Licensed Mental Health Counselor

Appointees who work in the five boroughs of New York City or in Nassau, Suffolk, Rockland, or Westchester Counties will receive an additional $3,026 annual downstate adjustment. Appointees who work in Dutchess, Orange, or Putnam Counties will receive an additional $1,513 annual mid-Hudson adjustment.

The Positions: These positions exist in the Office of Mental Health and are located throughout New York State.

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Minimum Qualifications

On or before the date of filing your application, you must have possession of a license and current registration as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York State.

Additional Requirements for Appointment:

1. Consistent with 14 NYCRR 557 (titled "COVID-19 Vaccination Program") and CMS Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Interim Final Rule, all OMH facility staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. More information regarding this vaccination requirement can be found at https://omh.ny.gov/omhweb/employment.

2. Background Investigation/Justice Center Review: In some agencies, the names of all prospective employees will be

   • checked against the Staff Exclusion List (SEL), maintained by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs. Prospective employees whose names appear on the SEL as having been found responsible for serious or repeated acts of abuse or neglect will be barred from appointment and may have their names removed from the eligible list(s) for the title(s);
   • investigated through a Criminal Background Check (CBC). You must report all convictions. Conviction of a felony or misdemeanor or any falsified or omitted information may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment. Each case will be determined on its own merits, consistent with the applicable provisions of state and federal law;

   And may be

   • screened against the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR). Prospective employees whose names appear on the SCR may be barred from appointment. You are responsible for payment of all required fees.
3. Medicaid and Medicare: To be eligible for appointment and maintain employment, you cannot be listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of the Federal and/or State Medicaid and Medicare exclusion lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program). You may be barred from appointment or your employment may be terminated at any time if you are listed as an excluded individual or entity on any of these lists (or excluded from any other Federal or Federally assisted program).

Continued Employment: To keep this position, you must maintain a permanent license and current registration as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York State. Loss of license and/or registration may result in removal from employment.

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Duties

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, you would provide clinical mental health counseling and psychotherapeutic services to individuals in a variety of settings; apply professional counseling theory, principles, and methods to assess, evaluate, identify, and treat individuals with mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, including addiction and problem gambling; prevent, alleviate, or eliminate symptomatic, maladaptive, and undesired behavior; and may supervise counseling interns and graduates, and/or lower-level support staff.

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Subject of Examination

You must complete all parts of the examination by July 31, 2022. You cannot access the test prior to applying for the examination.

Failure to complete the questionnaire will result in disqualification from the examination. Ambiguity, vagueness or omissions will not be decided in your favor. To be considered for appointment to this title, you must pass a training and experience test. The training and experience test utilizes an online questionnaire to evaluate your minimum qualifications and training and experience against the general requirements of the position(s). Your responses on the questionnaire will be the only way to evaluate your minimum qualifications and will be the only basis for rating your training and experience. After submitting your online application, you must continue to the online questionnaire to complete the process. You cannot access the test prior to applying for the examination.

The information you provide on the application and questionnaire is subject to verification. You may be required to furnish written verification of the education, experience, certification, or licensure claimed. False statements may result in removal from the eligible list or termination of employment.

Your final score must be 70 or higher to pass. Your final score on the eligible list will be determined after adding any wartime Veterans' and Civil Service Law Section 85-a credits.

Applicants are required to have a Personal NY.gov account and keep their email address up to date. The Department of Civil Service and other state agencies will communicate with you through email correspondence. This may include the notification of your test arrangements, examination results, and canvassing you for interest in appointment. It will be important for you to keep your email address, phone number, and mailing address current by logging into https://www.cs.ny.gov/home/myaccount.

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How To Apply

Important: Unless waived, you must pay the non-refundable processing fee. For information on fee waivers, visit https://www.cs.ny.gov/examannouncements/types/oc/appinfo.cfm##Fee. Any past due application processing fees must be paid in full prior to submitting an application. Please email FeeUnitMail@cs.ny.gov regarding inquiries about any past due fee. It is important that you verify that you entered the correct examination number and title on your online or paper application prior to submitting. If you apply online, you should immediately review your email confirmation notice to verify that you applied for the correct examination.

Additional Information

New York State is an Equal Opportunity Employer

It is the policy of the State of New York to provide for and promote equal opportunity employment, compensation, and other terms and conditions of employment without unlawful discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, religion, disability, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran or military service member status, marital status, domestic violence victim status, genetic predisposition or carrier status, arrest and/or criminal conviction record, or any other category protected by law, unless based upon a bona fide occupational qualification or other exception.

Appointment to many positions in State government require candidates to undergo an investigative screening. This may include a thorough character investigation, a Federal Bureau of Investigation Criminal Record History Check, a Child Abuse Registry clearance, or other similar procedures. Candidates may be fingerprinted and may be required to pay any necessary fees for that procedure. Depending on the nature of the job, the criminal convictions discovered, or any falsified or omitted information revealed, the investigative findings may bar appointment or result in removal after appointment.

Eligibility for Employment

You must be legally eligible to work in the United States at the time of appointment and throughout your employment with New York State. If appointed, you must produce documents that establish your identity and eligibility to work in the United States, as required by the federal Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, and the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Reasonable Accommodations in Testing

It is the policy of the Department of Civil Service, in accordance with the New York State Human Rights Law and the Americans with Disabilities Act, to provide qualified persons with disabilities equal employment opportunity and equal opportunity to participate in and receive the benefits, services, programs, and activities of the Department. It is the policy of the Department to provide such persons reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications as are necessary to provide equal opportunity. Persons with disabilities who require an accommodation to participate in an examination must note this on their application. Further information is available from the Test Administration Unit of the Department of Civil Service. In the Albany area, call 518-457-2487. Outside of the Albany area, call toll free at 1-877-697-5627. For TDD services, call NY Relay at 711 (requires a fee) or 1-800-662-1220.

Continuous Recruitment/Eligible Lists

Candidates who meet the qualifications and pass this examination will have their names placed on the eligible list in the order of final scores, regardless of the date on which they filed or took the test. Generally, the names of qualified candidates will remain on the eligible list for two years. Appeal of ratings will not be allowed as the opportunity for retest exists. The Department of Civil Service reserves the right to terminate this special recruitment program.

S1/B1 JAD-klr
Issued:7/1/2022
*Revised Material: 7/15/22

This announcement is subject to amendment or cancellation without notice. Do not copy it, or post it to any other site, but link to it instead.

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