Military & Family Life Counselor- Temporary Backfill

Magellan Health•Tampa, FL

About The Position

The Assignment Ready Counselor (ARC) provides short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage in response to military needs, such as post-deployment events or to cover counselors who are absent. The Summer ARC position 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 periods based on program needs. Candidates must reside near MacDill AFB, Florida, or be willing to become 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 military 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 regarding behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and families. CYB counselors may serve at DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and other on-demand assignments; school backfill assignments require experience working in a school setting. Adult counselors may support MFLC services in military community and readiness centers, as well as surge and on-demand assignments. The counselor works closely with installation and military branch Points of Contact (POCs) to ensure services are within scope and meet installation needs. Counseling is short-term, solution-focused, and non-medical, and includes assessment, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referrals and linkage to resources, and follow-up as indicated. CYB counselors also support staff and personnel at child development centers, schools, youth programs, and summer camps, and provide parent training and guidance. The position includes providing 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 confidentiality and anonymity. Counselors may need to respond to critical incidents and special requests. Duties listed are representative, not all-inclusive; leaders may assign additional duties consistent with the role.

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 and customer-specific requirements.
Clinical work experience.
Advanced knowledge of brief therapy and solution-focused counseling methods.
Ability to prove U.S. citizenship and fluency in English.
Valid driver's license.
Willingness to accept assignments of undefined duration on short notice, including weekends, and ability to cover full-time assignments of varying lengths, from a weekend to two weeks.
Ability to quickly build rapport with service personnel, family members, students, parents, and coworkers.
Ability to adapt to new working conditions and location-specific rules, adjust work style to the environment, and work effectively with minimal instruction and guidance.
Ability to listen carefully to instructions and participate in required training and contract activities with minimal notice.
Ability to engage and communicate quickly with military members, spouses, or children and respond to emergent situations in varied physical locations on military installations or in school settings.
Ability to traverse short and long distances on installations, including indoor and outdoor areas, rugged or uneven terrain, inclines, stairs, and grass, and to work in outdoor weather and other military-base conditions.
Ability to meet site-specific requirements for assigned locations; some assignments may require current immunizations or vaccinations and documentation of receipt.

Nice To Haves

Prior military service, being a military family member, or strong familiarity with military culture.
For CYB positions, experience meeting Magellan MFLC CYB criteria for working with children and youth and a specialty in child and adolescent development or psychology.
For CYB counselors backing up a school position, experience working in a school setting.

Responsibilities

Provide short-term, non-medical, solution-focused counseling to service members, adults, children, and youth, including assessment, brief counseling and consultation, action planning, referrals, resource linkage, and follow-up as indicated.
Provide short-term, surge, and on-demand coverage, including backfill for absent counselors and support during military events or periods of increased need.
Provide Adult or Child and Youth Behavioral counseling services at military installations and, where assigned, at DoDEA or community schools, youth programs, summer camps, and military community and readiness centers.
Support child development center, school, youth program, and summer camp staff and personnel, and provide parent training and guidance.
Provide training and health and wellness presentations and participate in health fairs and other installation activities.
Consult with parents, daycare and school personnel, and installation command regarding behavioral health issues affecting military personnel and their families.
Work with installation and military branch Points of Contact to ensure services address installation needs and remain within program scope.
Establish and maintain working relationships with community resources and provide appropriate referrals and linkages.
Create a visible, approachable presence on installations and, for CYB counselors, 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, ensuring accurate reporting while maintaining service-member and family-member confidentiality and anonymity.
Manage duty-to-warn and restricted-reporting situations according to DoD protocol and consult with the Regional Supervisor or Regional Director on cases.
Communicate with Regional Supervisors and participate in individual and group supervision, sharing trends and issues from assigned installations and facilities.
Participate, with minimal notice, in in-services, training, Quality Improvement committees, and other contract activities as assigned.
Respond to critical incidents and special requests as directed by the POC and approved by the OSD program manager.