Marriage and Family Therapist

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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Duties

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NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker, Psychologist, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, and Marriage & Family Therapist. Each discipline is announced separately, and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified.

As a Marriage and Family Therapist you will ensure the delivery of evidence-based practices in suicide prevention and crisis intervention, applying the techniques of: Engagement, Assessment, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.

The incumbent is expected to be able to provide crisis risk assessment skills in order to ensure the provision of emergency crisis interventions to a complex and high-risk population. The incumbent will also provide specialty consultation to and collaboration with a network of Veteran Crisis Lines, Suicide Prevention Coordinators across all regions nationwide and approved constituents (e.g., family, VA providers, Coaching into Care, Caregivers Support, Veterans Service Officers, law enforcement, etc.) to coordinate expedited connection to treatment programs support resources and emergency services as needed guidelines, and issues pertaining to the practice of the profession. Duties will also include but not limited to:

• Demonstrates a wide variety of crisis intervention skill application through incoming/outgoing telephone calls.
• Ability to navigate a variety of specialized software applications, utilize the data and information within those applications to provide effective service, and accurately document work within those applications.
• Determines the appropriate level of care needed for the client.
• Contacts clients through telephone calls and conduct follow-up interviews.
• Works collaboratively with other members of the Readjustment Counseling Service Crisis Hotline Program to identify appropriate services to veterans and their family members.
• Assist clients and/or their family/friend/significant other with issues regarding the veteran's mental health issues, referrals, benefits, and support groups.
• Provide customer service to a variety of recipients from the call center from within the U.S. or any global area particularly those overseas at military bases and installations.
• Skilled in assessing whether a veteran client is of potential harm to self or others.
• Provides the customer with consistent and accurate information regarding established policies and handles conflicts and problems in a proactive and constructive manner.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm; some evenings and weekends may be required based on the needs of the Vet Center

Telework : Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 13264A, 13265A

Relocation/Recruitment Incentives : Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact View email address on click.appcast.io, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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.
• Education: Candidates must meet one of the following:
  • Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a program approved by COAMFTE, OR
  • Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a MFT program from a regionally accredited institution, OR
  • Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in a comparable mental health degree (Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, Social Work, Psychiatric Nursing, Psychology, and Psychiatry) that meets the current VA qualification standard of that profession.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to MFT positions in the GS-0182 series in VHA must hold a full, current, and unrestricted MFT license to independently practice marriage and family therapy in a State.

Exception: This exception only applies at the entry grade level (GS-9). The Secretary, or his/her designee, may waive the licensure requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of State prerequisites for licensure examinations for a period not to exceed three (3) years from the date of employment on the condition that MFTs appointed on this basis provide care only under the supervision of a fully licensed MFT with an AAMFT approved license.

GRADE DETERMINATION REQUIREMENTS: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. GS-09 Marriage and Family Therapist (Entry Level):

• Experience, Education and Licensure: None beyond the Basic Requirements. Unlicensed MFTs at the GS-9 grade level have completed the required education listed above, and are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure.
• ~AND~
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): All candidates must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Knowledge of human development throughout the lifespan, interventions based on research and family systems theory and therapy, formal diagnostic criteria, risk assessment, evidence-based practice and assessment tools.
  • Ability to assess, with supervision, the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members.
  • Knowledge to formulate, implement, and re-evaluate a treatment plan through continuous assessment identifying the Veteran's challenges, strengths, readiness to change, external influences and current events surrounding the origins and maintenance of the presenting issue, and interactional patterns within the client system.
  • Ability to provide counseling and/or psychotherapy services, under supervision, to individuals, groups, couples and families in a culturally competent manner that facilitates change through restructuring and reorganizing of the client system.
  • Basic knowledge and understanding of existing relevant statutes, case law, ethical codes, and regulations affecting professional practice of marriage and family therapy.
  • Ability to draft documents, manage data, maintain accurate, timely and thorough clinical documentation, and track quality improvements.

GS-11 Marriage and Family Therapist (Full Performance Level):

• Experience, Education and Licensure: In addition to the basic requirements, the GS-11 full performance level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-master's degree experience in the field of marriage and family therapy work (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure in a State at the independent practice level.
• ~OR~
• In addition to the basic requirements, a doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy or comparable degree in mental health that meets the current VA qualification standard of that profession (Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, Social Work, Psychiatric Nursing, Psychology, and Psychiatry) may be substituted for the required one year of marriage and family therapy experience in a clinical setting and licensure in a State at the independent practice level.
• ~AND~
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs): All candidates must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  • Skill to independently assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members.
  • Ability to provide counseling and/or psychotherapy services to individuals, groups, couples and families in a culturally competent manner that facilitates change through restructuring and reorganizing the client system.
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with Veterans and their families, colleagues, and other professionals in collaboration throughout treatment regarding clinical, ethical and legal issues and concerns.
  • Knowledge and understanding of existing relevant statutes, case law, ethical codes, regulations and VA policies affecting the practice of marriage and family therapy. This includes the ability to assist Veterans and their families in making informed decisions relevant to treatment to include limits of confidentiality.
  • Ability to provide orientation, training and consultation to new MFTs including clinical oversight of MFT graduate students, and/or provide clinical supervision to pre-licensure MFTs.
  • Skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, maintaining accurate, timely and thorough clinical documentation, and tracking quality improvements.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G44, Marriage and Family Therapy Qualification standard, dated September 28, 2010

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11

Physical Requirements: The work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodation.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.