Location: DEPARTMENTS OF THE ARMY & AIR FORCE Colchester, VT.

Job Description:

· Scope: The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, and quality control necessary, except as specified in Paragraph 3.0 as Government Furnished, to perform Psychological Health Coordination Services.

· Objectives: To maintain the medical readiness of the Vermont National Guard by improving access to Psychological Health (PH) and Substance Abuse counseling resources within the VTARNG, improving access to external resources, and reducing stigmas and barriers to BH resources.

· Background: The Vermont Army National Guard (VTARNG) Office of the Deputy State Surgeon has a requirement to provide psychological health and substance abuse consultation services for VTARNG Service Members (SM) and their family members (FM) (SM/FM), thereby promoting mental fitness and personal wellness for operational readiness and reintegration to civilian life.

· General Information: Place and Performance of Services: The contractor shall provide on-site services between the hours of 0800 and 1630, Monday through Friday except on recognized US holidays or when the Government facility/installation is closed due to local or national emergencies, administrative closings, or similar Government-directed facility/installation closings. Contractor also is required to provide 24/7/365 crisis support services.

· The contractor shall adjust its hours of operation as necessary to align with working hours at the designated place of performance, to include drill weekends as necessary; the contractor shall in all cases provide weekly on-site availability (inclusive of performance related travel) at each site except in accordance with its proposed authorized leave plan. The contractor shall at all times maintain an adequate work force for the uninterrupted performance of all tasks defined within this PWS when the Government facility/installation is not closed for the above reasons. When hiring personnel, the contractor shall keep in mind that the stability and continuity of the work force are essential.

· Telework: Telework is only authorized when in-person service is a risk to health of the employee, co-workers, or patients. Telework is not authorized during Soldier Readiness Events (SRP/SRC) due to the high throughput of these evaluations. VTARNG does not have the digital infrastructure to support telemedicine at this time.

· Unscheduled gate closures by the Security Police may occur at any time causing all personnel entering or exiting a closed installation to experience a delay. This cannot be predicted or prevented. Contractors are not compensated for unexpected closures or delays. Vehicles operated by contractor personnel are subject to search pursuant to applicable regulations. Any moving violation of any applicable motor vehicle regulation may result in the termination of the contractor employee’s installation driving privileges.

· The contractor’s employees shall become familiar with and obey the regulations of the installation, including fire, traffic, safety and security regulations while on the installation. Contractor employees should only enter restricted areas when required to do so and only upon prior approval. All contractor employees shall carry proper identification with them at all times and shall be subject to such checks as may be deemed necessary. The contractor shall ensure compliance with all regulations and orders of the installation, which may affect performance. The Government reserves the right to direct the removal of an employee from Government property or revoke access to Government systems for misconduct, security reasons, or any overt evidence of communicable disease. Removal of contractor employees for reasons stated above does not relieve the Contractor from responsibility for total performance of this contract.

Expectations / Tasks

· Provide Mental Health Counseling.

· Maintain a 24/7 crisis phone through calls and texts for Soldiers and their family members (i.e., spouses, children, and parents).

· Understand the military culture and rank structure of the Vermont National Guard, as well as the culture of Vermont.

· Perform mental status exams and other mental health evaluations.

· Attend weekly staff meetings.

· Navigate complex military health systems (i.e., The Department of Veterans Affairs and The Department of the State Surgeon), support programs (i.e., the Army Substance Abuse Program, the family readiness program, the J9 Directorate/ IPPW, and other community resources), and military / civilian legal systems.

· Facilitate Behavioral Health briefs to units with 20-60 Soldiers.

· Facilitate Behavioral Health briefs to groups of 100 - 300 Soldiers and Family Members both pre- and post-deployment.

· Advise unit leadership / unit commanders on situations involving their Soldier's mental health and fitness for duty.

· Advise Battalion, Brigade, and organizational leadership on behavioral health situations and fitness for duty.

· Facilitate group therapy sessions after critical incidents, such as death and/or serious injury of a unit member.

· Provide mental health counseling / therapy to Soldiers struggling with substance use/misuse/abuse and suicidal ideations.

· Assist Soldier and Family Members in finding a counselor / therapist in the community and develop / maintain relationship with community-based clinicians in order to expedite the process of helping Soldiers link up with them.

· Work with community-based counselors / therapists in navigating military requirements surrounding mental health issues (i.e., deployments require letters of stability and other documentation for Soldiers being prescribed certain behavioral health medications or diagnosed with certain behavioral health conditions).

The ideal candidate for this position would:

· Maintain the 24/7 mental health crisis phone

· Be a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor or be skilled and interested in working with clients dealing with issues surrounding substance use/misuse/abuse.

· Be informed in evidence-based practices involving suicidal ideations.

· Be comfortable delivering behavioral health briefs to large groups of Soldiers and their Family Members.

· Have the ability to be brought into crisis situations and work with the Soldier and several other people in developing solutions in a cohesive manner.

Be extremely skilled in self-care and maintaining boundaries when required and appropriate.