Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Jacksonville, FL

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage based on military needs, including post-deployment events and coverage for counselors who are absent. This temporary backfill role may involve assignments ranging from one or two days to one week through 30 days, with the possibility of longer assignments based on program needs. The Summer ARC position covers May 15 through September 15, coinciding with the school summer break. Candidates must reside near NAS Jacksonville, Florida, or be willing to make themselves local, and must be available Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend assignments. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor provides adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to service members and their families at military installations. Services may include non-medical counseling, training and health and wellness presentations, consultation with parents and staff at child daycare centers and schools, and consultation with installation command about behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and families. CYB assignments may be in DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, or on-demand settings; counselors backing up school positions must have school-setting experience. Adult counselors may support MFLC services in military community and readiness centers, as well as surge and 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 role provides short-term, solution-focused, non-medical counseling to adults, children, and youth of service members. Services include assessment, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referral and linkage to resources, and follow-up as indicated. CYB counselors also support staff at child development centers, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance. Counselors deliver health and wellness presentations, participate in health fairs and other installation activities, and enter activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while maintaining service-member and family-member confidentiality and anonymity. The position may require responding to emergent situations across indoor and outdoor installation or school locations, including traversing distances and uneven terrain. Site-specific requirements may apply, including current immunizations or vaccinations for some assignments. 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 Florida, meeting applicable state or customer-specific requirements.
Candidates must reside near NAS Jacksonville, Florida, or be willing to make themselves local.
Must be available Monday through Friday and occasional weekends, and willing to accept assignments of undefined duration with short notice.
Able to cover full-time assignments of varying length, from a weekend to two weeks.
Able to quickly build rapport with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Adaptable to new working conditions and location-specific rules, and able to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
Able to listen carefully to instructions and quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses, or children, including in emergent situations.
Able to travel through installation and school environments, including indoor and outdoor locations, distances, stairs, steep inclines, grass, and uneven or rugged terrain.
Must be able to prove U.S. citizenship and be fluent in English.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
CYB counselors 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 backing up a school position, experience working in a school setting is required.
Must comply with applicable site-specific requirements; some assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and proof of receipt.
Must comply with security responsibilities and controls, applicable legal, regulatory, and contractual requirements, and internal policies and procedures.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Provide short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage for military counseling needs, including post-deployment events and coverage for absent counselors.
Deliver non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling to service members, adults, children, and youth, including assessment, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referrals, resource linkage, and follow-up as indicated.
For CYB assignments, support staff and personnel at child development centers, DoDEA and community 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 base or installation activities.
Enter counselor activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity.
Work with installation and military branch POCs to ensure services meet installation or facility needs and remain within program scope.
Establish and maintain relationships with community resources and provide appropriate linkages.
Create an approachable presence on installations and, for CYB counselors, in child and youth settings; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
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.
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, or other contract activities as assigned.