Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (SUD)

The Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) independently provides and/or coordinates advanced therapeutic/clinical activities to include screening clinical assessment individual group collateral family counseling/therapy and psychoeducational sessions in the Substance Use Disorders Outpatient Program. All services are documented using the CPRS computer program system consistent with all applicable The Joint Commission (TJC) Committee on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) VHA and medical center policies and procedures. The incumbent may be required to work evening and/or weekend hours to meet patient care needs.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Makes provision for referral services to other agency or organizations community resources (i.e. halfway house shelter) or other governmental resources to resolve problems as appropriate refers Veterans with more serious problems to appropriate treatment resources within and outside the medical center.
• Acts as liaison between various treatment programs with the Mental Health Service in providing education counseling and treatment recommendations for patient cases according to program-specific criteria.
• Actively participates in the multidisciplinary SUD services team in provision of therapeutic services along the continuum of Stepped Care for SUD veterans.
• Works collaboratively with the patient and treatment team members to develop a comprehensive treatment plan incorporating patient strengths and weaknesses and the pertinent problems identified during psychosocial assessments.
• Develops comprehensive aftercare plans to facilitate continued recovery post completion.
• Participates in ongoing communication and networking with a wide and diverse range of community and system referral sources.
• Provides staffing coverage to support the general mission of Substance Use Disorders programs including IOP MAT Clinic and BHIP clinic including functions related to interdisciplinary staff coverage addressing urgent and crisis patient events/situations and assisting in the training functions of the program as assigned and consistent with professional skills training and experience.
• Assists in monitoring record keeping procedures to ensure compliance with all applicable state and federal regulations and requirements of accrediting bodies.
• Participates with other Mental Health Service staff in focus work groups committees and related service improvement endeavors as directed.
• Assists in training other therapists in intervention techniques and participates in staff education efforts.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 7:45am- 4:30pm
Telework: Yes as determined by the agency policy.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 61348F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

• 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.

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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 Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005 Part II Chapter 3 Section A Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapter 73 or 74 to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
• Education - Candidates must meet one of the following: 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 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 - Candidates must hold a full current and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).


Grade Determinations:

Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above you must have the following:

GS-12 Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Experience Requirements: 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 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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: All candidates must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation without hazard to themselves or others. Candidates must meet the physical requirements outlined in Section II and Section VI of the OPM Operating Manual Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions and must possess emotional and mental stability. The job is sedentary but requires movement throughout the medical center.