Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor-Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI)

Veterans Health Administration • White City, OR

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor serves in Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI), providing diagnostic, evaluation, and psychological intervention services suited to primary care. The role emphasizes brief, evidence-based interventions, suicide assessment, treatment planning, patient and family education, and consultation that supports primary care providers in caring for Veterans. It also includes clinical supervision of trainees and unlicensed staff, participation in training program development, and work with the PCMHI Coordinator on clinical program design, evaluation, and quality improvement. The position is not virtual. Ad-hoc telework may be available at the supervisor’s discretion. The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The position may require full-time service at a Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Grants Pass or K-Falls. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to eligibility and approval. The program may provide up to $200,000 in student loan repayment over an eligibility period of one to five years; former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply.

Requirements

• Master’s or doctoral degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, a combined field, or a related field, from a CACREP-accredited program.
• Full, current, unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, including diagnosis and treatment.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• At least one year of progressively complex LPMHC experience equivalent to GS-11.
• Five years of post-licensed experience demonstrating advanced practice skills, judgment, progressive professional competency, and expertise.
• Licensure to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs.
• Advanced knowledge of theories and modalities for specialized treatment of complex mental illness, differential diagnosis, and treatment of Veterans.
• Advanced skills in specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needs, including individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and psychosocial or case-management interventions.
• Ability to coordinate specialized psychosocial services and programs and design system changes based on data.
• Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on psychosocial treatment and to render professional opinions based on experience and expertise.
• Ability to teach, mentor, and supervise staff and trainees for licensure or specialty certifications.
• Ability to communicate orally and in writing with leadership, staff, and community stakeholders about policies, procedures, practice guidelines, and professional issues.
• U.S. citizenship is required, subject to the stated limited exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Must meet applicable background/security, onboarding, identification, and application-document requirements; seasonal influenza vaccination is required for VA health care personnel.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, during which continued employment is evaluated.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in a primary care setting or prior experience addressing same-day mental health needs or crisis management.

Responsibilities

• Provide diagnostic and evaluation services appropriate to primary care, including general psychological evaluation of emotional and behavioral problems and suicide assessment.
• Provide psychological interventions within training and expertise, emphasizing brief, evidence-based interventions effective in primary care settings.
• Develop, implement, and document treatment plans for assigned patients, including timely completion of clinical reminders.
• Provide patient and family education suited to the primary care setting and presenting mental or behavioral health issues.
• Consult with primary care providers to support clinical decision-making, build on provider interventions, and improve provider-patient working relationships.
• Provide interventions that help patients remain with their Primary Care Provider for their health care needs when clinically appropriate.
• Supervise trainees conducting direct clinical care.
• Perform administrative duties, including scheduling, returning Veterans’ calls and secure messages, writing reports, and attending organizational meetings.
• Complete VA National PCMHI Competency Training certification and maintain competency and fidelity to the PCMHI model through ongoing review of relevant data and metrics.
• Provide primary clinical supervision for unlicensed staff and/or students, including backup supervision in other rotations as directed by the Training Director; provide group supervision to interns as needed.
• Contribute to the development and ongoing improvement of training programs and participate in relevant training-mission meetings.
• Assist the PCMHI Coordinator in designing, developing, and implementing clinical programs for a treatment-provider team.
• Assist the PCMHI Coordinator with program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor clinical program effectiveness.
• Build liaisons with other health care programs to coordinate services.
• Meet national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), with potential student loan repayment of up to $200,000 subject to eligibility and approval.
• Federal employee benefits package; specific benefits eligibility depends on position type and applicable conditions.

What This Job Offers

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