Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator) Substance Use Disorder
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Job Summary
Summary
The Fargo VA Health Care System is recruiting for 1 full-time Program Coordinator for the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program. This vacancy will be filled by a Social Worker (Program Coordinator) Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator) Addiction Therapist (Licensed Masters) Program Coordinator or a Psychology Program Manager.
The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care you will operate in a model with three core elements seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veterans community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor Americas Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.
The incumbent serves as the Program Coordinator for the Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program (SUD) for the Fargo VA Health Care System within the Mental Health Integrated Care Community (MH ICC) which provides a state-of-the-art continuum of clinical services and education to veterans with complex needs in a large highly rural catchment area.
The SUD Team provides specialized outpatient mental health programming and services for Veterans with Substance Use Disorders (SUD). The incumbent provides leadership coordination oversight and integration to ensure efficient and effective provision of services. The SUD Coordinator is administratively responsible for the development and maintenance of policies and procedures and establishing appropriate methods for review and control of these program activities with expertise in ensuring staff safety attaining and maintaining all measurement goals and maintaining continuous service throughout the region.
The SUD Coordinator is customer-service oriented meeting a variety of emotional psychological behavioral interpersonal and social needs of patients with SUD. These specialized and highly professional services contribute significantly to the level of health care provided by this agency. The position exists to provide administrative leadership to plan develop implement and oversee clinical services and programs for Veterans that have a high degree of clinical complexity. The incumbent has full supervisory responsibility for all therapists and administrative staff within the SUD. Supervisory responsibilities include performance evaluations time and leave and hiring and disciplinary decisions. The SUD Coordinator may also have to assist with training and education to include residents interns and practicum students in psychology unlicensed LPMHCs and social work.
The incumbent is also responsible for the adoption of evidence-based treatment for SUD and other related mental health conditions within the SUD and oversees the training and development of EBPs for staff and trainees within the program. The incumbent may also be asked to take on leadership roles within the VISN such as SUD leadership responsibilities. Incumbent is responsible for tracking and implementing actions plans to meet National VISN Hospital and MH ICC performance improvement measures.
Clinical Responsibilities: Provides a full range of evidence-based therapeutic interventions including individual therapy group therapy and psychodiagnostic evaluations as program needs dictate.
Program Coordination: Day-to-day management and operational aspects of the SUD. The incumbent provides leadership guidance and coordination of staff following the mission/vision of the Fargo VA Health Care System (Fargo VA HCS) and program direction of the Mental Health ICC.
Supervisory Responsibilities: Provides administrative and technical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the programs providing all orientation and program training to new staff and generally throughout the facility as needed.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized
Conditions of employment
- You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
- Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
- Subject to background/security investigation.
- Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
- Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
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.
- Education. Hold a masters 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 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.
- 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.
Creditable Experience:
(1) Knowledge of Current LPMHC Practices. To be creditable the experience must have demonstrated the knowledge skills and abilities associated with current mental health counseling practice. Experience satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice at the post- masters degree level which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional mental health counselor.
(2) Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is post- masters degree experience as a mental health counselor directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must be at a level comparable to LPMHC experience at the next lower grade level. For all assignments above the full performance level the higher level duties must consist of significant scope administrative independence complexity (difficulty) and range of variety as described in this standard at the specified grade level and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time.
(3) Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a LPMHC is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example a LPMHC employed 20 hours a week or on a 1/2-time basis would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service.
(4) Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post- graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice i.e. mental health counseling. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis.
(5) Practicum in a VA Setting. VHA practicum experience may not be substituted for experience as the practicum (field placement) is completed prior to graduation with a masters degree in mental health counseling or related field.
Grade Determinations:
GS-12 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator)
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-11 grade level which is defined as: Making professional evaluations decisions and recommendation for treatment planning and implementation; Advanced working knowledge and mastery of the fundamentals of the counseling process which includes defining patient/family problems and maintaining an effective counseling relationship; Providing 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; Providing complex crisis intervention and stabilization to patients who are in psychological distress. Requires independent judgment and skill; Establishing goals/treatment through a collaborative process with the patient utilizing advanced counseling skills including evidenced- based practices screening and psychosocial assessment; Using a wide variety of individual group or family counseling interventions; Fully utilizing the current DSM in making diagnoses and formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical intervention using professional counseling practices; Developing and facilitating psychotherapy and psycho- education groups that include life skills family support and community integration. This may include evidence based psychotherapy.
Experience must have been in a major specialty treatment program area such as but not limited to Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) mental health intensive case management (MHICM) or other areas of equivalent scope and complexity. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment demonstrating progressively more professional competency.
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:
- In depth knowledge of the program coordinated and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and or practice guidelines for the program.
- Ability to make key decisions in the hiring and identification of top candidates.
- Ability to provide leadership in facilitating the process of coordinating program consults assessments admissions care assignments and discharges.
- Ability to provide subject matter consultation to other colleagues and trainees within the field of counseling working on an interdisciplinary team.
All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package.
Assignments. LPMHC Program Coordinators are administratively responsible for a clinical program and provide treatment to patients in a major specialty. They manage the daily operations of the program develop policies and procedures and prepare reports and statistics for facility VISN and national use. They may supervise unlicensed graduate LPMHCs and may administratively manage any employees assigned to their program.
Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.
Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges universities schools or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information visit:
Additional information
The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care you will operate in a model with three core elements seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veterans community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor Americas Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.
This is an OPEN CONTINOUS ANNOUNCEMENT. Qualified applications will be referred every two weeks from the opening date of this announcement until the closing date or until the position is filled whichever is sooner.
Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.
During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38 and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.
If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.
Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations Security and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government passionate about the ideals of our American republic and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Required Experience:
IC
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