Rehabilitation Counselor

Summary

The Rehabilitation Counselor is assigned to VHA Vocational Rehabilitation Services at the Syracuse VA Medical Center. The counselor serves Veterans with mental health, physical, or psychosocial disabilities affecting employment, independence, or personal adjustment. Working with an interdisciplinary team, the counselor provides assessment, counseling, case management, and rehabilitation planning to support employment, independent living, and personal goals.

Duties

The Rehabilitation Counselor is assigned to VHA Vocational Rehabilitation Services within the Syracuse VA Medical Center and is under the clinical and administrative supervision of the Vocational Rehabilitation Service Team Leader. Rehabilitation Counselors work with Veterans who experience functional impairments and disabilities associated with mental health, physical, and/or psychosocial challenges that affect employment, independent living, or personal adjustment. They use a variety of professional counseling and clinical modalities to promote optimal functioning, independence, personal adjustment, adaptation to disability, community reintegration, and recovery. Working with an interdisciplinary team, Rehabilitation Counselors provide and coordinate a wide range of rehabilitation counseling services, including assessment, counseling and case management, development of rehabilitation plans, and assistance in attaining and maintaining employment, independent living, and personal goals. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provides vocational and personal adjustment counseling, therapeutic rehabilitation interventions, and case coordination to Veterans with psychiatric, physical, and psychosocial disabilities to achieve competitive employment, educational, and independent living goals. Conducts biopsychosocial assessments using medical records, disability documentation, observations, and interviews with Veterans and their support systems to generate personal, vocational, and educational histories. Synthesizes assessment information to develop case conceptualizations and make clinical recommendations for treatment planning and provision. Determines the clinical need for, and capacity to benefit from, therapeutic and rehabilitation services. Develops patient-centered treatment plans using SMART (Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon, Realistic, and Time-based) goals. Evaluates Veterans' abilities and disabilities and monitors and records progress toward goals and objectives. Selects, administers, and interprets psychometric and vocational instruments to measure transferable skills, aptitudes, interests, values, preferences, and work resilience. Customizes vocational exploration activities, including informational interviews and labor market research, to identify self-determined rehabilitation needs and goals. Ensures fidelity to evidence-based and evidence-informed vocational and professional counseling practices. Facilitates job placement by teaching job search skills, resume and application development, interview skills, and basic computer skills. Coordinates job search clubs to help Veterans improve self-directed job search activities. Uses clinical counseling techniques to help Veterans develop soft skills (e.g., personal hygiene, cooperation with co-workers, and following instructions) that enhance job satisfaction and foster natural supports in the workplace. Applies a working understanding of military culture to assist Veterans returning to the community, including community-based work. Serves as a consultant to interdisciplinary treatment teams and other clinical staff on Veterans' vocational rehabilitation needs. Communicates with community health care professionals and employers to share useful information about the Veteran. Completes clinical charting and participates in professional peer reviews. Receives guidance and advice from supervisors and senior staff as needed. Promotes employment programs to community employers to establish relationships that create work opportunities for Veterans with significant behavioral, physical, emotional, and/or cognitive impairments. Provides job development, job coaching, retention, and education services for Veterans with disabilities and the employers who hire them. Conducts job analyses to identify essential functions and develop reasonable accommodations. Coordinates vocational programming services, which may include work restoration and resilience treatment, transitional work placement and compensation, financial benefits counseling, benefits protections, supported employment, and assistive technology. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education: A master's degree in rehabilitation counseling or clinical rehabilitation counseling from a rehabilitation counseling program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). If the applicant's degree was granted prior to July 1, 2017, the program must be accredited by the Council on Rehabilitation Education. OR A master's degree in counseling or clinical rehabilitation counseling from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). OR A master's or doctoral degree in a related field of study with course content that emphasized rehabilitation, counseling, disability, therapy, health, employment, wellness, or human development from a college or university accredited by a national or regional accrediting body accredited by CHEA. OR Foreign graduates with a degree acceptable by the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification (CRCC). Certification: Current, full and unrestricted certification as a certified rehabilitation counselor (CRC) from the CRCC to practice vocational rehabilitation counseling. Exceptions for Graduate RCs: RC graduates from an approved counseling or rehabilitation counseling program who otherwise meet the basic qualification requirements and the additional degree requirements for CRC certification by the CRCC, but do not possess the required certification, may be appointed, pending certification, as a graduate RC on a full-time temporary appointment not-to-exceed two years under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405(a)(1)(D). Graduate RCs may only be appointed at the entry grade level and may not be promoted/converted until certification is obtained. Temporary graduate RC appointments may not be extended beyond two years or converted to a new temporary appointment. Grandfathering Provision: 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. a. Rehabilitation Counselor, GS-09 Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. AND Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience or educational requirements for this grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of human development and behavior, medical, psychosocial, and vocational aspects of disability and differential influences of environmental factors to assist persons with disab