Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Charleston, SC

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, on-demand, and backfill coverage in response to military needs, including post-deployment events and coverage for counselors who are absent. The Summer ARC counselor 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 based on program needs. Counselors must be available Monday through Friday and for occasional weekend assignments, and may need to accept assignments on short notice and for undefined periods. Candidates must reside near Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, or be willing to make themselves local. 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 include non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling; assessment; brief counseling and consultation; action planning; referrals and linkage to resources; and follow-up as indicated. Other services may include training and health and wellness presentations, consultation with parents and personnel at childcare centers and schools, and consultation with installation command on behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and their families. CYB counselors may work in DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and other on-demand assignments. Counselors backing up a school position must have experience working in a school setting. CYB counselors also support childcare center, school, youth program, and camp staff and personnel, and provide parent training and guidance. Adult counselors may support MFLC services at military community and readiness centers, as well as on-demand and surge assignments. Counselors work closely with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services remain within program scope and meet installation needs. They build relationships with clients, families, staff, community resources, and POCs; maintain a visible, approachable, confidential presence; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children; manage duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to DoD protocol; and consult with regional supervisors or directors. They may respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager. Counselor activity data must be entered daily through a smartphone or web application while maintaining the confidentiality and anonymity of service members and family members. The duties described are representative and not all-inclusive. Additional duties consistent with the intent of the role may be assigned. This is a Service Contract Act-covered position; the pay rate and 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 to practice as a mental health counselor, therapist, or social worker in South Carolina, meeting applicable state or customer requirements.
Must reside near Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, or be willing to make themselves local.
Must be available Monday through Friday and for occasional weekend assignments; must be willing to accept short-notice assignments of undefined periods, including weekends.
Ability to cover assignments of varying lengths on a full-time basis, ranging from a weekend to two weeks; assignments may also vary from short on-demand periods to longer backfills based on program needs.
Ability to quickly build rapport with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Adaptability to new work conditions, location rules, and different work environments; ability to work effectively with minimal instruction and follow instructions carefully.
Ability to participate with minimal notice in in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, or other contract activities as assigned.
Ability to engage and communicate quickly with military members, spouses, or children and respond to emergent situations at military installations or in school settings.
Ability to traverse short and long distances on base, reach indoor and outdoor locations, maneuver through rugged or uneven areas such as steep inclines, stairs, and grass, and work in outdoor weather and other military-base conditions.
Ability to meet site-specific work requirements; some assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and proof of receipt.
Ability to prove U.S. citizenship and fluency in English.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
For CYB roles, 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 counselors assigned to back up a school position, 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, surge, on-demand, and backfill counseling coverage at military installations and related settings.
Deliver non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling, assessment, consultation, action planning, referrals, resource linkage, and follow-up to service members, adults, children, and youth.
Provide training and health and wellness presentations, participate in health fairs and other installation activities, and consult with parents, school and childcare personnel, and installation command as appropriate.
For CYB assignments, support staff at childcare centers, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance.
Build rapport and maintain an approachable, confidential presence with service members, families, students, parents, and staff; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
Establish and maintain relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
Partner with installation and military branch POCs to provide services that address installation or facility needs, and maintain effective working relationships with them.
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 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.
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.