Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - Local Recovery Coordinator

Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - Local Recovery Coordinator

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $101401 - $131826 Per Year

Job Summary: The Local Recovery Coordinator (LRC) is located within the Mental Health Service and is responsible for transforming the Washington DC VA System Mental Health Services into a recovery- oriented model of care, assisting in the sustainment of those changes, and supporting further systemic changes as new evidence becomes available.

Major Duties:

• The Local Recovery Coordinator (LRC) is located within the Mental Health Service and is responsible for transforming the Washington DC Veterans Affairs Healthcare System (DCVAHCS) Mental Health Service into a recovery-oriented model of care, assisting in the sustainment of those changes, and supporting further systemic changes as new evidence becomes available. The LRC works to develop and enhance programming and service delivery within the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC), inpatient psychiatry and more generally throughout programs in the Mental Health Service. The psychologist complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for patients. The LRC also carries a caseload in the General Mental Health Clinic, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) or other outpatient area as delegated by Mental Health Service leadership, providing individual and group treatment, as well as clinic coverage (e.g., intakes, risk triages), as needed. Administrative Develops a 3 to 5-year plan for the facility that identifies staged implementation of recovery-oriented services (e.g., use of recovery plans). Coordinates the evaluation of recovery implementation at the facility and reports the results to the National Recovery Coordinator (NRC). Implements measures to assess recovery policy and procedure adherence, and assess the extent that the recovery model is embodied in the Mental Health (MH) programs. Serves as a recovery ombudsman to MH executive leadership, program managers, and MH staff on recovery and implementation of recovery-oriented services. Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staffs of units to which assigned. Supports MH executive leadership with providing clinical consultation to the Peer Support program and acting as a support for their direct supervisors; supports MH leadership with filling Peer Specialist positions Serves as EPIC Team Champion Acts as MH Champion for MH Summit and other MH activities throughout the year. Assists with VA regional or local recovery-oriented trainings, meetings, or conferences Develops an education plan for providers that includes: 1. recurrent didactic presentations about elements of recovery and recovery implementation by experts; 2. presentations by recovering individuals, especially veterans; 3. information about community mental health support groups and other resources and how to make referrals; 4. information about VA and national recovery materials and resources and how to access them; 5. information about VA sponsored trainings and education on recovery; 6. availability of recovery posters and brochures; 7. training on cultural competency; 8. development and coordination of local recovery training as needed Provides annual report on implementation progress to local Leadership, VISN RC and the NRC Meets quarterly with VISN RC to coordinate a network response to recovery implementation and implementation of policies and procedures related to recovery. Participates in facility Mental Health (MH) leadership meetings and policy planning groups. Clinical Provides clinical services to SMI diagnosed Veterans that affect MH performance metrics. Provides comprehensive psychosocial assessments and treatment for Veterans with serious mental illness referred to recovery services Reviews all subjective and objective data; assesses high risk factors; provides a clinical assessment; determines a treatment plan for the Veteran based on acuity and need for and type of recovery services and/or psychotherapy recommended. Determines the probability of recovery-focused interventions being effective for a Veteran and provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual, couple/family, and group psychotherapies; psycho-educational groups; and case management. Consultation resource for other Medical Center staff regarding the need for and development of recovery-oriented services, specific case conceptualization, treatment planning, and utilization of evidenced-based treatments and clinical practice guidelines. Adheres to patient rights and patient advocacy responsibilities. Other responsibilities as assigned by MH Service Leadership. Enriching elements Academic/teaching/training: May provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training, including trainees seeking licensure in psychology and Peer Support Specialists. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM- 4:30 PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications: 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. English Language Proficiency. LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.j. 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 3 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. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be licensed. Grade Determinations: Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-12 Experience, Education, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior LPMHCs must have five years of post-licensed experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise and be licensed to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-11 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Advanced knowledge of and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex mental illness. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Ability to determine priority of services needed and provide specialized treatment. Advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needs. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling, or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial, and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans. Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the psychosocial treatment of patients, rendering professional opinions based on experience, expertise and role modeling effective clinical skills. Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications. Ability to engage in written and oral communication with leadership/staff and community stakeholders regarding policies, procedures, practice guidelines, and issues pertaining to the practice of the profession. Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-12 Assignments. Senior LPMHCs provide treatment to patients with complex needs including multiple mental health diagnoses, and numerous psychosocial issues, using independent judgment. LPMHCs at this level provide clinical consultation to less experienced staff which may include coordinating crisis situations. Senior LPMHCs will provide clinical supervision to LPMHC staff and/or LPMHC trainees, and may serve as the subject matter expert for the discipline. Senior LPMHCs develop behavioral health related training curriculum and often conduct trainings for clinical staff. LPMHCs model ethical and professional behaviors and standards to include multicultural awareness. Senior LPMHCs meet routinely with interprofessional team members and leadership to communicate about program and patient issues for in depth problem solving. Senior LPMHCs collaborate with internal and external stakeholders and frequently serve as a liaison. This assignment is to be relatively few in number based on the size of the facility/service and applying sound position management. This assignment must represent substantial additional responsibility over and above that required at the full performance grade level and cannot be used as the full performance level of this occupation. Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-11 (Full Performance Level) Experience, Education, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of post-master's or post- doctoral degree mental health counseling experience (VA or non-VA experience) and must be licensed to practice at the independent practice level and demonstrate the KSAs in subparagraph (c) below. LPMHCs may provide clinical supervision over the clinical practice of an unlicensed LPMHC or LPMHC trainee. Some state licenses do not license an individual to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs. Please refer to specific state licensing laws regarding the requirements for providing clinical supervision. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-9 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Ability to make professional evaluations, decisions, and recommendation for treatment planning and implementation. Advanced knowledge and mastery of the fundamentals of the counseling process which includes defining patient/family problems and maintaining an effective counseling relationship. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the counseling process within various specialty areas, build on the foundation of competence through regular meetings and discussions to explain assignments, review progress of cases and confer about the counseling perspectives and orientation. Ability to provide complex crisis intervention and stabilization to patients who are in psychological distress. Requires independent judgment and skill. Ability to establish goals/treatment through a collaborative process with the patient utilizing advanced counseling skills, including evidenced- based practices, screening, and psychosocial assessment. Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or family counseling interventions. Ability to fully utilize the current DSM in making diagnoses and formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical intervention using professional counseling practices. Ability to develop and facilitate psychotherapy and psycho- education groups that include life skills, family support, and community integration. This may include evidence based psychotherapy. QUALIFICATIONS continued in Additional Information

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 12/18/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12825024. 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: 2025-12-18