Marriage and Family Therapist (BHIP) - EDRP Approved

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 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.

Duties

Help

The Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) serves as a member of the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP). The BHIP is a multi-disciplinary team of mental health professionals which provides comprehensive, accessible, Veteran-centered mental health care. The MFT assigned to BHIP is responsible for coordinating and providing specialty mental and health therapy with a focus on couples, families, individuals, and groups utilizing systemic health theories requiring expertise in interpersonal relationships with conceptualizations that are distinct from individually oriented therapies.

The MFT conducts assessment interviews, develops treatment plans and provides treatment to eligible Veterans. Treatment modalities may include crisis intervention, intake evaluations, outreach services as well as empirically based treatment for families, couples, and individuals with mental health disorders. The MFT may refer clients to other programs and professionals as appropriate. The MFT also participates in and provides consultations to other team members; participates in conjoint emergency treatment with medical facility mental health personnel.

The Marriage and Family Therapist :

• provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services which requires skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities. This includes individual, group, couples, and / or family psychotherapy as well as advanced level psychosocial and / or case management interventions used in treatment of Veterans with a range of DSM diagnoses, including substance abuse / dependence, family issues, and poly-traumatic injuries.
• Utilizes knowledge of current professional marriage and family practices. Experiences must have required use of knowledge, skills and abilities associated current professional marriage and family practice working with couples, families, individuals, and / or groups utilizing family systems theory / therapy as well as the ability to diagnose and treat mental health disorders.
• may be responsible for the clinical supervision of MFT's for licensing purposes only provided they have an AAMFT approved supervisor credential.
• may serve as the representative for Psychology Service on various Psychology Service, Mental Health Service Line, System or VISN administrative committees or work groups as assigned.
• provides subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in the specialty area, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective practice skills. In addition, there may be opportunities to teach and mentor staff and trainees in the specialty area of practice.

Work Schedule : Monday - Friday, 8 AM - 4 : 30 PM

Telework : Ad / Hoc Telework

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : GS-9 : 54394-F, GS-11 : 54395-F

Relocation / Recruitment Incentives : Not authorized

EDRP Authorized : Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact the EDRP Coordinator at vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov for questions / assistance. Learn more

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not Authorized

Requirements

Help

Conditions of employment

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 :

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

Health Profession Trainees (HPT's) 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.

All applicants pending licensure as a MFT may be appointed at the GS-9 level while completing pre-license requirements.

Basic Requirements :

Education - Master's or doctoral degree in one of the following :

Licensure - Must hold full, current, and unrestricted Marriage and Family Therapy license to independently practice marriage and family therapy in a state or pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure. GS-9 Only : VA may waive the requirement of licensure for a period not to exceed 3 years for a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) that provides care under the clinical supervision of a licensed MFT who is at or above the full performance level. Failure to become licensed within three years from date of appointment will result in removal from the GS-0182 MFT series and may result in termination of employment.

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).

Grandfather Provision - An MFT employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (4 / 18 / 2018) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard may not be promoted beyond the full performance level (GS-11) or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions until meeting all qualification requirements.

Grade Determinations :

GS-09 MFT (Entry Level) Requirements : Along with meeting the basic education requirements for this position you must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :

GS-11 MFT (Full Performance Level) Requirements : In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-11 you must have at least one year of post-master's degree experience in the field marriage and family therapy work (VA or non-VA experience) OR 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) which may be substituted for the required one year of marriage and family therapy experience in a clinical setting that demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :

Preferred Experience :

Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit

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-9 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements :

Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.

Education

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 :

Education - Master's or doctoral degree in one of the following :

(Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor :

NOTE : If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

NOTE : If your school was accredited by one of the accrediting bodies listed above or recognized by the US Department of Education at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or 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.

Help

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.

This position has been posted to multiple occupations.

Staff Psychologist (BHIP) - GS-180-11 / 12 / 13 - CAZM-12809241 -26-JRH :

Marriage & Family Therapist (BHIP) - GS-182-9 / 11 - CAZM-12809242-26-JRH :

Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (BHIP) - GS-183-9 / 11 - CAZM-12809243-26-JRH :

Senior Social Worker (BHIP) - GS-185-12 - CAZM-12809244-26-JRH :

Review our benefits

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.