Military and Family Life Counselor - Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Goldsboro, NC

About The Position

The Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC) Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage for military community counseling needs, including post-deployment events and temporary coverage for counselors who are absent. The Summer ARC position covers assignments from May 15 through September 15, with assignment durations ranging from one or two days to surges or backfills of one week to 30 days, and potentially longer based on program needs. Candidates must reside near Seymour Johnson Air Force Base or be willing to become local, and must hold an independent North Carolina license 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 counseling; assessment, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referrals and follow-up; training and health and wellness presentations; and consultation with parents, school and daycare personnel, and installation command. CYB counselors may cover DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and other on-demand assignments. Counselors assigned to back up school positions must have experience working in a school setting. Adult counselors may support MFLC services at military community and readiness centers and in surge or on-demand assignments. The counselor works with installation and military-branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services are within scope and responsive to installation needs. The role also requires maintaining community resource relationships, handling duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations in accordance with DoD protocol, participating in supervision and program activities, responding to critical incidents as directed, and entering daily activity data through a smartphone or web application while preserving confidentiality and anonymity.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field or social work.
Current independent North Carolina licensure to practice as a Social Worker (LCSW), Therapist (LMFT), or Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC); the posting also lists independently licensed behavioral health clinician and applicable state or customer-specific licensure requirements.
Must reside near Seymour Johnson Air Force Base 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 periods on short notice, including weekends.
Able to cover assignments on a full-time basis, with durations ranging from a weekend to two weeks; assignments may also range from one or two days to 30 days or longer based on program needs.
Able to quickly build rapport with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Adaptable to new working conditions and varying location rules, and able to adjust work style to the environment.
Able to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance and listen carefully to instructions.
Able to quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses, or children and respond to emergent situations.
Able to traverse short and long distances on installations and in school settings, including indoor and outdoor locations, rugged or uneven terrain, inclines, stairs, and grass, and work in outdoor weather and other military-base conditions.
Must comply with site-specific requirements for designated locations, which may include maintaining specified immunizations or vaccinations and providing proof.
Must be able to prove U.S. citizenship and be fluent in English.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
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 abide by line-of-sight protocol when working with children.

Nice To Haves

Prior military service, being a military family member, or strong familiarity with military culture.
For counselors backing up a school position, experience working in a school setting.

Responsibilities

Provide non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling to military service members, adults, children, and youth.
Conduct assessments, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referrals, resource linkages, and follow-up as indicated.
Provide training and health and wellness presentations and participate in health fairs and other installation activities.
For CYB assignments, support staff and personnel at child development centers, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance.
Work with installation and military-branch Points of Contact to deliver services that meet installation or facility needs and maintain effective working relationships with them.
Establish and maintain relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
Create an approachable presence on installations and, for CYB counselors, in child and youth settings; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
Enter counselor activity data daily using a smartphone or web application while maintaining 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.
Provide short-term, surge, on-demand, backfill, and other coverage assignments as program needs require.