Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (MHIS Program Manager)

This announcement will remain posted until filled. The first cutoff for consideration is: 11/28/2025.

The incumbent assists in planning establishing and implementing policies and procedures for the Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Program Health Behavior Coordination (HBC) Pain Psychology Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) Psychology Urgent Care Mental Health Integration (UCMHI) programs and other Mental Health Integration (MHI) programs; administratively and clinically supervising personnel across those programs; and developing individual or group goals and objectives as well as monitoring operating evaluating coordinating and overseeing mental health services delivered under those programs for the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VATVCBHCS). The PCMHI program includes clinical and non-clinical staff from multiple disciplines including direct report supervisee psychologists licensed professional mental health counselors clinical social workers and psychology technicians as well as staff (mental health RN and clinical pharmacists) who are directly supervised through other services. The HBPC HBC and Pain staff currently include clinical psychologist direct reports while the UCMHI clinicians are presently Social Workers or Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors. The incumbent works with the other MHIS supervisor to ensure all MHIS staff adhere to all current directives of VHA and meet current Joint Commission standards State licensure standards and VA-OIG expectations. The incumbent will conduct ongoing intensive reviews and appraisals to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing and accreditation bodies. The incumbent also provides direct clinical services for a portion of his/her addition the MHIS Program Coordinator functions as a subject matter expert and leader within the health care system in issues that relate to the MHIS programs.

The Program Manager:

• Exhibits leadership that is characterized by substantial and continuous responsibility and accountability for population groups served through MHI programs that cross service and discipline lines and influence organizational mission and health care. The incumbent provides administrative technical and clinical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of MHIS personnel.
• Assists with performance measure monitoring evaluation and action plans for program improvement/enhancement as well as accreditation reviews and pertinent site visits.
• Guides and oversees MHI services determining staffing requirements and assignments in conjunction with members of treatment teams and staff areas where individual skills are best utilized. These duties include development of functional statements position descriptions and performance standards with service personnel as well as function as the professional expert relative to MHIS practice issues.
• Assists with directing operation and management of all clinical training and administrative needs within MHIS programs.
• Provides oversight of programmatic resources of MHIS programs ensuring delivery of specialized complex and highly professional mental health services integrated with primary care and specialty medicine settings which significantly impact the health care provided to Veterans.
• Works with all local medical center health care center and community-based outpatient clinic leadership to meet site specific administrative and operational goals and may assume local leadership functions as necessary and as approved by ACOS for Mental Health.
• Works with ACOS Mental Health in identifying and prioritizing MHIS resource needs to include staffing and equipment needs of MHIS providers.
• As delegated is responsible for the oversight of funds assigned to Psychology Section control points.

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.

• As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:
  • 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.
• Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

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. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English
• Education - Masters or doctoral degree in one of the following:
• 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 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counseling.
• Licensure - Must hold a full current and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor which includes diagnosis and treatment.

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data.
4. 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.
5. Ability to teach mentor staff and trainees and provide supervision for licensure or for specialty certifications.
6. 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.
7. Ability to make judgments and decisions associated with program management.
8. Ability to monitor program outcomes using data driven quality assurance process.
9. Ability to develop productivity standards appropriate to each service provided.
10. Ability to manage a wide range of programs which include the operation and management of key clinical training or administrative programs.

• Experience organizing work setting priorities delegating tasks and meeting multiple deadlines.
• Experience utilizing evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines particularly in PCMHI setting.
• Experience supervising others in the use of evidence-based practice guidelines.
• Experience working effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds interests and points of view.
• Experience in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
• Experience in translating management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
• Experience establishing and monitoring production and performance priorities and standards.
• Experience in analyzing organizational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.