Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor Training Program
This training program at South Texas Veterans Health Care System (STVHCS) is a part of Phase VII of VA’s Mental Health Education Expansion (MHEE) Initiative and is a Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Program (CACREP) accredited program.
Phase VII of VA’s Mental Health Education Expansion (MHEE) Initiative
The expansion in both Licensed Professional Mental Health Counseling (LPMHC) master’s level internship programs is to expand mental health training, critical to meeting the needs of Veterans and creating a pool of qualified mental health providers from which to recruit.
Outcomes: Trainees may be offered full time positions following the completion of this program.
Click here to learn more about the program and watch this spotlight on success from the Office of Academic Affiliations.
For questions and application requests, contact: vhastxlpmhctrainingprg@va.gov
Recruitment
Prospective trainees will be recruited by University of Texas-San Antonio, a CACREP accredited program. Applicants are asked to submit a completed application, along with two letters of reference from academic and occupational sources.
The course of training will total 600 hours of VA-supported curriculum and clinical exposures, as required by CACREP-certified master's programs accrediting agency requires. Those 600 hours are spread across two semesters, 300 hours each, or 12 weeks per semester of 25 hours/week.
Interns will train at various sites, alternating site exposures but will come together at one site when didactics and conferences are scheduled: North Central Federal Clinic, located at 17440 Henderson Pass, San Antonio, TX 78232.
Paid Stipend
For Associated Health trainees, all appointments will be made under 38 U.S.C.7405(a)(1) for a period not to exceed three years with termination at the end of the academic year training period.
Actual stipends for these trainees will be the proportionate amount of the per annum training rate determined in the manner prescribed by VA Handbook 5007, Part II, Chapter 2, paragraph 2.m. For HR Smart/PAID coding purposes, Trainees will be identified by the profession-specific codes cited below.
Facility-based per annum training rates for each discipline may be found in the OAA support center at the following website:
- Occupation Title OST Code HR-Smart Job/Codes: Licensed Professional
- Mental Health Counseling (Masters Intern) 0101-44-T0 370791
Important to note:
STVHCS requests committing to completing the training program in its entirety (Internship 1 and Internship 2). This program does not provide practicum experience opportunities.
Candidates specializing in school counseling are not appropriate for a VA placement.
Didactics
- Confidentiality & HIPPA: Informed consent, duty to report.
- Suicide risk assessment: safety planning, reporting high risk behaviors.
- Military cultural competence, consideration for treating Veterans.
- Intake and assessment, using the Diagnostic Manual (DSM) 5.
- Appropriate documentation, notes, treatment plans, and self-assessments.
- Overview and rationale of high-impact, time-limited therapy (recovery model, episodic therapy).
- Special populations: Military Sexual Trauma, geriatric, Traumatic Brain Injury, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD).
- Overview of PTSD and trauma related treatment interventions.
- Overview of cognitive behavioral therapy interventions.
- Managing "difficult" cases.
- Moral injury and spiritual needs in therapy.
- Self-care and burnout prevention.
- The challenges of personality disorders.
- Meeting treatment goals and terminating treatment.
Resources
Federal employment requirements and opportunities: https://www.usajobs.gov/.
Licensed Professional Counselors including licensing requirements and FAQS about the practice of counseling in the state of Texas: https://bhec.texas.gov/texas-state-board-of-examiners-of-professional-counselors/.