Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor

Department of Veterans Affairs
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Full Time

Email Address

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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.

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Overview

Accepting applications
Open & closing dates

06/09/2025 to 06/20/2025

Salary

$88,621 - $115,213 per year

Pay scale & grade

GS 12

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Location

1 vacancy in the following location:

Fayetteville, AR 1 vacancy
Remote job

Telework eligible

Yes-as determined by the agency policy.

Travel Required

Not required

Relocation expenses reimbursed

Appointment type

Permanent

Work schedule

Full-time

Service

Excepted

Promotion potential

None

Job family (Series)
0183 Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor
Supervisory status

Security clearance

Not Required

Drug test

Position sensitivity and risk

Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk

Trust determination process
Credentialing
Suitability/Fitness
Financial disclosure

Bargaining unit status

Yes

Announcement number

CBST-12746853-25-ARS

Control number

838436700

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This job is open to

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Clarification from the agency

This vacancy is open to current permanent VA Nationwide employees and Federal employees of other Agencies.

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Duties

If you ARE NOT a current, permanent VA employee or Federal employee from another agency, you should apply using announcement:CBST-12746854-25-ARS.

Duties of the Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (LPMHC) include, but are not limited to:

The Senior LPMHC provides clinical services to special populations, including, but not limited to patients with a history of sexual trauma and combat PTSD as well as those with serious mental illness.
Patients may present with highly complex and diversified psychological/social problems that require reaching independent conclusions when consequences to the client are serious and the results are relatively unpredictable - e.g., dealing with debilitating depression, debilitating anxiety, impulse control, maladaptive expression of anger, delayed or chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and severe thought disorder manifested by hallucinations and/or delusion thinking.
As a member of the multidisciplinary treatment team, the Senior LPMHC integrates assessment data and provides leadership in preparing and implementing the plan of care.
The Senior LPMHC maintains a working relationship with the multidisciplinary treatment team.
The Senior LPMHC develops and maintains working relationships with community mental health/social service agencies, agents of the criminal justice system, and other groups or individuals involved in the care of assigned patients.
Prior to discharge, determines what follow-up services will be necessary for aftercare treatment to be effective.
The Senior LPMHC routinely contributes to the development assigned of clinical programs, including policies and procedures. When assigned, the Senior LPMHC will serve as a program leader or manager.
Documentation in the medical record of assigned patients, by the Senior LPMHC, is in accordance with specific program, medical center, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and the Joint Commission (TJC) requirements and Veterans Administration.
The Senior LPMHC may participate in the development of research proposals and may conduct research in areas of assignment. Examples of research activities may include, but are not limited to, literature searches, data collection and tabulation, as well as making behavioral observations and ratings.
The Senior LPMHC attends meetings and activities in the medical center and the community, as required.
When assigned, he/she provides mentoring for students, interns, and medical residents, under the general supervision of the program manager. He/she may also serve as an educational resource for professional and community groups.
The Senior LPMHC provides direct patient care, which is appropriate to the cognitive, emotional and chronological maturation needs of the adult and/or geriatric patient.
Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of patients served in his or her assigned service areas.

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

Telework: Available (Ad Hoc)

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 00849-F

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not 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

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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 ( ). 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.
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).

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: Senior Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

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-0101 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.

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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

Senior 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 LPMHC experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior LPMHCs must have five years of post-licensed experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise and be licensed to provide clinical supervision to trainees or unlicensed LPMHCs.

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:

Advanced knowledge of 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 making 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. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling, or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial, and/or case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans.
Ability to coordinate the delivery of specialized psychosocial services and programs. Ability to design system changes based on data.
Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the psychosocial treatment of patients, rendering professional opinions based on experience, expertise and role modeling effective clinical skills.
Ability to teach, mentor staff and trainees, and provide supervision for licensure or for 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 .

Preferred Experience: Experience and interest in treating substance use disorder (SUD), SUD with challenging co-morbid conditions, and enjoy outpatient, residential care, and case management.

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment.

Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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: . 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: .

Additional information

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.

Benefits

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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. Opens in a new windowLearn 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.

1st Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare System of the Ozarks employees including satellites;

2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent Veterans Healthcare Administration employees;

3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees; and

4th Area of Consideration - current permanent Federal employees of other Agencies

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.

Benefits

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Review our benefits

Required Documents

As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.

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

License
Resume
SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Transcript

Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment, and average hours worked per week.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Eligibility):

Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:

Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

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
License
Other (1)
Performance Appraisal
Professional Certification
Resume
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.

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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

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 06/20/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click .

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.
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

Alan Stagg-Scalia

Phone ... Email ...

Address Fayetteville AR VA Medical Center

1100 North College Avenue

Fayetteville, AR 72703

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.

Fair and Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

Criminal history inquiries
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
Financial suitability
New employee probationary period
Privacy Act
Reasonable accommodation policy
Selective Service
Signature and false statements
Social security number request

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Required Documents

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

License
Resume
SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Transcript

Resume Requirement: Your resume must include the following information: Job title, description of duties, beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment, and average hours worked per week.

SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Eligibility):

Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee

Examples of appropriate SF-50's include:

Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or
Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or
SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old.

Cover Letter
License
Other (1)
Performance Appraisal
Professional Certification
Resume
SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
Transcript

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

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

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.

Help

How to Apply

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.
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

Alan Stagg-Scalia

Phone ... Email ...

Address Fayetteville AR VA Medical Center

1100 North College Avenue

Fayetteville, AR 72703

Next steps

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.