Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Panama City, FL

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage to meet military needs, including post-deployment events and coverage for counselors who are absent. The Summer ARC counselor covers assignments from May 15 through September 15, coinciding with school summer break. Assignments may range from one or two days to one week or 30 days, with the possibility of longer assignments based on program needs. Candidates must reside near Tyndall AFB, Florida, or be willing to make themselves local, and must be independently licensed to practice as a mental health counselor, therapist, or social worker in Florida. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor provides the full breadth of 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 personnel at child daycare centers and schools, and consultation to installation command on behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and their families. CYB counselors may serve in DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and on-demand assignments; school backfill assignments require experience working in a school setting. Adult counselors may support MFLC services at military community and readiness centers, as well as on-demand and surge assignments. Counselors work closely with installation and military-branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services are within program scope and meet installation needs. The counselor 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 and personnel at childcare centers, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance. The role includes delivering training and health and wellness presentations, participating in health fairs and other installation activities, and entering activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while maintaining client confidentiality and anonymity. The role requires availability Monday through Friday, with occasional weekend assignments, and the ability to accept assignments with short notice and of varying duration. Counselors may need to respond to emergent situations and work across indoor and outdoor locations on military installations or in school settings. Site-specific requirements may apply, including required immunizations or vaccinations. The listed duties 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 as a behavioral-health clinician meeting state, commonwealth, or customer-specific requirements; Florida licensure is required for this position.
Ability to reside near Tyndall AFB, Florida, or make oneself local.
Fluent in English and able to prove U.S. citizenship.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
Clinical work experience.
Ability to accept assignments with short notice and of undefined duration, including weekend assignments, and to cover full-time assignments ranging from a weekend to two weeks.
Ability to quickly build rapport with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Adaptability to new working conditions, locations, and site rules, and ability to align work style with each environment.
Ability to work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance and to listen carefully to instructions.
Ability to quickly engage and communicate with military members, spouses, or children and respond to emergent situations.
Ability to travel across military installations or school settings, including traversing short or long distances, stairs, steep inclines, grass, and other uneven or rugged outdoor terrain, and to work in outdoor weather and 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 positions, meet Magellan MFLC CYB experience criteria for working with children and youth and have a specialty in child and adolescent development or psychology.
Valid driver’s license and applicable state-required credentials.

Nice To Haves

Prior military service, being a military family member, or strong familiarity with military culture.
Experience working in a school setting for counselors assigned to back up a school position.

Responsibilities

Provide short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage for military counseling needs, including post-deployment events and counselor absences.
Deliver non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling to service members and their adult, child, and youth family members.
Conduct assessments, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referrals and resource linkages, and follow-up as indicated.
Provide CYB support to childcare center, school, youth program, and summer camp staff and personnel, and provide parent training and guidance.
Deliver 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 protecting service-member and family-member confidentiality and anonymity.
Coordinate with installation and military-branch POCs to provide services that address installation needs and remain within program scope.
Build a welcoming presence in installations and, for CYB assignments, child and youth settings; follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
Establish and maintain relationships with community resources and provide appropriate linkages.
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 installation and facility trends and issues.
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 contract activities as assigned.
Comply with position-specific security responsibilities, controls, and applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, and internal requirements.