Qualifications

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:

• The basic requirements for employment as a LPMHC are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. 7402(b)(11)
• To qualify for appointment as a LPMHC all applicants must: a
• 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.)
• b
• 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
• c
• 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
• d
• Physical Requirements
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• e
• 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
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of the candidates
• Supervisory 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 experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level
• Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills, judgment, and competency
• Assignments
• At this level, LPMHCs administratively supervise their licensed staff and/or graduates and are considered LPMHC subject matter experts and may serve as the discipline lead
• LPMHCs may provide treatment to patients
• They direct the development and implementation of services and treatment to patients through the administrative supervision, mentoring, and oversight of assigned clinical staff
• Their experience must demonstrate practice skills in a specialty area or in administration demonstrating progressively more professional competency and judgment
• 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
• Ability to administratively supervise other providers and conduct meetings
• 2
• Ability to maintain a professional environment by following organizational policies, guidelines and safety standards
• 3
• Ability to establish and clearly communicate guidelines and performance expectations for staff
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The 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.