Military and Family Life Counselor - Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Kings Bay Base, GA

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage to meet military needs, including post-deployment events and coverage for absent counselors. The Summer ARC position covers assignments during May 15 through September 15, coinciding with school summer break. Assignments may last one to two days, one week to 30 days, or longer depending on program needs. Candidates must reside near Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay or be willing to relocate locally, and must hold an independent Georgia license as an LCSW, LMFT, or LPC. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor provides 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 consultation, consultation with personnel at child daycare centers and schools, and consultation to installation command on behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and families. CYB counselors may work in DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, and summer camps; experience in a school setting is required when covering a school assignment. Adult counselors may support MFLC services at military community and readiness centers, as well as on-demand and surge assignments. Counselors coordinate with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services are within scope and meet installation needs. The role provides short-term, solution-focused, non-medical counseling to adults, children, and youth, including assessment, brief counseling, 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. Counselors deliver training and wellness presentations and participate in health fairs and other installation activities. They enter activity data daily using a smartphone or web application while maintaining the confidentiality and anonymity of service members and family members. Counselors may be asked to perform additional duties consistent with the role. They must be available Monday through Friday and for occasional weekend assignments, accept assignments on short notice and for undefined periods, and be able to cover full-time assignments of varying lengths. The role may require responding to emergent situations, traversing installation grounds and uneven terrain, working indoors and outdoors in varied weather and military-base conditions, and meeting site-specific requirements such as current immunizations or vaccinations. Counselors must follow applicable DoD protocols, including duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting procedures, and comply with security, legal, regulatory, contractual, and internal policy requirements.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental-health-related field or social work.
Current independent licensure to practice in Georgia as an LCSW, LMFT, or LPC, meeting applicable state and customer-specific requirements.
Must reside near Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay or be willing to make themselves local.
Must be available Monday through Friday and for occasional weekend assignments; willing to accept assignments on short notice and for undefined periods.
Able to cover full-time assignments of varying durations, from a weekend to two weeks; assignments may also range from one to 30 days or longer based on program needs.
Able to build rapport quickly with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Adaptable to new working conditions, locations, and site rules, and able to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
Able to listen carefully to instructions and participate in assigned in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, or other contract activities with minimal notice.
Able to engage and communicate quickly with military members, spouses, or children and respond rapidly to emergent situations.
Able to traverse short or long distances on military installations, including rugged or uneven outdoor locations, stairs, grass, and steep inclines, and work outdoors in varied weather and base conditions.
Able to meet site-specific requirements; some assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and proof of receipt.
Must prove U.S. citizenship and be fluent in English.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
For CYB assignments, must meet Magellan MFLC CYB experience criteria for working with children and youth and have a specialty in child and adolescent development or psychology.
For ARC coverage of a school position, CYB counselors must have experience working in a school setting.
Must follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
Must comply with security responsibilities and controls, and applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, and internal policies and procedures.

Nice To Haves

Prior military service, military-family-member experience, or strong familiarity with military culture is desired.

Responsibilities

Provide short-term, surge, and on-demand counselor coverage for military installations and programs.
Deliver short-term, solution-focused, non-medical counseling to service members, adults, children, and youth, including assessment, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referrals, resource linkage, and follow-up as indicated.
For CYB assignments, support staff and personnel at child development centers, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance.
Provide training and health and wellness presentations, and participate in health fairs and other base or installation activities.
Enter counselor activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while maintaining service-member and family-member confidentiality and anonymity.
Coordinate with installation and military branch Points of Contact to deliver adult and CYB services within scope and according to installation needs.
Establish and maintain relationships with community resources and provide appropriate linkages.
Create an approachable presence on installations and, for CYB assignments, in child and youth settings; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
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 installations and facilities.
Respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.
Participate in in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, and other contract activities as assigned.
Comply with site-specific requirements, security responsibilities, and applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, and internal policies and procedures.