Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Jacksonville, FL

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides temporary coverage for Military and Family Life Counseling (MFLC) services during short-term, surge, on-demand, and backfill assignments arising from military needs. Assignments may last one to two days, one week to 30 days, or longer based on program needs. The Summer ARC role covers assignments from May 15 through September 15, coinciding with school summer break. Candidates must reside near NAS Jacksonville, Florida, or be willing to become local, and must be independently licensed to practice in Florida as a mental health counselor, therapist, or social worker. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor provides the breadth of adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to 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 follow-up; training and health and wellness presentations; and consultation with parents, childcare center and school personnel, and installation command. CYB assignments may be in DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, or other on-demand settings. Adult counselors may serve at military community and readiness centers and in surge or on-demand assignments. Counselors work with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services are within scope and meet installation needs. The counselor enters activity data daily using a smartphone or web application while protecting the confidentiality and anonymity of service members and family members. Counselors may respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager. Duties listed are representative and not exhaustive; additional aligned duties may be assigned.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field or social work.
Current independent licensure as a behavioral health clinician meeting Florida and applicable state, Commonwealth, or customer-specific requirements; examples listed include LPC.
Must reside near NAS Jacksonville, Florida, or be willing to make themselves local.
Must be available Monday through Friday and for occasional weekend assignments; must be willing to accept assignments on short notice for undefined periods, including weekends.
Able to cover full-time assignments of varying lengths, from a weekend to two weeks; assignments may also range from one to 30 days or longer based on program needs.
Fluent in English and able to prove U.S. citizenship.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
Able to quickly build rapport with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Able to adapt to new working conditions and location-specific rules, work effectively with minimal instruction, and carefully follow instructions.
Able to engage and communicate quickly with military members, spouses, and children and respond to emergent situations.
Able to traverse short or long distances on installations and in schools, including indoor and outdoor locations, rugged or uneven terrain, steep inclines, stairs, and grass, and work in outdoor weather and other military base conditions.
Must meet site-specific requirements for assigned locations; some assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and proof of receipt.
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.

Nice To Haves

Prior military service, being a military family member, or strong familiarity with military culture.
For CYB school backfill assignments, experience working in a school setting.

Responsibilities

Provide non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling to service members, adults, children, and youth and their families.
Conduct assessments, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referrals to resources, and follow-up as indicated.
Provide training and health and wellness presentations and participate in health fairs and other installation activities.
Consult with parents, childcare center staff, school personnel, youth program staff, and installation command regarding behavioral health concerns.
For CYB assignments, support staff and personnel at childcare centers, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance.
Work with installation and military branch POCs to deliver services within scope and address installation or facility needs.
Establish and maintain relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
Create an approachable, confidential program presence on installations and, for CYB assignments, in child and youth settings; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
Enter counselor activity data daily through 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.