Rehabilitation Counselor

Rehabilitation Counselors in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) work with persons who experience functional impairments and disabilities associated with mental health, physical, and/or psychosocial challenges affecting employment, independent living, or personal adjustment. The incumbent will use professional counseling and clinical modalities to promote and support optimal functioning, independence, personal adjustment, adaptation to disability, community reintegration, and recovery.

• Incumbent serves as a developmental Rehabilitation Counselor (RC) providing vocational and personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions, and case coordination services.
• Provide a variety of professional rehabilitation counseling services such as personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions and case coordination services, utilizing evidence-informed and evidence-based modalities and professional counseling practices to aid Veterans with severe disabilities in achieving competitive employment and educational and independent living goals.
• Serves as a consultant to an interdisciplinary treatment team or other clinical staff as it relates to the Veteran's vocational rehabilitation needs. Communicates appropriately with community health care professionals to provide useful input to other team members and employers concerning the Veteran.
• Ensures fidelity to evidence-based and evidence-informed vocational and professional counseling practices. Evaluates Veteran's abilities and disabilities; monitors and records Veteran's progress to ensure goals and objectives are met.
• Conducts biopsychosocial assessments using medical records, pertinent disability documentation, and observation. Incorporates interviews into the assessment with the Veterans and their support systems to generate personal, vocational, and educational histories.
• Synthesizes the information to develop case conceptualization and make clinical recommendations to facilitate treatment planning and provision. Follows all suicide risk/prevention protocol in accordance with national, regional and local policies, including administration of the CSSRS. Refers to Licensed Independent Provider for further assessment, including completion of CSRE, SBOR and Safety Plan, when indicated.
• Selects, administers, and interprets psychometric assessments and vocational instruments to evaluate abilities, transferrable skills, aptitudes, interests, values, preferences, and overall work resilience. Customizes vocational exploration activities, including informational interviews and labor market research, to identify self-determined rehabilitation needs and goals.
• Determines clinical need for and capacity to benefit from therapeutic and rehabilitation services. Vocational programming benefits may include work restoration/resilience treatment, transitional work placement and compensation, financial benefits counseling, potential benefits protections, supported employment, and assistive technology.
• Develops patient-centered treatment plans, using Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic, and Time-based (SMART) goals, and provides regular, ongoing assessment of Veteran's progress. Complete clinical charting and participate in professional peer reviews.
• Provides job development, job placement, job coaching, job accommodation, adaptation, retention, and education services to both Veterans with disabilities and for those employers who employ these Veterans. Conducts a job analysis to identify essential functions and develop reasonable accommodations.
• Promote employment programs to community employers to establish relationships that will result in providing work opportunities for Veterans with significant behavioral, physical, emotional and/or cognitive impairments.
• Facilitate job placement for Veterans by teaching valuable job search skills, resume/application development, interview skills and basic computer skills. Coordinate job search clubs for Veterans to improve in self-directed job search activities.
• Provides professional recommendations and guidance regarding the career development processes and job analysis methodology to determine essential functions of jobs, worksite modifications and/or alternative vocational goals given the work history and residual functional capacities of individuals with disabilities.
• Utilizes knowledge of the military culture, military transition to civilian occupations, and specific factors and dynamics associated with Veterans, particularly combat Veterans, to advise those who are returning to the community, and community-based work.
• Adheres to the professional rehabilitation standards of the Joint Commission and CARF. Serves or chairs task groups or administrative committees on behalf of VHA Voc Rehab Service. Participates in professional peer review and individual case review and that of other professional disciplines as appropriate.

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

Compressed/Flexible:Not Available

Telework: Available (ad-hoc)

Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Not Available

Functional Statement #: 92653-A/92654-A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized