Non-medical clinical counselor

Non-medical clinical counselor

Department: Department of the Navy

Location(s): Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland

Salary Range: $101401 - $114923 Per Year

Job Summary: The primary purpose of this position is to provide nonmedical clinical counseling to individuals, couples, families, and groups on family dynamics, parent-child interaction, couples' communication, adjustment to commonly occurring personal and family issues/circumstances, adjustment to military life, and psycho-educational training programs.

Major Duties:

• MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Non-medical Clinical Counseling (NMC) Receive and assess referrals made by military and civilian agencies for individuals, couples, families, and groups experiencing situational stressors, including deployment, grief, relocation, separation, relationship issues, parent/child issues, family hardships, and other military life challenges. Provide direct, short term, solution focused NMC counseling services using psychotherapeutic services, such as cognitive therapy, solution-focused brief therapy, family systems therapy, expressive therapies, etc. Develop and execute short-term, solution-focused NMC counseling treatment plans for those individuals who request such services and who present with commonly occurring life circumstance issues or adjustment disorders. Assess individual/family needs and explore basic personality structures in relation to behavior patterns, mechanisms, and symptoms. Assess and triage clients who present risk to harm self or others, and refer to the appropriate, nearest behavioral health provider. Refer clients with issues falling outside the authorized scope of care (e.g., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, substance use disorders, major depression, etc.) within the Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC) to military or civilian behavioral health providers. Coordinate with legal, medical and social services including commands, to assist in counseling and referral. Initiate, develop, and facilitate group treatment programs to address the needs of families, such as marital groups and child and adolescent groups. Assist, individuals and families with finding satisfactory ways of coping with commonly occurring life stresses (e.g., career change, work-related stress), family dynamics (e.g., divorce, communication problems), parenting, crisis response (e.g., physical, sexual or emotional abuse), or other stressors. Provide critical incident intervention services, when requested. Conduct on-site/regional quarterly quality assurance (QA) reviews of cases, per DON policy, to ensure that all NMC counseling services provided are safe and of good quality. Installation Family Advocacy Program (FAP) Serve as the installation FAP clinical subject matter expert (SME), consulting installation leadership, medical professionals and the command triad of FAP involved military service/family members regarding clinical needs assessment, determining clinical intervention, and utilizing evidence-based treatment strategies and treatment. Provide initial and on-going case management services. Triage clients, identify the situation, comply with and educate on mandated and required reporting protocols of child and domestic abuse, conduct risk and lethality assessments, develop safety and treatment plans, provide referrals, establish individualized treatment goals tailored to the needs of service/family members, and follow-up on child abuse/neglect and domestic abuse allegations involving military members and their families. Identify crisis situations (e.g., suicide or homicide risk, danger of physical or sexual abuse to family members, increased risk of interfamilial or extra-familial violence) when conducting clinical assessments and provide immediate crisis intervention, conduct risk assessment, and prepare and/or coordinate safety planning IAW best practices in the mental health community. Conduct psychosocial assessments and provide diagnostic and prognostic impressions to other health care providers, commanders, senior enlisted advisors, local child protective services, law enforcement, and legal personnel to facilitate community-wide response for family maltreatment, when appropriate. Problematic Sexual Behavior in Children and Youth Receive reports of problematic sexual behaviors in children and youth (PSB-CY) from military and civilian representatives and take appropriate action per FAP PSB-CY requirements. Provide or coordinate clinical services access with other FAP providers or with community clinical providers for exhibiting children, youth, and their families, including psychoeducational support, assessment, and clinical intervention. Provide or coordinate specialized assessments and evaluations when recommended by the CCSM. . Community Liaison Liaison with cities, counties, states, federal, non-government agencies, and military agencies and commands to enhance FAP prevention and response affecting the military community. Represent the Navy at community liaison meetings, educating on domestic violence risk/protective factors, collaborating on coordinating services for military members and their families, and engaging in community domestic violence prevention and awareness activities to establish or strengthen relationships with other agencies serving the target population.

Qualifications: Thorough knowledge of the CNIC Fleet and Family Support Program and comprehensive knowledge of military lifestyles including common stressors to effectively modify treatment programs to meet the needs of the military community. Professional knowledge of and skill in applying laws, rules, regulations, policies, procedures, directives and instructions governing child and spouse abuse and family violence issues and professional knowledge of family violence dynamics to identify situations of family violence, conduct risk assessments and coordinate safety planning. In-depth knowledge of family systems related to patterns of abusive behavior, abuse response, substance abuse, human behavior, human sexuality, attention deficit disorder, and juvenile delinquency and skill in applying the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to recognize, identify, and assess mental disorders and personal and social problems, reach accurate conclusions and provide appropriate solutions. Expert knowledge of and skill in employing various evidence-based and trauma-informed counseling approaches, clinical treatment principles and practices, research methods, group dynamics, motivational interviewing, developmental psychology, and family systems therapy to counsel individuals, couples, families and groups. Skill in applying various counseling approaches, including psychosocial, to assess, triage, refer and manage difficult and serious cases involving individuals and families who present at-risk behavior. Professional knowledge of and skill in using various verbal communication methods and techniques to effectively work with individuals and families from diverse racial, ethnic, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds; to present sensitive or controversial information to various groups; discuss cases; deliver presentations; and develop and maintain professional relationships with other treatment professionals. Professional knowledge of and skill in using various written communication methods and techniques and using FFSP management information systems and other applicable software and web-based programs to effectively document case management and treatment plans, to document and explain NMC counseling requirements and services provided, to facilitate completion of work assignments, and to develop presentations.

How to Apply: To be considered for this vacancy you must apply and complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/15/2026 to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. To preview the Application Questionnaire, please click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12903301 It is your responsibility to ensure your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Applicant To verify or check the status of your application, log into your USAJobs account. Once logged in, the Welcome screen lists your applications, your application status and the date it was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status The Department of the Navy (DON) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Applicants are assured of equal consideration regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, genetic information, reprisal, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or any other non-merit factor. This agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Applicants with disabilities who believe they may require reasonable accommodations should email their request to nsapplications@nhr-ma.com to ensure proper consideration is given. The decision on granting reasonable accommodation will be on a case-by-case basis.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-15