Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (Emergency Department)

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. Major Duties: Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Provides a full range of psychosocial assessment services and psychiatric diagnoses of mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients in a variety of treatment settings, including tele-mental health. Provide 24 Hours/7 Day on site mental health clinical services at all times in the VHA Emergency Departments that have higher utilization, higher risk patients, specialized intensive care units, and research, educational, and clinical missions Receive and respond to crisis calls and address all urgent mental health needs presented and interventions implemented Consult with Psychiatry regarding potential admissions and/or a request for ED consultation in developing and recommending a plan of care Complete Suicide Risk Assessments and Suicide Safety Plans for all veterans identified as needing mental health and urgent care services Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy. Provides consultation to professional staff within VA Medical Center at Memphis and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. Functions independently at the VA Medical Center at Memphis and assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. Interviews veterans and their family members/significant others to establish facts about the veteran's situation, presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the veteran's functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs. Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment, identifying needs and strengths. Effectively uses professional skill, objectivity, and insight. Uses advanced clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Assess high risk factors, acuity and need for services. Ability to serve veterans who tend to have serious frequent and severe crises, lack family or an adequate community support network, be poor at self-monitoring, frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychological support. Can aid with the orientation and learning of less experienced social workers, mental health clinicians and related personnel, including serving as a field instructor for graduate level social work students. Can demonstrate knowledge and skill in the use of software applications for drafting documents and data management as well as other computer systems utilized by the VHA. Can maintain a level of productivity and quality consistent with the complexity of the assignment and consistent with MH Social Work standards, Joint Commission standards, and facility productivity requirements. Understand and accept modified tours of duty as a job requirement and that it meets the needs of the Veteran and the medical center. Facilitates liaisons with other medical center programs to effectively coordinate services. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Provides clinical supervision and instruction for interns. Work Schedule: 3pm-12am or 12am-8am which includes weekdays/weekends /holidays Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 51104-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact visn9hredrp@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized 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/. Requirements: 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 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). 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. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.