Military and Family Life Counselor - Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Fort Benning, GA

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage for military needs, such as post-deployment events or coverage for counselors who are absent. The temporary backfill assignment is associated with the summer period from May 15 through September 15, with assignment lengths ranging from one or two days to one week through 30 days, and potentially longer based on program needs. Candidates must reside near Fort Benning or be willing to become local and must be independently licensed in Georgia as an LCSW, LMFT, or LPC. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor provides adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to service members and their families at military installations. Services may include non-medical counseling, training and health and wellness presentations, consultation with parents and personnel at daycare centers and schools, and consultation to installation command regarding behavioral health issues. CYB counselors may work in DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and other on-demand assignments; school backfill assignments require school-setting experience. Adult counselors may support MFLC services in military community and readiness centers, as well as surge and on-demand assignments. Counselors work with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services meet installation needs and remain within scope. The role provides short-term, solution-focused counseling to adults, children, and youth, including assessment, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referral 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 presentations, participate in health fairs and other installation activities, and record activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while maintaining client confidentiality and anonymity. Counselors may receive assignments with short notice and undefined durations, including weekends, and must be able to cover assignments ranging from a weekend to two weeks on a full-time basis. Work may require responding to emergent situations and traveling across military installations or school settings, including indoor and outdoor locations and uneven or rugged terrain. Site-specific requirements may apply, including current immunizations or vaccinations for certain assignments. The duties listed are representative and additional duties aligned with the role may be assigned.

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 or customer-specific requirements.
Must reside near Fort Benning or be willing to make themselves local.
Must be available Monday through Friday and for occasional weekend assignments; must be willing to accept assignments with short notice and undefined durations.
Ability to cover assignments on a full-time basis for varying lengths, from a weekend to two weeks.
Ability to quickly build rapport with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Adaptability to new working conditions, varying locations, and site-specific rules.
Ability to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance and to listen carefully to instructions.
Ability to quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses, or children and respond to emergent situations.
Ability to traverse short or long distances on military installations and in school settings, including outdoor, rugged, or uneven terrain, inclines, stairs, and grass, and to work in outdoor weather and other military-base conditions.
Must be able to prove U.S. citizenship and be fluent in English.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
Must meet applicable site-specific requirements; certain assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and documentation.
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.
For school backfill assignments, CYB counselors must have experience working in a school setting.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Provide short-term, non-medical, solution-focused counseling to military service members, adults, children, and youth.
Conduct assessments, brief counseling, consultations, action planning, referrals and resource linkage, and follow-up as indicated.
Provide adult or Child and Youth Behavioral counseling services at military installations and assigned facilities.
Support staff and personnel at child development centers, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs, and summer camps; provide parent training and guidance.
Deliver training and health and wellness presentations and participate in health fairs and other installation activities.
Consult with parents, school and daycare personnel, and installation command regarding behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and families.
Work with installation and military branch Points of Contact to provide services that meet installation needs and remain within program scope.
Establish and maintain relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
Create an approachable presence while maintaining the confidentiality of the program; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
Enter counselor activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while preserving 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, with minimal notice, 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.