Department of Veterans Affairs

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager)

Salt Lake City, Utah, Seattle, Washington, Phoenix, Arizona, Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, Full time

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Salt Lake City, Utah, Seattle, Washington, Phoenix, Arizona, Los Angeles, California, San Francisco, California, Denver, Colorado, Washington, District of Columbia, Miami, Florida, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, Indiana, New Orleans, Louisiana, Boston, Massachusetts, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kansas City, Missouri, Albuquerque, New Mexico, New York, New York, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Portland, Oregon, Austin, Texas

Salary Range: $90925 - $118204 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (1 to 5 years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Major Duties:

  • Typical assignments require providing broad and complex support for implementation of the full array of services across the mental health care continuum, as well as developing detailed plans on goals and objectives for the implementation, administration, and delivery of training in support of services delineated in the Uniform Mental Health Services Handbook, other national directives/memorandums/policies, and related national VA and RCS healthcare initiatives. The ADD/C provides leadership and managerial oversight in the following areas but are not limited to: Quality Assurance, Clinical Crisis Management, Staff Development and Education and Outreach. Quality Assurance: Oversees the administrative and clinical aspects of a major specialty treatment program for quality assurance in RCS. Ensures clinical quality assurance utilizing various clinical modalities and evidence-based practices. Performs onsite or remote evaluations of contract providers on the Contract for Fee program in their respective RCS Zone. Clinical Crisis Management: The ADD/C develops, reviews, and analyzes a clinical crisis reporting system that accurately tracks critical incidents to improve Vet Center services. Collaborates and coordinates with VA entities to facilitate and ensure that a Mortality & Morbidity (M&M) quality review panel is conducted when Vet Center clients die by suicide. has primary responsibility to ensure the Peer Review process is completed at Vet Centers when the outcome of the Self-Directed Violence Assessment tool indicates a suicide attempt. Outreach: Monitors Vet Center outreach to ensure outreach activities are strategically planned and adjusted to ensure market penetration of the local eligible individual population. Reviews and advises the Deputy District Director as to the appropriateness and effectiveness of outreach efforts, strategies, and activities. Promotes the sharing of successful outreach strategies among the Vet Centers in a best practices model. Staff Development and Education: Has primary responsibility to ensure that the clinical staff in their respective RCS Zone is adequately trained to address the needs of Vet Center clients. Develops educational activities, training curriculum in conjunction with District Office for all clinical trainings. Oversees the fiscal matters of the functions supervised forecast resource and equipment needs and administer the allocated budget. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Available on an ad-hoc basis Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 478270 EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized NOTE: Open to current, permanent Readjustment Counseling Service employees. Selected employee must be located within 50 miles of a VA facility within the District 3 catchment area and have space available for assignment. (Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois or Wisconsin.)

Qualifications: Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education: Hold a master's or doctoral degree in: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; or a related field, from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Examples of related mental health counseling fields include, but are not limited to Addiction Counseling; Community Counseling; Gerontology Counseling; Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling. CACREP defines the date when graduates are considered to have graduated from a CACREP accredited program. Additional information may be obtained from http://www.cacrep.org/directory/. NOTE: Traditional Rehabilitation counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP do not meet the LPMHC qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counseling. Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to LPMHC positions in the GS-0183 series in VHA must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment. NOTE: It is VHA policy that a LPMHC who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager), GS-13 (a) Experience, Education and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. The experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency. (b) Assignments. LPMHCs manage the daily operations of multiple programs, develop and implement program policies and procedures, or serve as chief or principal counselor to a number of LPHMCs. They are responsible for oversight of administrative and programmatic resources and monitoring of outcomes. They prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national leadership. Decisions may affect staff and other resources associated with the programs managed and are made while exercising wide latitude and independent judgment. They may be responsible for the program's budget. They may also supervise employees assigned to the program. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-12 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: Ability to make judgments and decisions associated with program management. Ability to monitor program outcomes using data driven quality assurance process. Ability to develop productivity standards appropriate to each service provided. Ability to manage a wide range of programs which include the operation and management of key clinical, training or administrative programs. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: The work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodation. A pre-placement exam is not required. Reference: VA Handbook 5005-106, Part II, Appendix G43, dated April 3, 2018. NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker, Psychologist, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, and Marriage & Family Therapist. Each discipline is announced separately, and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/04/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12937663. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2026-05-04