Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Arlington, VA

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides coverage in short-term, surge, and on-demand situations arising from military needs, such as post-deployment events or covering for counselors who are absent. The Summer ARC position covers assignments from May 15 through September 15, coinciding with the school summer break. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor provides the full range of adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to service members and their families at military installations. Assignments may include military installations, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs, summer camps, community and readiness centers, and other on-demand or surge locations. CYB counselors covering school positions must have experience working in a school setting. Services include non-medical counseling, training and health and wellness presentations, consultation with parents and personnel at childcare centers and schools, and consultation to installation command about behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and their families. Counselors work closely with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services are within scope and meet installation needs. The counselor provides short-term, solution-focused services 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 childcare centers, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance. Counselors participate in installation activities such as health fairs, enter activity data daily using a smartphone or web application, and maintain the confidentiality and anonymity of service members and family members. Counselors may be assigned additional duties aligned with the role. Assignments can be of varying duration, from a weekend to two weeks, and may require short-notice availability, including weekends. The role may involve responding to emergent situations at military installations or schools, complying with site-specific requirements, and working in indoor and outdoor settings.

Requirements

Master’s degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field or social work.
Current, independent behavioral health clinician licensure meeting state, commonwealth, or customer-specific requirements.
Fluency in English and ability to prove U.S. citizenship.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
Ability to accept assignments of undefined duration on short notice, including weekends, and cover full-time assignments lasting from a weekend to two weeks.
Ability to build rapport quickly with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Adaptability to new working conditions, locations, and site-specific rules, and ability to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
Ability to quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses, or children and respond promptly to emergent situations.
Ability to traverse short or long distances at installations, including rugged or uneven outdoor terrain, stairs, grass, and steep inclines, and to work outdoors in varying weather and other military-base conditions.
Ability to comply with site-specific requirements, which may include having current immunizations or vaccinations and providing proof of receipt.
For CYB roles, ability to meet Magellan MFLC CYB experience criteria for working with children and youth and specialty criteria in child and adolescent development or psychology.
For CYB counselors covering a school position, experience working in a school setting.

Nice To Haves

Prior military service, being a military family member, or strong familiarity with military culture.

Responsibilities

Provide short-term, non-medical, solution-focused counseling to service members, adults, children, and youth, including assessment, consultation, action planning, referrals, resource linkage, and follow-up as indicated.
Provide coverage for short-term, surge, on-demand, and absent-counselor assignments at military installations and related settings.
For CYB assignments, support staff at childcare centers, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance.
Provide training and health and wellness presentations, and participate in health fairs and other installation activities.
Enter counselor activity data daily using a smartphone or web application while preserving the confidentiality and anonymity of service members and family members.
Work with installation and military branch POCs to deliver services within scope and in a manner that meets installation or facility needs.
Establish and maintain working relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
Create an accessible, trusted presence for service members and families; for CYB assignments, be available to children, youth, and staff and follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
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.
Respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.
Participate, with minimal notice, in in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, and other assigned contract activities.