Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Panama City, FL

6d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage in response to military needs, including post-deployment events and coverage for counselors who are absent. The Summer ARC position covers assignments from May 15 through September 15, coinciding with school summer break. Assignments may last one or two days, one week to 30 days, or longer depending on program needs. Candidates must reside near Tyndall AFB, Florida, or be willing to make themselves local, and must be available Monday through Friday as well as for 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 include non-medical, short-term, solution-focused assessment and counseling; consultation; action planning; referral and linkage to resources; follow-up; training and wellness presentations; health fairs; and installation activities. CYB counselors may work in DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and child development centers, and may provide parent training and guidance. Adult counselors may serve in military community and readiness centers and on-demand or surge assignments. Counselors work with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POCs) to provide services that meet installation needs and remain within program scope. They establish relationships with community resources, maintain an approachable and confidential program presence, and enter activity data daily using a smartphone or web application while protecting service-member and family-member confidentiality and anonymity. Counselors may respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager, and must manage duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to DoD protocol. The role requires adaptability to varying locations and site rules, the ability to work with minimal instruction, and participation in assigned training, in-services, quality-improvement committees, supervision, and other contract activities. Work may require compliance with site-specific requirements, including current immunizations or vaccinations for some assignments. Duties listed are representative and not all-inclusive; additional duties aligned with the role may be assigned.

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.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
Ability to prove U.S. citizenship and fluency in English.
Valid in-state driver’s license.
Availability for Monday-through-Friday assignments and occasional weekends, and willingness to accept assignments on short notice for undefined periods.
Ability to cover full-time assignments of varying lengths, from a weekend to two weeks.
Ability to quickly build rapport with service members, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Ability to adapt to new working conditions, locations, and rules and to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
Ability to quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses, or children and respond to emergent situations.
Ability to traverse distances on military installations and in school settings, including indoor and outdoor areas, rugged or uneven terrain, steep inclines, stairs, and grass, and to work in outdoor weather and other military-base conditions.
Willingness to meet site-specific work requirements, which may include providing records of current immunizations or vaccinations.
For CYB assignments backing up a school position, experience working in a school setting is required.
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.

Responsibilities

Provide non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling to military service members, adults, children, and youth, including assessment, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referral to resources, and follow-up as indicated.
Provide coverage for short-term, surge, on-demand, and backfill assignments, including post-deployment events and coverage for absent counselors.
For CYB assignments, support children, youth, parents, and staff in schools, child development centers, youth programs, and summer camps; provide parent training and guidance.
Provide training and health and wellness presentations, participate in health fairs, and support other base or installation activities.
Work with installation and military branch POCs to ensure services address installation needs and remain within program scope.
Establish and maintain working relationships with community resources and provide appropriate resource linkages.
Maintain an approachable presence and uphold confidentiality; 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 information about trends and issues at assigned locations.
Respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.
Participate, with minimal notice, in assigned in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, and other contract activities.