Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

Department of Veterans Affairs•Butler, PA

43d•Onsite

About The Position

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. BUTLER: Butler VA Health Care System is located in the heart of Butler County and convenient to community support services for Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio-area Veterans. At Butler VA Health Care System, we are Making Lives Better for America's Veterans every day in every way. The position is located in the Behavioral Health Clinic (BHC). The BHC provides ambulatory care services to substance abusing and emotionally ill male and female Veterans and their significant others. In addition to substance abuse, a significant number of these patients have concurrent psychiatric disorders, personality disorders, medical conditions, and multiple psychosocial stressors. Thus, the biopsychosocial status of many of the BHC patients is severely compromised. Management prefers a Licensed Professional Counselor with experience with Substance Use Disorder, Evidenced Based Practices, Adults, Couples, Veterans, Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression.

Requirements

Licensed Professional Counselor with experience with Substance Use Disorder, Evidenced Based Practices, Adults, Couples, Veterans, Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression

Responsibilities

Assessment: The incumbent independently conducts intake screenings and evaluations of Veterans and their significant others. When assessing Veterans for admission to the BHC, the incumbent uses the established biopsychosocial admissions criteria to determine the appropriateness of Veterans referred to the BHC for service in the different treatment components. After admission, performs a comprehensive intake assessment that satisfies Joint Commission (JC) and other regulatory standards. While the patient is in treatment, the Behavioral Health Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor continues to reassess and monitor the status of problematic behaviors; routinely evaluates the impact that therapeutic interventions have on patient problems; assesses patients' progress toward meeting treatment goals and objectives; determines the need for additional assessment of specific problem areas; conducts and documents a discharge assessment that summarizes the extent to which each problem is resolved and the extent to which additional treatment is needed.
Treatment: The Behavioral Health Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy, as well as crisis intervention. When providing treatment, incumbent relies on own clinical judgment to address patient problems in a fashion that is consistent with the knowledge and skills of other professional staff with Master's level training. Conducts short, medium, long-term in-depth counseling and facilitates time-limited, closed, structured groups for patients with substance abuse problems, mental health problems, or co-morbid conditions. may also facilitate group counseling and conduct assessments. Provides crisis intervention and stabilization to patients and significant others. Crisis intervention requires the incumbent to function with a high degree of independent judgment in responding appropriately and quickly to unique needs/ dangers in crisis situations. The incumbent develops and as needed, revises treatment plans. The incumbent will keep abreast of new treatment techniques and evidence-based practices.
Case Management: The case management responsibilities of the Behavioral Health Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor do not differ from other BHC staff (i.e., Psychologist, Social Worker, or Nurse). If a patient is engaged in therapy with the counselor, he or she will be designated as the Mental Health Treatment Coordinator (MHTC) as assigned. The role of the MHTC is to coordinate treatment activities to ensure that each patient is provided with an individualized, integrated, biopsychosocial approach to case management.
Program and Staff Development: The incumbent takes a supportive role in the administrative/clinical functions of the program such as quality assurance, peer review, program planning, preparation of reports, and other duties as assigned. The incumbent actively participates in BHC committees; provides training to Medical Center and BHC staff through patient review conferences, BHC in-service programs, and medical. education presentations; keeps abreast of new developments in the field of behavioral health; and maintains accurate records and data needed for local and national reports. The incumbent is also responsible for designing and conducting group therapy sessions; recommending methods to improve the quality, quantity, and integration of treatment services. Outreach activities are performed independently and in settings in which there is a significant lack of normal supervisory controls over his/her performance.