Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor- Outpatient Substance Use Disorder Program

Duties of this position are but not limited to:

• Provides specialized individual group and family evidence-based psychotherapy for co-occurring Substance Use and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders. Services are provided within OSATP including at the Coralville VA Mental Health Clinic Clinical Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOC) and Community Resource and Referral Centers )CRRCs).
• Incumbent is a subject matter expert in treating SUD/PTSD co-occurring disorders and provides consultation to staff within and outside of the OSATP and the Mental Health Service Line.
• Provides training and consultation to staff and trainees on evidence-based psychotherapies available for SUD/PTSD and demonstrates the ability to teach and mentor staff and students in the complex specialty area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications. Incumbent provides additional training and consultation for staff/trainees in other evidence-based therapies for SUD and co-occurring disorders.
• Collects analyzes and monitors data outcomes to determine treatment efficacy for programs within OSATP. Incumbent oversees implementation and analysis of measurement-based care within OSATP and focuses on implementation process improvements and program development based on data and program needs.
• Performs specialized treatment of highly complex physical or mental illness in group individual and family therapy.
• Incorporates 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.
• Incumbent has a high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with veterans in the mental health clinic and/or their families.
• Able to independently work with veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical psychiatric emotional behavioral and psychosocial must independently complete thorough biopsychosocial assessments to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of veterans and/or their families.
• The incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the veterans maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable.
• Documents the ASAM patient placement criteria in order to determine appropriate level of substance abuse treatment for the client. Must possess knowledge and ability to independently implement a variety of treatment modalities.
• Administers psychological instruments including but not limited to Audit/DAST and Brief Addiction Monitor BDI-II BAI PCL in order to measure progress and effectiveness of treatment as well as monitor and improve treatment based on the individual clients current needs.
• Able to administer Breath Alcohol tests and Urine Drug Screen testing based on requirements of the program the Veteran is participating in (Example: Matrix Intensive Outpatient Program).
• Possesses skills to provide case management services and provides case management to clients with high intensity needs.
• Provides crisis counseling to veterans and their families who present with acute problems and needs including suicidal or homicidal ideations. Incumbent is able to screen for such crises and implement appropriate protocol and treatment.
• Completes clinical documentation according to OSATP and medical center standards. Documentation is clinically appropriate and thorough and demonstrates the components of treatment considered the standard of care.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 7:30am-4:00pm or 8:00am-4:30pm
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000

• 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 identification 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.

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 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. NOTE: Applicants pending the completion of the licensure requirement may be selected (GS-09 only) and given up to a three-year temporary appointment.

Grandfather Provision: An LPMHC employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (4/3/2018) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard may not be promoted beyond the full performance level (GS-11) or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions until meeting the full qualification requirements.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidates qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade.

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.

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 inter- professional 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.

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:
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.

Preferred Experience: Mental Health and substance use disorders counseling.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is 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.