Assignment Readiness Counselor - Short Term Fill Ins

Magellan Health • Arlington, VA

22h • Onsite

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) role involves providing short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage for military needs, such as post-deployment events or covering absent counselors. The Summer ARC position specifically covers assignments from May 15th through September 15th, coinciding with the school summer break. These counselors, with minimal guidance, deliver a full range of Adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to military service members and their families directly at military installations. These services encompass non-medical counseling, health and wellness presentations, consultation with parents, staff at child daycare centers and schools, and advising installation command on behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and their families. CYB counselors may be deployed to DoDEA schools, community schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and are expected to have prior experience in school settings for school-based assignments. Adult counselors support MFLC services in various military community and readiness centers, as well as handling on-demand and surge assignments. The counselors collaborate closely with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POC) to ensure the program's adherence to scope and effectiveness in meeting installation needs. They provide non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling, which includes assessment, brief counseling, action planning, resource referral (with linkage assurance), and follow-up. CYB counselors also focus on supporting staff in CDCs, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and offer parent training and guidance. Additional duties include conducting training and health and wellness presentations and participating in base/installation activities like health fairs. Daily activity data must be entered via a smartphone or web application, ensuring accurate reporting while maintaining client confidentiality and anonymity.

Requirements

• Candidates must be local or willing to relocate to become local and licensed at the independent level as a Social Worker (LICSW, LCSW-R or LICSW-CP), Mental Health Counselor (LPC or LMHC), or Therapist (LMFT) or equivalent independent licensure.
• Master’s Degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health related field, or social work.
• Ability to quickly build rapport with service personnel clients, family members, students, parents and co-workers.
• Adaptable to new working conditions, varying location rules, etc.; adjusts working style to align with each work environment.
• Able to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
• Listens carefully to instructions provided.
• Ability to quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses or children as assigned, in order to accomplish job functions, and to respond quickly to emergent situations in any physical location on a military installation and/or within a school setting.
• Ability to prove US Citizenship.
• Must be fluent in English.
• Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
• For CYB positions, must meet the Magellan MFLC CYB criteria for experience with children and youth and specialty in child and adolescent development/psychology.
• Current licensure required for this position that meets State, Commonwealth or customer-specific requirements.
• Must be an independently licensed behavioral health clinician.

Nice To Haves

• For ARC CYB counselors, experience working in a school setting to qualify for ARC role in backing up a school position.
• Prior military service/military family member and/or strong familiarity with military culture desired.

Responsibilities

• Provide coverage in short-term, surge and on demand situations resulting from Military needs such as a post-deployment event or to cover an existing assignment for counselors who are absent.
• Provide the full breadth of Adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to military service members and their families at military installations.
• Provide non-medical counseling, training/health and wellness presentations, consultation with parents, personnel at child daycare centers and schools, and consultation to installation command regarding behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and their family members.
• Work closely with the installation and military branch Points of Contact (POC) to assure that the program is provided within scope and meets the needs of the installation.
• Provide non-medical, short term, solution focused, counseling directly to adults, children, and youth of service members.
• Services include assessment, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referral to resources (assuring linkage as appropriate), and follow-up as indicated.
• For CYB counselors, focus on supporting the staff and personnel of CDCs, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs and summer camps as well as providing parent training and guidance.
• Provide training and health and wellness presentations, participate in health fairs and other base/installation activities.
• Enter counselor activity data daily through smart phone or web application assure that reporting is accurate from assigned installation while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity of service / family member.
• Accept assignments of undefined periods to include weekends with short notice.
• Cover, on a full-time basis, assignments of varying length from a weekend to two weeks.
• Quickly build rapport with service personnel clients, family members, students, parents and co-workers.
• Adapt to new working conditions, varying location rules, etc.; adjust working style to align with each work environment.
• Work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
• Listen carefully to instructions provided.
• Participate in regular in-services/training, Quality Improvement committees or other contract activities as assigned with minimal notice.
• Quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses or children as assigned, in order to accomplish job functions, and to respond quickly to emergent situations in any physical location on a military installation and/or within a school setting.
• Comply with various site-specific requirements to work at designated locations (e.g., have certain current immunizations or vaccinations and provide record of receipt).
• For CYB counselors, create a presence in child and youth settings, be available to children, youth, and staff, and abide by line of site protocol when working with children.
• Establish and maintain working relationships with community resources and provide appropriate linkages.
• Partner with POC to provide Adult and CYB services in a manner that addresses the needs of the installation/facility.
• Develop an excellent working relationship with the installation/facility POC.
• Manage duty to warn and restricted reporting situations according to DoD protocol and staff the cases with Regional Supervisor/Regional Director.
• Communicate with Regional Supervisors and participate in regular individual and group supervision, sharing information regarding trends and issues on the installations and in facilities to which they are assigned for substitute or on call services.
• Respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.

Benefits

• Professional growth and development
• Total health and wellness
• Rewards and recognition
• Employee unity

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees