Assignment Readiness Counselor - Short Term and On Demand

Magellan Health • Dayton, OH

9d

About The Position

The Assignment Readiness Counselor (ARC) provides coverage in short-term, surge, and on-demand situations driven by military needs, such as post-deployment events or temporary coverage for counselors who are absent. The Summer ARC role covers assignments from May 15 through September 15, coinciding with school summer break. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor provides a broad range of adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to military service members and their families at military installations.

Services may include non-medical counseling, training and health and wellness presentations, parent consultations, consultation with personnel at child daycare centers and schools, and consultation to installation command regarding behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and families. CYB counselors may be assigned to DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and on-demand assignments; those backing up a school position need school-setting experience. Adult counselors may support MFLC services at military community and readiness centers, as well as surge and on-demand assignments. Counselors work closely with installation and military-branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services remain within scope and meet installation needs.

The counselor provides short-term, solution-focused, non-medical counseling to adults, children, and youth of service members. Services include assessment, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referrals and linkage to resources, and follow-up as indicated. CYB counselors also support staff and personnel at child development centers, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance. The role includes presentations, health fairs, and other installation activities, as well as daily entry of activity data through a smartphone or web application while protecting service-member and family-member confidentiality and anonymity.

Assignments may be of undefined duration and can vary from a weekend to two weeks. The counselor may need to respond to emergent situations and critical incidents, adapt to changing locations and site-specific requirements, and work with minimal instruction. Duties listed are representative and not all-inclusive; additional duties aligned with the role may be assigned. This is a Service Contract Act-covered position; pay and the health and welfare allowance are specified in the applicable wage determination agreement.

Requirements

• Master's degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field or social work.
• Current independent behavioral health licensure meeting state, commonwealth, or customer-specific requirements; examples include LCSW, LPC, or LMFT.
• Ability to accept assignments of undefined duration with short notice, including weekends.
• Ability to cover full-time assignments ranging in length from a weekend to two weeks.
• Ability to quickly build rapport with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
• Ability to adapt to new working conditions, locations, and site rules, and to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
• Ability to listen carefully to instructions and respond quickly to emergent situations.
• Ability to engage and communicate with military members, spouses, or children and traverse indoor and outdoor installation or school environments, including long or short distances, stairs, steep inclines, grass, and uneven terrain, and to work in outdoor weather and other military base conditions.
• Ability to meet site-specific work requirements, which may include holding current immunizations or vaccinations and providing proof.
• Ability to prove U.S. citizenship and fluency in English.
• Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
• For CYB positions, ability to meet Magellan MFLC CYB experience criteria for working with children and youth and specialty criteria in child and adolescent development or psychology.
• For CYB school backup assignments, experience working in a school setting.
• Valid driver's license and required licensure and certifications specified for the position.

Nice To Haves

• Prior military service, being a military family member, and/or strong familiarity with military culture.

Responsibilities

• Provide short-term, non-medical, solution-focused counseling to adults, children, and youth of service members.
• Conduct assessments, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referrals and resource linkage, and follow-up as indicated.
• Provide coverage for short-term, surge, on-demand, and substitute assignments at military installations and related settings.
• For CYB assignments, support staff and personnel at child development centers, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance.
• Deliver training and health and wellness presentations, and participate in health fairs and other installation activities.
• Enter counselor activity data daily using a smartphone or web application while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity.
• Build a visible, approachable presence on installations and, for CYB roles, in child and youth settings; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
• Establish and maintain relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
• Partner with installation or facility POCs to provide services that address local needs and maintain an effective working relationship with them.
• Manage duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to DoD protocol and consult with the Regional Supervisor or Regional Director.
• Communicate with Regional Supervisors and participate in individual and group supervision, sharing relevant 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.
• Participate, with minimal notice, in in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, and other assigned contract activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time