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:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy
• 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-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
• 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
• 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager), GS-13 (a) 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-12 grade level
• The experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressively more professional competency
• (b) Assignments
• LPMHCs manage the daily operations of multiple programs, develop and implement program policies and procedures, or serve as chief or principal counselor to a number of LPHMCs
• They are responsible for oversight of administrative and programmatic resources and monitoring of outcomes
• They prepare reports and statistics for facility, VISN, and national leadership
• Decisions may affect staff and other resources associated with the programs managed and are made while exercising wide latitude and independent judgment
• They may be responsible for the program's budget
• They may also supervise employees assigned to the program
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• The candidate must demonstrate the KSAs below: 1
• Ability to make judgments and decisions associated with program management
• 2
• Ability to monitor program outcomes using data driven quality assurance process
• 3
• Ability to develop productivity standards appropriate to each service provided
• 4
• Ability to manage a wide range of programs which include the operation and management of key clinical, training or administrative programs
• Reference: VA Handbook 5005-106, Part II, Appendix G43, dated April 3, 2018
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13
• Physical Requirements: The work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodation
• A pre-placement exam is not required NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker, Psychologist, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, and Marriage & Family Therapist
• Each discipline is announced separately, and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified.