Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Jackson, MS

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Military & Family Life Counselor (MFLC) Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term coverage in on-demand, surge, and backfill situations arising from military needs, such as post-deployment events or counselor absences. 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 based on program needs, and may take place near Fort Jackson or Shaw AFB, or at other assigned military installations and related worksites. Candidates must reside near one of those locations or be willing to make themselves local. With minimal guidance and oversight, the counselor provides adult or Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to service members and their families. Services include non-medical, short-term, solution-focused assessment and counseling; consultation; action planning; referrals and follow-up; training and health and wellness presentations; and consultation with parents, school and childcare 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 support MFLC services in military community and readiness centers, as well as surge and on-demand assignments. The counselor works with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POCs) to provide services within program scope and meet installation needs. The role also includes establishing community resource relationships and appropriate linkages, maintaining a confidential and approachable presence, responding to critical incidents and approved special requests, and entering activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while preserving client confidentiality and anonymity. 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 South Carolina, meeting applicable state or customer-specific requirements.
Valid in-state driver’s license.
Ability to prove U.S. citizenship and fluency in English.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
Availability Monday through Friday and for occasional weekend assignments; willingness to accept assignments with short notice and undefined duration, including weekends.
Ability to cover full-time assignments of varying lengths, from a weekend to two weeks; assignments may also range from one or two days to 30 days or longer based on program needs.
Ability to quickly build rapport and communicate effectively with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers, including responding quickly to emergent situations.
Ability to work effectively with minimal instruction, listen carefully to instructions, and adapt to new working conditions and varying location rules.
Ability to traverse short or long distances on military installations and in school settings, including stairs, steep inclines, grass, and uneven or rugged outdoor areas, and to work outdoors in varying weather and base conditions.
Willingness to meet site-specific requirements for designated worksites; some assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and proof of receipt.
For CYB assignments, meet Magellan MFLC CYB experience criteria for working with children and youth and have a specialty in child and adolescent development or psychology.
For ARC coverage of a school position, CYB counselors must have experience working in a school setting.
Ability to follow DoD protocols for duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations and comply with position-specific security responsibilities and applicable legal, regulatory, contractual, and internal requirements.

Nice To Haves

Prior military service, military family-member experience, or strong familiarity with military culture is desired.

Responsibilities

Provide short-term, non-medical, solution-focused counseling to adults, children, and youth who are service members or family members.
Conduct assessment, brief counseling, 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 base or installation activities.
For CYB assignments, support staff and personnel at childcare centers, DoDEA and community schools, youth programs, and summer camps; provide parent training and guidance.
Work with installation and military branch Points of Contact to deliver services within scope and address installation or facility needs.
Establish and maintain working relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
Create an approachable, confidential program presence on installations and, for CYB roles, 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 staff cases with the Regional Supervisor or Regional Director.
Communicate with Regional Supervisors and participate in individual and group supervision, sharing information about 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 assigned contract activities.
Adapt to assignment locations, work environment rules, and changing conditions, and work effectively with minimal instruction.