Military & Family Life Counselor - Adult Embedded

Magellan Health • Charleston, SC

8d • $59,922 - $100,280 • Onsite

About The Position

The Military & Family Life Counselor (MFLC) provides non-medical, short-term counseling, consultation, training, and health and wellness services to service members and families as an embedded counselor assigned to a dedicated military unit. The position is based at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina; candidates must be local or willing to become local. The counselor also consults with the unit command regarding behavioral health issues, with attention to the unit’s structure, culture, and mission, and coordinates with regional leadership, installation personnel, and military Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services meet installation needs and remain within program scope.

Services include assessment, brief solution-focused counseling, action planning, referrals and linkage to resources, follow-up as indicated, and presentations or activities as requested. The counselor is expected to be visible and accessible within the assigned unit, build professional relationships with commanders, personnel, POCs, community resources, and military populations, and provide services while maintaining confidentiality. The role also involves daily activity reporting through a smartphone or web application.

The counselor may respond to critical incidents, urgent requests, surges, and special requests as directed and approved, and may need to flex their schedule. Responsibilities also include managing duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to Department of Defense protocols; participating in supervision, training, quality improvement activities, contract initiatives, studies, and pilot programs; and performing other duties as assigned.

This role requires an accredited master’s degree in a mental health-related field and a valid, unrestricted, independent counseling license. Candidates must be U.S. citizens, fluent in English, and able to meet background-screening and site-specific requirements. The work may involve responding to emergent situations and traveling across military installations or other locations, including varied indoor and outdoor terrain and weather conditions.

Requirements

• Master’s degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field.
• Valid, unrestricted independent counseling license from a U.S. state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory, or commonwealth, authorizing independent counseling practice.
• Less than 2 years of post-licensure clinical experience.
• Intermediate-level competency with technology and software, including Microsoft Suite, internet navigation, smartphones/tablets and applications, and video-conferencing platforms.
• Ability to engage and communicate with military members or children as assigned and respond quickly to emergent situations at military installations or in school settings.
• Ability to traverse short or long distances on base, including rugged or uneven terrain, stairs, grass, and steep inclines, and to work outdoors in varied weather and military base conditions.
• Ability to travel to locations outside military installations in varied physical environments.
• Ability to meet site-specific work requirements; some assignments may require specified immunizations or vaccinations and proof of receipt.
• Ability to prove U.S. citizenship and speak fluent English.
• Understanding, sensitivity, and empathy for service members and their families, with the ability to develop trusting helping relationships and work effectively with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Pass a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI) Clearance, Installation Records Check (IRC), Criminal History Background Check, and FBI Fingerprints Check; some units also require secret-level clearance.
• Possess a valid U.S. state vehicle operator’s license unless specifically waived by the FEDSIM COR.
• May be required to pass tests and obtain a U.S. military vehicle operator’s permit for commercial sedans and similar vehicles for use at TDY locations, if required.
• Be local or willing to become local to Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina.

Responsibilities

• Provide non-medical, short-term, solution-focused walk-around counseling to eligible service members and family members at assigned locations.
• Conduct assessments, brief counseling, action planning, referrals and resource linkage, and follow-up as indicated.
• Provide consultation to the assigned military unit command regarding behavioral health issues, taking the unit’s structure, culture, and mission into account.
• Deliver training and health and wellness presentations and activities as requested or directed.
• Enter counselor activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while maintaining client and service member confidentiality.
• Develop and maintain professional relationships with commanders, military personnel, installation and command POCs, and community resources.
• Remain visible and accessible within the assigned brigade or regiment and partner with POCs to provide services that address unit needs while maintaining confidentiality.
• Respond to critical incidents, surges, urgent requests, and special requests as directed and approved; flex schedule when needed.
• Manage duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to DoD protocol and consult with regional leadership on cases.
• Communicate with Regional Supervisors and participate in individual and group supervision.
• Participate in in-service training, Quality Improvement committees, and other contract activities as assigned or appropriate.
• Participate in customer- or Magellan-directed initiatives, studies, and pilot programs, including certification and training, documentation, integration of pilot activities, and use of applicable technology.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, including health, life, voluntary, and other benefits and perks supporting physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellbeing.
• May be eligible for short-term incentives.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level