Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Mental Health Treatment Coordinator)
What you'd do
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.
Major duties
Serve as a member of a BHIP team as the MHTC, which has primary responsibility for Mental Health (MH) Care Coordination (CC) on the team. Complete MHTC needs assessment as part of Veteran care planning. Complete or review the 5-point screening for MH patients. Participate in care planning to ensure integration of CC interventions within the overall care plan. Use clinical decision support tools (e.g., BHIP CC dashboards, REACH VET, STORM, etc.) to help determine CC needs. Use specific MHTC note templates to communicate with the MH PCMM Coordinator and ensure the BHIP team and MHTC assignments are entered and updated in PCMM so current MHTC assignments are visible in the EHR. Participate in frequent team huddles (e.g., daily) and team meetings (e.g., weekly) and help organize flow of team huddle. Outreach or facilitate outreach to Veteran to promote care continuity when other team members are unavailable (e.g., triage Veteran needs). Ensure ongoing contact with Veteran, as clinically indicated, to promote engagement in care. Provide information/education to other healthcare and service providers to facilitate recognizing and respecting the Veteran's needs, strengths, and goals. Serve as the ongoing POC and clinical resource that promotes treatment engagement, especially during care transitions along the continuum of MH specialty and subspecialty care. Ensure the Veteran (and family/caregiver/supportive person as appropriate) has access to education, information, and resources for proactive self-management, including but not limited to mobile apps and online resources, Whole Health interventions, safety resources, linkages to community and other resources. Advocate for Veterans by working for systems improvement and eliminating healthcare disparities to promote Veteran well-being. Is available to Veterans to answer questions about needs, upcoming visits, care plans, and other questions not already handled by BHIP treating provider(s). Flexibly provide same-day access and walk-in services (i.e., triage, and either address immediate needs that do not require a treating provider and/or handoff to a treating provider, as needed). Aid in crisis intervention, as needed (e.g., manages medical and mental health emergencies appropriately, including suicidal and homicidal ideation). Collaborates with Suicide Prevention Coordinator and others to identify Veterans at high risk for suicide and others with complex needs to increase monitoring and targeted suicide prevention strategies. Enter and ensure necessary consults and referrals are entered. Collaborate with UCC, inpatient, and residential services to coordinate admission and discharge planning. Facilitate urgent appointments and warm handoffs, as needed, with BHIP treating team members. Facilitate PACT assignments for Veterans not yet assigned to PACT, when appropriate. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 0800-1630 Compressed/Flexible: May be available upon management discretion Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Telework: Available, Ad-Hoc only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. BASIC REQUIREMENTS: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.). 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 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-0101 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. Exception. VHA may waive the licensure requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure. This exception only applies up to the full performance level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be licensed. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). GRADE DETERMINATIONS: LPMHC, GS-9 (Entry Level): Experience, Education, and Licensure. The GS-9 grade level is the entry grade level for LPMHCs with less than one year of experience(post-master's degree) or for LPMHCs at the master's or doctoral level who are graduates not yet licensed at the independent practice level. Unlicensed LPMHCs at the GS-9 grade level have completed the required education listed above, and are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure. In addition, the candidates must demonstrate the KSAs below. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the basic requirements, the candidates must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 1. Ability to engage in intake and assessment, problem identification, diagnosis, treatment planning and implementation, continuum of care, evaluation and follow-up. 2. Knowledge of current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders in formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical interventions using professional counseling practices. 3. Basic knowledge of professional counseling practice with emphasis on human development principles through cognitive, affective, behavioral or systemic interventions, and strategies that address high risk behaviors, wellness, personal growth, and career development across the life span. 4. Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or family counseling interventions; demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and possesses multicultural counseling skills. 5. Ability to serve on an interdisciplinary team with focus on the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and relational functioning of individuals, groups and families and on the counseling approaches, strategies, and techniques that will best help patients function effectively. 6. Basic skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, maintaining accurate, timely and thorough clinical documentation and delivery of services, such as Telehealth. 7. Ability to learn and utilize software programs in use by VHA. 8. Knowledge and understanding of existing relevant statutes, case laws, ethical codes, and regulations affecting professional practice of counseling. 9. Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds. LPMHC, 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 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: 1. Ability to make professional evaluations, decisions, and recommendation for treatment planning and implementation. 2. Advanced knowledge and mastery of the fundamentals of the counseling process which includes defining patient/family problems and maintaining an effective counseling relationship. 3. 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. 4. Ability to provide complex crisis intervention and stabilization to patients who are in psychological distress. Requires independent judgment and skill. 5. Ability to establish goals/treatment through a collaborative process with the patient utilizing advanced counseling skills, including evidenced- based practices, screening, and psychosocial assessment. 6. Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or familial counseling interventions; demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and possesses multicultural counseling skills. 7. 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. 8. 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. PREFERRED EXPERIENCE: Experience with care coordination and Veterans. REFERENCE: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://department.va.gov/employees/va-qualifications-standards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The grade at which an applicant may be hired is GS-9 to GS-11. PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: There are no physical requirements for this occupation per OCHCO Communications email to VA Handbook 5019, updated on 4/17/2026.
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