build rapport with service personnel, clients, family members, students, parents, and co-workers.
• Ability to adapt to new working conditions and location rules, work effectively with minimal instruction, and carefully follow instructions.
• Ability to quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses, or children and respond to emergent situations at military installations or in school settings.
• Ability to traverse short or long distances on installations, including indoor and outdoor locations, rugged or uneven terrain, steep inclines, stairs, and grass, and to work in outdoor weather and other military-base conditions.
• Ability to meet site-specific requirements for designated worksites; some assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and proof of receipt.
• Ability to prove U.S. citizenship and fluency in English.
• Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
• For CYB positions, must meet Magellan MFLC CYB experience criteria for working with children and youth and have a specialty in child and adolescent development or psychology.
• Must comply with role-specific security responsibilities and controls and applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, and internal requirements.

Nice To Haves

• Prior military service, military family membership, or strong familiarity with military culture.
• For CYB school backup assignments, experience working in a school setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling to service members, adults, children, and youth and their families.
• Conduct assessments and brief counseling; develop action plans; refer clients to resources, ensure linkages as appropriate, and follow up as indicated.
• Provide consultation to parents, child-care center personnel, school staff, youth program staff, and installation command on behavioral health issues.
• Support staff and personnel at CDCs, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs, and summer camps, including parent training and guidance.
• Deliver training and health and wellness presentations and participate in health fairs and other base or installation activities.
• Work with installation and military branch POCs to provide services that address installation needs and remain within program scope.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with community resources and provide appropriate linkages.
• Create an approachable presence in installation and, for CYB assignments, child and youth settings while maintaining program confidentiality; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
• Enter counselor activity data daily using a smartphone or web application while maintaining service and family member confidentiality and anonymity.
• Manage duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to DoD protocol and staff cases with the Regional Supervisor or Regional Director.
• Communicate with Regional Supervisors and participate in individual and group supervision, sharing trends and issues from assigned locations.
• Respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.
• Accept short-notice assignments of varying and potentially undefined duration, including weekend assignments, and participate in assigned training and contract activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time