Supervisory Licnsed Professional Mental Health Counselor-Inpatient Psychiatric Unit

This job is open to

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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 vacancy announcement CBSU-13112757 -27-AS which is open to current federal employees * NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

Overview

Telework eligibleNoRemote jobNoRelocation expenses reimbursed No Salary $89,508 - $89,508 per year Pay scale & grade GS 12 Promotion potential None Work scheduleFull-timeTravel RequiredNot requiredAppointment typePermanentSupervisory statusYesFederal service typeThis job is in the Excepted Service Represented by a unionNoDrug testNoSecurity clearanceOtherPosition sensitivity and riskNon-sensitive (NS)/Low RiskFinancial disclosure requiredNoAnnouncement numberCBSU-13111279-27-ASControl number892203900

Occupations and job series

• 0183 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

Background check type

• Credentialing
• Suitability/Fitness

Summary

Inpatient Psychiatric Unit (IPU) is a 30-bed, acute inpatient psychiatric treatment facility for Veterans with a wide variety of cooccurring mental health disorders. The IPU is an essential program component of the facility that significantly impacts the health care provided to Veterans and serves as a resource regionally and nationally.

Duties

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• Broad administrative and program management and development responsibilities for the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit (IPU), a 30-bed inpatient unit for treatment of Veterans with wide range of psychiatric and substance use disorders.
• Responsibilities include ensuring efficient daily operation of the organizational unit, professional management, and assisting in administrative responsibilities that are complex in scope and that constitute a significant portion of the Medical Center.
• Direct supervisory responsibility, and both technical and professional accountability, for the IPU Assistant Program Manager, staff physicians, and night shift APRNs and PAs.
• Responsibility for development of staff competencies and performance as well as promotion of working relationships and an effective treatment team environment.
• IPU leadership and staff, responsible for management of an effective therapeutic milieu. This includes development and implementation of therapeutic programming, management of the social dynamics of patient interactions, and direction of staff-patient interactions.
• Assists in oversight of effective interventions administered by the interdisciplinary treatment team at individual and systems levels.
• Assists in maintaining a healthy environment of care.
• Engages facility services, such as Bioengineering, Information Technology, Patient Safety, and Environmental Services, to correct deficiencies in the treatment and work environment.
• Maintains awareness of physical safety of staff and patients. Assists in the development and implementation of safety protocols to address a variety of emergency scenarios. Ensures that staff and patients are trained in safety protocols on a regular basis.
• Works to ensure that treatment programming, staff development, and the environment of care are managed at a level that meets or exceeds required accreditation standards by the Joint Commission. Additionally.
• Ensure that the IPU operations meet or exceed local facility and VA Central Office expectations for service delivery including OIG and MHEOC. Policies and procedures are developed that accurately reflect operational procedures.
• Policies and procedures are used for staff training and in support of required accreditation and service delivery standards.
• Maximize program performance and patient outcomes.
• Implements and maintains a system of measurement to assess patient progress and treatment outcomes. Treatment programming is modified over time to maximize outcomes.
• Takes a lead role in developing and implementing new programming or special projects that improve the efficacy and safety of residential treatment.
• Assesses the efficacy of new projects and programming toward a goal of maximizing desired outcomes.
• May perform psychological and substance abuse assessments of patients on IPU.
• May provide a full range of therapeutic interventions, including: individual, group, and marital therapy, psychoeducation, and care coordination.
• Provides psychological consultation to non-psychologist team members on a wide variety of patient care issues.
• Holds faculty appointments in appropriate academic departments of local universities.
• May provide full clinical oversight to Psychology Interns or other trainees completing training rotations in the IPU.
• Involved in the Psychology Training Program and serves as a member of the Training Committee.
• Involved in the training of medical students, medical and psychiatric residents, and nursing students. Research/Program Evaluation
• Oversees the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements using data-driven quality assurance processes
• Assists in the timely completion of all program evaluations and documents required by the Medical Center, Health Care System, VISN, and VACO, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies and monitoring entities.
• Plans and oversees the completion of research projects designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches.
• May present outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings.

Work Schedule: M-F 8:am -4:30pm.
Telework: Ad-Hoc- Maybe available based on services needs.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:61574O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Requirements

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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.
• 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.

Qualifications

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.
• 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.
• 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.

Grade Determinations:
Supervisory Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, 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 demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills, judgment, and competency.

• Assignments- GS-11: This is the full performance grade level for LPMHCs. At this level they are licensed to independently practice professional counseling and to provide mental health services within the knowledge, theory, and training foundations of professional counseling. LPMHCs may be assigned to any VHA area, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. LPMHCs may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities-GS-11:
  • 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 family counseling interventions.
  • 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.

GS-12 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. Ability to administratively supervise other providers and conduct meetings.
2. Ability to maintain a professional environment by following organizational policies, guidelines and safety standards.
3. Ability to establish and clearly communicate guidelines and performance expectations for staff.

Preferred Experience: VA Mental Health care experience. Experience with a supervision and program management for inpatient psychiatric care.

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

Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others.This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

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/.

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.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Learn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Required Documents

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To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Long-form resume/Curriculum vitae (CV)
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

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All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 11/19/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13111279.

1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.

NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Agency contact information

VISN 19 HR Contact Center Phone 719-227-4600 Email V19USAJOBS@VA.GOV Address VA Salt Lake City Health Care System
500 Foothill Drive
Salt Lake City, UT 84148
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.

You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USA Jobs account and clicking on Applications. Information regarding your application status can be found in the USAJobs Help Center.

NOTE: Participation in the seasonal influenza program is a condition of employment and a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). It is a requirement that all HCP to receive annual seasonal influenza vaccination or obtain an exemption for medical or religious reasons. Wearing a face mask is required when an exemption to the influenza vaccination has been granted. HCP in violation of this directive may face disciplinary action up to and including removal from federal service. HCP are individuals who, during the influenza season, work in VHA locations or who come into contact with VA patients or other HCP as part of their duties. VHA locations include, but are not limited to, VA hospitals and associated clinics, community living centers (CLCs), community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), domiciliary units, Vet centers and VA-leased medical facilities. HCP include all VA licensed and unlicensed, clinical and administrative, remote and onsite, paid and without compensation, full- and part-time employees, intermittent employees, fee basis employees, VA contractors, researchers, volunteers and health professions trainees (HPTs) who are expected to perform any or all of their work at these facilities. HPTs may be paid or unpaid and include residents, interns, fellows and students. HCP also includes VHA personnel providing home-based care to Veterans and drivers and other personnel whose duties put them in contact with patients outside VA medical facilities.