Military & Family Life Counselor - Child Development Center

Magellan Health • Clarksville, TN

8d • $59,922 - $100,280 • Onsite

About The Position

The Military & Family Life Counselor—Child Development Center provides the full breadth of Child and Youth Behavioral (CYB) counseling services to children of military service members and their families at military installations. Services may also support civilian expeditionary workforces and their families when activated. Counselors may be assigned to child development centers, youth programs, summer camps, and on-demand assignments, working closely with installation and military-branch Points of Contact to provide services that meet local needs and remain within program scope.

The role provides non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling, including assessment, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referrals and linkage to resources, and follow-up as indicated. It also supports child development center and youth-program personnel and provides parent support, training, and guidance. Counselors deliver health and wellness presentations, participate in health fairs and other installation activities, maintain community-resource relationships, and enter activity data daily while protecting service-member and family-member confidentiality and anonymity.

Counselors must follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children, manage duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to Department of Defense protocol, and consult with regional supervisors or directors. The position also involves regular supervision, responding to approved critical incidents and urgent requests, participating in training and quality-improvement activities, and completing other duties as assigned. The job may require travel across indoor and outdoor installation locations and compliance with site-specific requirements.

Requirements

• Master’s degree from an accredited graduate program in a mental health-related field.
• Valid, unrestricted independent counseling license from a state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. territory, or a commonwealth, authorizing independent counseling practice.
• Less than two years of post-licensure clinical experience.
• Intermediate-level competency with technology and software, including Microsoft Suite, internet navigation, smartphones or tablets, applications, and video-conferencing platforms.
• Ability to engage and communicate with military members or children and respond quickly to emergent situations in varied physical locations on military installations or in school settings.
• Ability to traverse short or long distances, move through rugged or uneven outdoor locations such as steep inclines, stairs, and grass, and work in outdoor weather and other military-base conditions.
• Ability to meet site-specific work requirements; some assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and proof of receipt.
• Ability to prove U.S. citizenship and fluency in English.
• Understanding, sensitivity, and empathy for children, service members, and their families; ability to develop trusting helping relationships and work effectively with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Pass a Child National Agency Check and Inquiries (CNACI) clearance, an Installation Records Check (IRC), a criminal history background check, and an FBI fingerprint check.
• Possess a valid U.S. state vehicle operator’s license unless waived by the FEDSIM COR; personnel may also be required to pass tests for and obtain a U.S. military vehicle operator’s permit for commercial sedans and similar vehicles for TDY locations.
• Meet Magellan MFLC CYB criteria for experience with children and youth and specialty in child and adolescent development or psychology.
• School-assigned counselors must have prior work experience in a school setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide non-medical, short-term, solution-focused counseling to eligible children and youth, including assessment, brief counseling, consultation, action planning, referrals, resource linkage, and follow-up as indicated.
• Support staff and personnel at child development centers, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent support, training, and guidance.
• Deliver training and health and wellness presentations and participate in health fairs and other installation activities focused on children and youth.
• Enter counselor activity data daily through a smartphone or web application while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity.
• Establish and maintain relationships with community resources focused on children and youth and provide appropriate linkages.
• Maintain visibility at assigned locations so services are accessible, and follow line-of-sight protocol when working with children.
• Partner with installation or facility Points of Contact to deliver services responsive to local needs and maintain effective professional working relationships.
• Manage duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to Department of Defense protocol and staff cases with the Regional Supervisor or Regional Director.
• Participate in individual and group supervision and communicate trends and issues at assigned installations and facilities.
• Respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the Point of Contact and approved by the Office of the Secretary of Defense program manager; flex the schedule for urgent requests as needed.
• Participate in in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, initiatives, studies, pilot programs, and other assigned contract activities.
• Complete required documentation and training or certification processes, integrate pilot activities into non-medical counseling work, and use applicable technology to complete required activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Potential eligibility for short-term incentives.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Health, life, voluntary, and other benefits and perks supporting physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellbeing.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level