Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor-Primary Care Mental Health Integration; PCMHI

Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor‑Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI)

Apply for the Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor‑Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) role at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP). You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program approval and award amount (up to $200,000) and the eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application.

• United States Citizenship; non‑citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA policy.
• English Language Proficiency: candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Education:
  
  Master’s or doctoral degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, or a related field from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Related fields may include addiction counseling, community counseling, gerontology counseling, marital–couple–family counseling, etc.
• Licensure: candidates must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC), which includes diagnosis and treatment. A LPMHC who does not yet have an independent‑practice license must be supervised by a VA staff member of the same discipline who has access to the electronic health record.
• Licensure Maintenance: once licensed, LPMHCs must maintain a full, valid, unrestricted license to independently practice mental health counseling. Loss of licensure results in removal from the GS‑0101 LPMHC occupation and may result in termination of employment.
• Post‑licensed
  
  Experience:
  
  at least one year of progressively complex LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS‑11 grade level. Senior LPMHCs must have five years of post‑licensed experience that demonstrates advanced practice skills and judgment, including the ability to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs.
• Grandfathering: may qualify based on coverage by the Grandfathering Provision described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who meet the criteria).

• Advanced knowledge and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex mental illness.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of veteran patients, including psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Ability to determine priority of services needed and provide specialized treatment.
• Advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities for Veterans with complex needs, including individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy.
• Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs, design system changes based on data, and provide subject‑matter consultation to colleagues and trainees.
• Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications.
• Ability to engage in written and oral communication with leadership, staff, and community stakeholders regarding policies, procedures, practice guidelines, and issues pertaining to the practice of the profession.
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). Standards/.

• Provide PCMHI services to Veterans referred by PACT as potential candidates for mental health/behavioral health services.
• Deliver a full range of mental health services (assessment/treatment) as indicated for primary‑care environments and diagnose mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients.
• Support same‑day access to mental health services, including crisis intervention, for…