Licensed professional mental health counselor - program manager (chief of mental health)

Summary

The Chief of Mental Health (MH) is responsible for all clinical and administration aspects of the services delivered in Mental Health Service (MHS). Responsible for all aspects of administration in MHS in the relationship to the VA Medical Center at large. Responsibilities are complex in scope and involve organization of service delivery, management of programs across the healthcare system, coordination and supervision of staff, program evaluation, performance improvement and budget.

Duties

Major duties include but are not limited to the following:

Administrative Responsibilities

• The Chief of MH is responsible for day-to-day management and operational oversight of the Mental Health Service.
• Has staff authority for resource allocations within Mental Health Service.
• Ensures efficient operation of the Mental Health Service.
• Prepares annual Budget Call for the Mental Health Service.
• Monitors and oversees Fund Control Points of assigned.
• Seeks additional resources as warranted, with use of data-driven criteria in support of all requests.
• Provides leadership, guidance, and coordination of multidisciplinary staff to ensure the provision of comprehensive and quality services to meet the needs of Veterans served.
• Supervises a group of employees performing work at various GS levels and across organizational units, specialty areas and programs providing administrative, personnel, technical and clinical supervision necessary for accomplishing the work of the unit/service including outreach efforts and efforts at other sites within a Health Care System.
• Organizes and leads leadership team meetings to meet organizational goals.
• Plans work to be accomplished by team leaders and program managers, including establishing priorities, timelines for completion and necessary adjustments therein.
• Ensures optimal collaboration across program teams, to include effective communication, resource sharing, and transfer of patients across a continuum of services.
• Monitors compliance of program managers, coordinators, team leaders and members with VA performance measures and effectively shapes provider practice patterns to improve standing on performance measures.
• Functions as the supervisor of record for MH Supervisory team members, establishing guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system.
• Observes workers' performance and demonstrates and conducts work performance critiques which are communicated informally and periodically in the employee performance management system.
• Provides clinical supervision, as appropriate, to assigned team leaders and members regarding adherence to Hershel "Woody" Williams VAMC clinical and legal standards and policies, documentation of CPRS procedures, and the clinical management of difficult, complex, and dangerous patients.
• Resolves formal and informal complaints and grievances.
• Develops work improvement plans, recommending personnel actions as necessary.
• Provides advice and counsel to workers related to work and administrative matters.
• Effects disciplinary measures as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area.
• Ensures timely access to care of patients assigned to each team, in accordance with local and national policies.
• Conducts ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects that monitor the effectiveness of clinical operations within their respective program(s).
• Develops and implements information systems to track service activities including visits, referrals, inpatient days, patient demographics, equipment utilization and patient satisfaction.
• Has oversight for various fund control points assigned to the Mental Health Service.
• Manages and controls the use of data related to these programs regarding the day-to-day functioning and program evaluation.

Clinical Responsibilities

• Skill in psycho-diagnostic assessment, individual and group psychotherapies, collaborative care management, evidence-based integrated psychotherapies, motivational interviewing, and other services both in person and through tele-health technology when required.
• Produces timely, appropriate documentation of care in accordance with agency policies.
• Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
• Skill in independently implementing evidence based mental health treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
• Ability to provide consultation services to new counselors, counseling graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.
• Provides clinical support to patients in MH crisis needs.
• Completes administrative activities in support of patient care, such as treatment planning and documentation of care.

Work Schedule

Full-time, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm

Telework

Ad-hoc according to Agency policy

Virtual

This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #

000000

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives

Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS)

Not Authorized

Requirements

Conditions of employment

• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• 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 interest.

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: LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.j.
• 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

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Care Line Manager/VISN/National), GS-14 - Program Manager Leadership Assignments 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-13 grade level. They must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills in administration, demonstrating progressively more professional competency skills and judgment.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-13 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

• Advanced knowledge and skill in management/administration of multidisciplinary mental health programs at complex facilities and/or across multiple sites which includes supervision, consultation, negotiation, and monitoring.
• Demonstrated global knowledge of mental health counseling practice to develop, maintain, and oversee programs in all settings.
• Ability to provide consultation on policy implementation, qualification standards, counseling practice, and competency with medical center director, VISN, or national program managers that are consistent with organizational goals and objectives.
• Advanced knowledge of evidence-based practices and mental health practice guidelines in multiple professional areas, and the ability to use these resources to guide the program staff in providing appropriate treatment interventions.
• Ability to influence high level officials in adoption of, and conformance to, performance measures, monitors, and other policy guidelines.

Preferred Experience

Previous experience managing mental health programs, medical residents, and/or interns.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements

Majority of work is completed in an office setting. The work of this position of primarily sedentary with occasional walking of short distances. No heavy lifting required. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete a physical as a part of the pre-employment process.

Education Note

Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply.

The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

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