Military and Family Life Counselor - Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Havelock, NC

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides coverage for short-term, surge, and on-demand military counseling needs, including post-deployment events and coverage for counselors who are absent. This temporary backfill position covers assignments during the May 15 through September 15 summer period, with assignments that may last from one or two days to several weeks and potentially longer based on program needs. Candidates must reside near MCAS Cherry Point or be willing to relocate locally and must be independently licensed to practice in North Carolina as an LCSW, LMFT, or LCMHC. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor provides adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) services to service members and their families at military installations. Services include non-medical, short-term, solution-focused assessment and counseling; consultation; action planning; referrals and follow-up; training and wellness presentations; and consultation with parents, schools, childcare personnel, and installation command. CYB assignments may involve DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and on-demand coverage. Counselors assigned to back up a school position must have experience in a school setting. Adult counselors may work in military community and readiness centers or on surge and on-demand assignments. The counselor coordinates with installation and military-branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services meet local needs and remain within program scope. The role also includes building community resource relationships, handling duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to DoD protocol, participating in supervision and program activities, responding to approved critical incidents, and entering activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while protecting confidentiality and anonymity. Assignments may involve site-specific requirements, including current immunizations or vaccinations.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field or social work.
Current independent behavioral-health licensure meeting North Carolina requirements; the posting identifies LCSW, LMFT, or LCMHC.
Must reside near MCAS Cherry Point or be willing to make themselves local.
Must be available Monday through Friday and for occasional weekend assignments; must be willing to accept assignments of undefined duration with short notice.
Able to cover full-time assignments of varying lengths, from a weekend to two weeks; assignments may also range from one or two days to several weeks or longer based on program needs.
Fluent in English and able to prove U.S. citizenship.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
Quickly builds rapport with service members, family members, students, parents, and co-workers; adapts to new work conditions and location rules; and works effectively with minimal instruction.
Able to engage and communicate quickly with military members, spouses, or children and respond to emergent situations at military installations or in school settings.
Able to traverse short or long distances on installations, including outdoor or uneven terrain, stairs, and steep inclines, and work in outdoor weather and other military-base conditions.
Able to meet site-specific requirements for assigned locations, which may include having and documenting required current immunizations or vaccinations.
For school-backup assignments, experience working in a school setting is required.
For CYB positions, must meet Magellan MFLC CYB experience criteria for working with children and youth and have a specialty in child and adolescent development or psychology.
Must comply with security responsibilities, applicable legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements, 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 coverage for military counseling services, including post-deployment events and coverage for absent counselors.
Deliver non-medical, short-term, solution-focused assessment, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, resource referrals, and follow-up to adults, children, and youth of service members.
Provide CYB support to childcare centers, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, including staff support and parent training and guidance.
Provide training and health and wellness presentations, and participate in health fairs and other installation activities.
Coordinate with installation and military-branch Points of Contact to deliver services that address installation or facility needs.
Establish and maintain relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
Enter counselor activity data daily using a smartphone or web application while maintaining service-member and family-member confidentiality and anonymity.
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 trends and issues from assigned installations and facilities.
Participate in in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, and other contract activities as assigned.
Respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.
For CYB services, maintain an approachable presence in child and youth settings and follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.