The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System (VAEKHCS) provides primary, secondary and tertiary care in outpatient, inpatient , residential, and community settings. VAEKHCS is a multi-site health care system that includes VA Medical Centers in both Topeka and Leavenworth Kansas with nine Community Based Outpatient Clinics.

Duties

In accordance with VA Directive 1160.01, the incumbent serves as the "Lead" for the Marriage and Family Therapist discipline at VAEKHCS as part of the Behavioral Health Service Line (BHSL) taking responsibility for professional practice including professional development, direct input into hiring decisions and performance evaluations, oversight and application of MFT qual standards, professional staff mentoring, and provision of input on delivery of clinical services. The incumbent will provide direct clinical supervision for trainees, direct the MFT training program, and subsequently serve as the liaison with a variety of academic institutions in the state of Kansas and Missouri. They will work closely with the Designated Education Officer (DEO) and Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) to formalize MFT training programming and secure points of funding, as available. The incumbent must be licensed as an AAMFT approved supervisor in accordance with directive 1027(1). The incumbent will administratively supervise specified Journey Level employees ensuring that assigned work, time and leave, workload, and complexities of clinical duties are appropriate to the level of licensure. The incumbent will ensure EKHCS compliance with directive 1163.04 Family Services in Mental Health and coordinate "opportunities for family education, family consultation, and marriage and family counseling, which must be available for all Veterans diagnosed with an ICD-10 mental health disorder. The incumbent will be assigned duties in one or more specific locations for provisions of mental health clinical services (e.g Mental Health Clinic, RRTP, PRRC). Clinical services include intakes for the purposes of diagnosis and treatment planning. Mental health treatment planning will be utilized to ensure compliance with standards of practice towards team collaboration, shared decision-making, and measurement-based care. The incumbent may also provide a range of psychotherapeutic interventions utilizing empirically supported modalities (e.g. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, Motivational Interviewing) including the provision of Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT). Broader managerial duties include participation in the larger leadership environment using a transformational style of leadership and focusing on specific values and strategies that influence the culture that supports quality employment for staff and care for Veterans. Other clinical and supervisory duties may be assigned based on the needs of the service line. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible:Not Available Telework: As determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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. Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Proficiency in spoken and written English. 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. 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). Marriage and Family Therapist (Program Manager), GS-13 (a) Experience, Education, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, completion of one year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to that equivalent to the GS-12 grade level which demonstrates knowledge, skills, and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment. MFT Program Manager must have graduated from a COAMFTE approved program OR have passed the AMFTRB examination. MFT Program Manager must have five years of post- licensed clinical experience in family systems theory/therapy and must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise. MFT Program Manager must have an AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential. (b) Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to meeting the experience for GS-13 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: 1. Skill in assessing qualifications and abilities of current and prospective employees to include staff performance evaluation and may include evaluations of lower level assignments and support staff. 2. Ability to facilitate professional development of other MFTs across programs/or locations (i.e. CBOC, outpatient clinics, etc.) and guide them in current practice guidelines. 3. Ability to collaborate with leaders of other disciplines within facilities, the community, VISN, and VACO. 4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives, reporting requirements and the ability to devise ways to adapt work operations to new and changing programs, staffing and budget requirements. This includes knowledge of VA policy and procedures as well as fair, principled and decisive leadership practices. 5. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program. 6. Ability to clinically supervise in areas related to the provision of marital and family therapy services to accomplish organizational goals and objectives. Assignment: MFT Program Managers have broad program management responsibilities which include the operation and management of key clinical, training, or administrative programs. Responsibilities include development and implementation of programs, policies and procedures; oversight of administrative and programmatic resources; and monitoring of outcomes using a data driven quality assurance process. Decisions made affect staff and other resources associated with the programs managed and are made while exercising wide latitude and independent judgment. Such programs deliver specialized, complex, highly professional services that are important program components and significantly impact the health care provided to Veterans and their families. They have responsibility for staffing, work assignments, budget, clinical services provided and admission criteria for the program, day-to-day program operations and all reporting requirements. Additionally, program managers at this grade generally have collateral assignments determined by the needs of the local facility, RCS Net Center, the VISN, and or VACO. MFT Program Managers may also have full responsibility for oversight of the professional practice of MFTs to assure the highest quality of mental health care provided to Veterans and their families throughout the facility and affiliated clinics. This responsibility also includes insuring that all MFTs in the facility and its affiliated clinics meet the requirements of this qualification standard. At this advanced performance level, GS-13 MFTs are licensed to independently provide marital and family therapy services with program management responsibilities. Grandfathering Provision. [All persons employed in VHA as a psychologist on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education (i.e., degree and internship requirements) and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. (1) Employees grandfathered under this provision for this revision may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions or beyond the assignment currently held for those being grandfathered to assignments above FPL.] (2) Psychologists who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed on a temporary or permanent basis until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. (3) Psychologists initially grandfathered into this occupation who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3j. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Education

Education: Candidates must meet one of the following:

(1) Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a program
approved by COAMFTE,

(2) Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a MFT program
from a regionally accredited institution, OR,

(3) 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.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System 2200 SW Gage Blvd Topeka, KS 66622 US
• Name: Caronica Brown
• Phone: 9016930351
• Email: [email protected]