Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

Veterans Health Administration • Stillwater, OK

4d • Onsite

About The Position

The Oklahoma City VA Health Care System’s Mental Health Service is recruiting a Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor to provide care to Veterans at the Stillwater VA Clinic. This GS-12 role is above the full performance level and involves advanced, independent counseling practice as part of an interdisciplinary team. The position is not virtual, and telework is not available. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; relocation and recruitment incentives are not authorized.

The counselor assesses Veterans in collaboration with the Veteran, family members or significant others, and the interdisciplinary treatment team. The role includes developing diagnoses and treatment plans, providing individual and group counseling or psychotherapy, and providing family services when credentialed and privileged. The counselor also provides psychoeducation, advanced case management, crisis intervention, and specialized treatment for adults, including geriatric Veterans and Veterans with complex needs.

The counselor collaborates with primary care staff and other service providers, connects Veterans and caregivers with VA and community resources, advocates for Veterans when appropriate, and coordinates institutional and non-institutional services. The position also includes consulting with colleagues and trainees, teaching and mentoring, providing supervision for licensure or specialty certification, and communicating with leadership, staff, and community stakeholders about professional practice matters.

Applicants must meet VA education and licensure requirements, including a qualifying CACREP-accredited graduate degree and a full, current, unrestricted license for independent practice. The Senior GS-12 grade requires advanced practice experience and skills, including five years of post-licensed experience and eligibility to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• 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, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, including diagnosis and treatment.
• At least one year of post-master’s or post-doctoral mental health counseling experience.
• Five years of post-licensed experience demonstrating advanced practice skills and judgment, progressive professional competency, and expertise.
• Licensed to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Ability to make professional evaluations, treatment decisions, and recommendations; establish counseling relationships; and collaboratively set treatment goals.
• Advanced knowledge of counseling processes, specialized treatment theories and modalities, current DSM diagnosis, evidence-based practices, screening, psychosocial assessment, and clinical interventions.
• Ability to provide complex crisis intervention and stabilization using independent judgment and skill.
• Ability to use individual, group, and family counseling interventions and develop or facilitate psychotherapy and psychoeducation groups.
• Ability to determine service priorities, coordinate specialized psychosocial services, and provide expert consultation to colleagues and trainees.
• Ability to teach, mentor, supervise, and communicate effectively in writing and orally with staff, leadership, and community stakeholders.
• Must meet required background/security investigation and onboarding requirements, including providing acceptable identification and participating in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must complete all application requirements specified in the announcement.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period as a condition of employment.
• Physical ability to sit and stand for long periods, walk, stand, bend, climb stairs, carry light items, drive an automobile, and lift 20 pounds.

Responsibilities

• Assess Veterans in collaboration with the Veteran, family members or significant others, and the interdisciplinary treatment team.
• Incorporate complex multiple causation into differential diagnosis and treatment.
• Develop collaborative treatment plans and achievable goals with Veterans and families; complete the plan by the Veteran’s third mental health visit and update it yearly or as needs change.
• Provide individual and group counseling or psychotherapy, family psychotherapy when credentialed and privileged, psychoeducational services, and advanced case management.
• Provide specialized treatment and interventions for adult Veterans, including geriatric Veterans and those with complex needs.
• Refer Veterans to VA and community services, educate Veterans and caregivers about available resources, and assist with referrals based on the Veteran’s or surrogate decision-maker’s preferences.
• Maintain and enhance the social work resource file of VA and community social service programs.
• Advocate for Veterans and families when appropriate, while encouraging them to advocate for themselves when feasible.
• Collaborate with CBOC primary care staff by providing timely social work and psychological consultations, including emergent or walk-in consultation, screening, and crisis intervention as needed.
• Consult with primary care staff about psychosocial and psychological impacts on broader health care issues.
• Conduct rapid crisis assessments and develop crisis management plans for possible admission to mental health inpatient programs; follow CBOC and health system emergency protocols.
• Review other providers’ progress notes to assess Veterans’ strengths and limitations, explain available service options, and coordinate preferred institutional or non-institutional services with Veterans, families, and the team.
• Provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees, teach and mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications.
• Communicate with leadership, staff, and community stakeholders about policies, procedures, practice guidelines, and professional practice issues.
• Design system changes based on data.

Benefits

• Federal employee benefits package; specific benefits eligibility depends on position type.
• Potential annual leave accrual credit based on prior federal or military service, subject to request and approval.

What This Job Offers

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