Military and Family Life Counselor - Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Fort Bragg, NC

About The Position

The Military and Family Life Counselor (MFLC) Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage at military installations and related locations, including coverage for absent counselors and support for needs such as post-deployment events. The Summer ARC role covers assignments from May 15 through September 15, coinciding with school summer break. Assignments may range from one or two days to one week or 30 days, with the possibility of longer assignments according to program needs. Candidates must reside near Fort Bragg 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) counseling services to service members and their families. Services include non-medical, short-term, solution-focused assessment and counseling; consultation; action planning; referrals and follow-up; training and health and wellness presentations; and coordination with installation Points of Contact (POCs), community resources, and military personnel. CYB counselors may work in DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and child daycare settings, and support staff, children, youth, and parents. Adult counselors may support military community and readiness centers as well as surge and on-demand assignments. The counselor maintains confidentiality and anonymity, records daily activity through a smartphone or web application, participates in supervision and assigned training or program activities, and responds to critical incidents and special requests as directed. Duties listed are representative rather than exhaustive; additional aligned duties may be assigned. This is a Service Contract Act-covered position; pay and the health and welfare allowance are specified in the applicable wage determination agreement.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field or social work.
Current independent licensure in North Carolina as an LCSW, LMFT, or LCMHC, meeting applicable state and customer-specific requirements.
Must reside near Fort Bragg or be willing to make themselves local.
Must be available Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend assignments, and willing to accept assignments of undefined duration on short notice.
Ability to cover full-time assignments of varying length, from a weekend to two weeks; assignments may also vary from one or two days to 30 days or longer based on program needs.
Ability to quickly build rapport with service personnel, clients, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Adaptability to different working conditions, locations, and site rules; ability to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
Ability to participate in assigned in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, and other contract activities with minimal notice.
Ability to engage and communicate quickly 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 indoor and outdoor areas, rugged or uneven terrain, steep 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.
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 applicable site-specific requirements; some assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and proof of receipt.

Nice To Haves

Prior military service, military family membership, or strong familiarity with military culture.
For ARC CYB assignments backing up a school position, experience working in a school setting.

Responsibilities

Provide short-term, non-medical, solution-focused counseling and related services to military service members, adults, children, and youth.
Conduct assessments, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referrals, resource linkages, and follow-up as indicated.
Provide coverage for short-term, surge, on-demand, and backfill assignments, including support for post-deployment events and absent counselors.
For CYB assignments, support children, youth, parents, and staff in schools, child daycare centers, youth programs, and summer camps; provide parent training and guidance.
Provide training and health and wellness presentations and participate in health fairs and other installation activities.
Consult with installation command and personnel regarding behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and their families.
Coordinate with installation and military branch POCs to ensure services are within scope and meet installation needs.
Establish working relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
Enter counselor activity data daily using a smartphone or web application while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity.
Follow DoD protocols for duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations and staff cases with the Regional Supervisor or Regional Director.
Communicate with Regional Supervisors and participate in individual and group supervision, sharing relevant trends and issues.
Participate in assigned in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, and other contract activities.
Respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.
For work with children, comply with line-of-sight protocol.