Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Silver Spring (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration in Maryland, seeks a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager, GS-13) to oversee advanced clinical and program management duties.

Applicants must hold CACREP-accredited graduate degrees and a full, current license for independent practice, with English proficiency. The position emphasizes data-driven quality assurance, leadership of clinical programs, and collaboration across services.

Qualifications

• Master's or doctoral degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or CACREP-accredited related field.
• Full, current, unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Responsibilities

• Ability to make judgments and decisions associated with program management.
• Ability to monitor program outcomes using data driven quality assurance process.
• Ability to develop productivity standards appropriate to each service provided.
• Ability to manage a wide range of programs which include the operation and management of key clinical, training or administrative programs.

Education

Master's or doctoral degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling or CACREP-accredited related field

Job description

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.

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

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Manager), GS-13

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.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-12 grade level, 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.