Marriage and Family Therapist

Summary Provides mental health services and case management services or Veterans with mental health diagnoses as an integral part of the outpatient Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team. As a member of a Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program team (BHIP) - conducts psychosocial assessments - provide crisis intervention - clinical case management - and evidence-based psychotherapy - Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) etc. Summary Provides mental health services and case management services or Veterans with mental health diagnoses as an integral part of the outpatient Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team. As a member of a Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program team (BHIP) - conducts psychosocial assessments - provide crisis intervention - clinical case management - and evidence-based psychotherapy - Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) etc. 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 - 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: Must hold full - current - and unrestricted Marriage and Family Therapy license to independently practice marriage and family therapy in a state 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: Marriage and Family Therapist - GS-11 (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 In addition - the candidate must demonstrate the KSAs in subparagraph below 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 the candidate must be licensed to practice at the independent practice level and they must demonstrate the following KSA Demonstrated KSAs: In addition to meeting the KSAs for GS-11 grade level - the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 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: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11 Physical Requirements: The incumbent may be asked to preform physical tasks requiring standing - bending - stooping - kneeling - climbing stairs - and lifting up to 25 lbs. Duties Duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Independently conducts assessments - evaluating the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their families to formulate and implement a treatment plan - identifying needs - strengths and coping skills in collaboration with the patient and family as appropriate Provides clinical case management services to Veterans The incumbent coordinates care and assures that Veterans receive needed services to increase functionality - independence - and quality of life Sets clinical care goals in collaboration with the patient - monitors progress toward goals - and works to achieve outcomes - including reduced hospitalizations Recognizes complex situations that impact patient care and intervenes - using sound judgment and appropriate resources Attends appropriate team meetings (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Programs huddles and meetings - Behavioral Health/Recovery Services - social work etc.) and works closely with patients' providers and other team members to effectively coordinate care Establishes collaborative relationships with mental health providers particularly - as well as other team members and staff outside the department in order to more effectively coordinate patients' care Assesses caregiver burden and makes plan to sensitively address caregiver burden Establishes and maintains therapeutic relationships with Veterans and families from diverse backgrounds Provides education and consultation to staff - students - patients - and families regarding programs and serves as a point of contact for the community for these programs Works with team to meet goals and performance measures within program - including Noninstitutional Care measures Participates in performance improvement activities and tracks and trends issues as part of performance improvement plan Communicates effectively - both orally and in writing - with people from varied backgrounds Provides supervision to lower graded therapists requiring clinical supervision Work Schedule: Monday through Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Available - Ad-Hoc as determined by the agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 92788-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs