Military And Family Life Counselor - Child Youth and School Counselor

Magellan Health • Yorktown, VA

21h • Onsite

About The Position

This position primarily provides Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to children of military service members and their families at military installations and off-base. These services encompass non-medical counseling, training, health and wellness presentations, and consultation with parents, school personnel, and installation command regarding behavioral health issues affecting children and youth. CYB School counselors are specifically assigned to Department of Defense (DoDEA) schools, community schools, youth programs, and summer camps, requiring prior experience in a school setting. Counselors collaborate closely with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POC) to ensure the program's scope and effectiveness. The role involves delivering non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling, including assessment, brief counseling, action planning, resource referral, and follow-up. Additionally, counselors support staff and personnel in DoDEA and community schools, summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance. They are expected to maintain visibility within schools, adhere to line-of-sight protocols when working with children, and manage duty-to-warn and restricted reporting situations according to DoD protocol, staffing cases with a Regional Supervisor/Regional Director. Daily activity data entry via smartphone or web application is required, ensuring confidentiality. Counselors also establish relationships with community resources and respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed.

Requirements

• Must hold a state independent license such as LCPC, LCSW, LMFT.
• Experience working in a school setting (for CYB School counselors).
• Master’s Degree from an accredited Graduate Program in a Mental Health related field.
• Valid unrestricted independent counseling license from a State, District of Columbia, US Territory or Commonwealth that grants authority to provide counseling services as an independent practitioner.
• A minimum two years of post-licensure clinical experience.
• Demonstrate intermediate-level competencies in technology and software (i.e., Microsoft Suite, Internet navigation, Smartphone/Tablet and application navigation, video-conferencing platform navigation).
• Ability to engage and communicate with military members 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, which includes the need to traverse short and/or long distances within the base to both indoor and outdoor locations, to maneuver through rugged, outdoor or uneven locations (e.g., steep inclines, stairs, grass), and work in outdoor weather and other military base conditions.
• Comply with various site-specific requirements to work at designated locations (e.g., certain current immunizations or vaccinations and provide record of receipt).
• Ability to prove US Citizenship and must be fluent in English.
• Understanding, sensitivity and empathy for service members and their families.
• Ability to develop trusting, helping relationships.
• Ability to work with individuals and families from diverse racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Pass a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI) Clearance, and an Installation Records Check (IRC), Criminal Background Check, and FBI Fingerprints Check.
• Possess a valid U.S. state vehicle operator’s license (unless specifically waived by the FEDSIM COR).
• May be required to pass all tests for and obtain a U.S. military vehicle operator’s permit for commercial sedans and similar, for use at Temporary Duty (TDY) locations, if required.
• Must meet the Magellan MFLC CYB criteria for experience with children and youth and specialty in child and adolescent development/psychology.
• School assigned counselors must have past work experience in a school setting to qualify for assignment.

Responsibilities

• Providing the full breadth of Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to children of all ages of military service members and their families at military installations and off military installations.
• Providing non-medical counseling, training/health and wellness presentations, consultation with parents, personnel, schools, and consultation to installation command regarding behavioral health issues affecting children and youth.
• Working 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 and the schools.
• Providing non-medical, short-term, solution focused, counseling directly to eligible children and youth of service members at assigned primary and secondary locations.
• Services include assessment, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referral to resources (assuring linkage as appropriate), and follow-up as indicated.
• Supporting the staff and personnel of DoDEA, community schools, summer camps (if available/assigned) as well as providing parent training and guidance.
• Providing training and health and wellness presentations, participating in health fairs and other base/installation activities focused on children and youth.
• Entering counselor activity data daily through smart phone, or web application, to assure that reporting is accurate from assigned installation while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity of service/family member.
• Establishing and maintaining working relationships with community resources focused on children and youth and provides appropriate linkages.
• Consistently visible within the school which allows MFLC services to be accessible when working with children, the counselor must abide by line of sight protocol (another adult with responsibility for the child must be able to see the counselor and child they are working with at all times).
• Partnering with POC to provide CYB services in a manner that addresses the needs of the installation/facility.
• Developing an effective and professional working relationship with the installation/facility POC.
• Managing duty to warn and restricted reporting situations according to DoD protocol and staffs the cases with Regional Supervisor/Regional Director.
• Communicating with Regional Supervisor and participating in regular individual and group supervision, sharing information regarding trends and issues on the installations and in facilities to which they are assigned.
• Responding to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) program manager.
• Flexing schedule to respond to urgent requests as needed or at the request of the Regional Supervisor/Regional Director.
• Participating in regular in-services/training, Quality Improvement committees, initiatives, studies, pilot programs other contract activities as assigned/appropriate as directed by the customer and/or Magellan.
• Completion of activity documentation, integration of pilot activities in non-medical counseling work, and the utilization of applicable technology to complete required activities.
• All other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Broad range of health, life, voluntary and other benefits and perks that enhance your physical, mental, emotional and financial wellbeing.
• Professional growth and development.
• Total health and wellness.
• Rewards and recognition.
• Employee unity.
• Short-term incentives (may be eligible).

What This Job Offers

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