Summary

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.

This job is open to

• The public
  
  U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Clarification from the agency

ALL US CITIZENS

*** If you ARE a current permanent federal employee, please apply to the Internal Announcement CBSU-12706939-25-CC***

Videos

Duties

• Serves community capacity development for suicide prevention by serving in a leadership role in communicating with, organizing, and managing community partner interactions and in helping to build coalitions to implement suicide prevention programs aimed at reducing Veteran suicide in the catchment area.
• Serves as a seasoned content and subject matter expert for suicide prevention and public health and facilitates integration of suicide prevention education throughout the community.
• Analyzes current community capacity and organization with a responsibility to help manage the intersection of community and facility resources.
• Develops, facilitates, and strengthens Community-Based Interventions for Suicide Prevention (SP) by connecting VA programs and stakeholders, including, but not limited to: Veterans, Veteran Service Organizations, congressional staff, media, community business partners, and community members throughout the health care system and VISN catchment areas.
• Conducts community-based interventions and provide outreach and education on suicide prevention related topics and services.
• Tracks and assesses the response of all parties so that potential problem areas can be identified, avoided, and/or corrected.
• Provides leadership for coalition management; leads alignment of community coalition goals with VA goals, collaborates with non-VA coalition leaders.
• Conducts and/or supports coalition evaluation activities such as survey distribution, data collection, key informant interviews, etc.
• Establishes and maintains strong relationships between the VA suicide prevention team and community-based veteran organizations and leadership.
• Develops and maintains content expertise in suicide prevention through, networking, internet access, published literature, national conference calls, and educational offerings and professional meetings.
• Oversees outreach to educate community partners, the media, VA, and other government stakeholders to enhance the development of suicide prevention coalitions.
• Identifies the specific needs and interests of each group, determines the strategy for providing information, and tailors the communications to be effective to each group.
• Develops and delivers education and outreach services that encompasses underserved veteran populations and expands SP coalition building in communities in the Facility's geographical catchment area and may include regional or state events.
• Provides a variety of suicide prevention trainings including but not limited to a focus on training in Lethal Means Safety, Mental Health Apps (Hope Box, PTSD, etc.)
• Develops materials and training programs for staff and external stakeholders regarding suicide prevention in VHA and the facility.
• Serves as a subject matter expert in public health and suicide prevention and implements VHA Community-Based Interventions for Suicide Prevention including collaborating with community, Veteran, and state partners.
• Facilitates planning, direction, and timely execution of policy, training, education, research, and evaluation, and/or data and surveillance projects/programs pertaining to the prevention of Veteran Suicide.
• Oversees the revision of long-range plans, goals and objectives for the suicide prevention communication directed towards the support of coalition building.
• Performs duties and functions as a primary point of contact for the dissemination of information related to VHA's efforts to prevent Veteran suicide to internal and external stakeholders.
• Communicates effectively with stakeholders, researches communication requirements to determine the nature of the audience and other special considerations to enhance the development of suicide prevention coalition building.
• Works with the Public Affairs Officer, VHA Communications, and external VA partners to plan, develop and disseminate suicide prevention outreach communications to enhance the work of community coalitions.
• Ensures funds are properly allocated, expended accurately, and that invoices are certified timely.
• May provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training, including trainees seeking licensure.
• Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate.
• Position is remote within the area and may be located at any CBOC associated with the SVAHCS, but not in Sheridan Proper. This position will require community outreach and travel throughout the state.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 8:00 am - 4:30 pm

Telework: Ad-hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 60248-A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May Be Authorized

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

***This is an open continuous announcement until August 22, 2025. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. ***

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.

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.

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 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.

Grade Determinations:

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Program Coordinator), 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 have been in a major specialty treatment program area such as, but not limited to, Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), mental health intensive case management (MHICM), or other areas of equivalent scope and complexity. 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-11 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. In depth knowledge of the program coordinated, and demonstrated knowledge and ability to write policies procedures and or practice guidelines for the program.

2. Ability to make key decisions in the hiring and identification of top candidates.

3. Ability to provide leadership in facilitating the process of coordinating program consults, assessments, admissions, care assignments and discharges.

4. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to other colleagues and trainees within the field of counseling working on an interdisciplinary team.

AND

GS-11 grade level KSAs:

1. Ability to make professional evaluations, decisions, and recommendation for treatment planning and implementation.

2. Advanced knowledge and mastery of the fundamentals of the counseling process which includes defining patient/family problems and maintaining an effective counseling relationship.

3. Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the counseling process within various specialty areas, build on the foundation of competence through regular meetings and discussions to explain assignments, review progress of cases and confer about the counseling perspectives and orientation.

4. Ability to provide complex crisis intervention and stabilization to patients who are in psychological distress. Requires independent judgment and skill. 5. Ability to establish goals/treatment through a collaborative process with the patient utilizing advanced counseling skills, including evidenced- based practices, screening, and psychosocial assessment.

6. Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or familial counseling interventions; demonstrates sensitivity to diversity and possesses multicultural counseling skills.

7. Ability to fully utilize the current DSM in making diagnoses and formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical intervention using professional counseling practices.

8. Ability to develop and facilitate psychotherapy and psycho- education groups that include life skills, family support, and community integration. This may include evidence based psychotherapy.

Preferred Experience: Familiarity with Suicide Prevention and Crisis Mental Health Care;Experience in working with PTSD, Substance Use Disorders, Co-occurring mental health disorders; Specialty Training in Evidence Based Psychotherapies (EBP) Responsible, comfortable, and talented in engaging local communities to bolster awareness for suicide prevention.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit