This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

The Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) is assigned as a member of the Mental Health Clinic at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center (TAMPA Healthcare System). Incumbent is working under the guidance of the Mental Health Program Leader and the supervision of the Chief of Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service (MH&BSS). The goal of LMFT services is to enhance relationships, improve interactions between Veterans, their spouses, and families, and to promote optimal service delivery through education related to effective communication and problem-solving, military culture, and various mental and physical health disorders and their potential impact on relationships. The incumbent is an integral member of the Mental Health Clinic team and is responsible for providing clinical assessment, treatment planning, psychosocial interventions, and marriage and family evidence based therapies to Veterans and their families. Incumbent primarily provides couples and family therapy to the Veteran population at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center. Services include the provision of high quality comprehensive therapy, family advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers and/or agencies as needed by clientele. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Independently conducts clinical assessments with focus on identifying risk factors and the psychosocial needs of Veterans and their identified significant others. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. Provides evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including marital, couples, family, and group psychotherapy. Provides consultation to professional staff within the James A. Haley VA Medical Center and to community providers, concerning evaluation and appropriate treatment plans for patients with marital and family problems. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for Veterans with marital and family problems in collaboration with the treatment team. Provides crisis intervention protocol for addressing medical and/ or psychiatric emergencies. Works collaboratively and cooperatively with an interdisciplinary treatment team to provide services to Veterans with marital and family problems. Assists Veterans and families in connecting with appropriate and needed resources and services. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 08:00 AM - 04:30 PM Telework: Not available EDRP Authorized: Available.This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.Once selected, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact the VISN 8 Compensation Center of Excellence at [email protected]. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/23/2023. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: MFTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3j. 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/degree accredited 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. 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. GS-9 Exception: Pending completion of State prerequisites for licensure examinations for a period not to exceed three 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. Non-licensed MFTs who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given an appointment as an MFT not to exceed 3 years under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3). This exception only applies at the entry grade level (GS-9). For grades at or above the full performance level (GS-11), the candidate must be licensed. MFTs that are not licensed at the time of appointment must become licensed at the independent level (Journey level) within three years of their appointment as a MFT. Most States require two years of post-graduate MFT experience as a pre-requisite to taking the licensure examination; VHA allows MFTs one additional year to pass the licensure exam. It is VHA policy that a MFT who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be clinically supervised by an AAMFT approved licensed MFT at or above the journey level who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record. Failure to Obtain License. In all cases, unlicensed MFTs must actively pursue meeting State prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment, the Human Resource Officer will provide the unlicensed MFT with the written requirements for licensure, the date by which the license must be obtained, and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. Failure to obtain a license by the prescribed date will result in removal from the GS-0182 MFT series and may result in termination of employment. Once licensed, MFTs must maintain a full, current and unrestricted license to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure 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). Grade Determinations: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-09 Marriage and Family Therapist (Entry Level) Experience, Education and Licensure: The entry level grade is used for non-licensed MFTs or for MFTs (master's or doctoral level) who are graduates not yet licensed at the independent practice (Journey) level. Unlicensed MFTs at the GS-9 grade level have completed the required education listed above, and are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure. 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 the candidate must be licensed to practice at the independent practice level. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/101, Part II, Appendix G44, Marriage and Family Therapist Qualification Standard. The Full Performance Level of this position is the GS-11 grade level. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application. You will be rated ineligible without your transcript.

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.

While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. If selected, you may be required to provide narrative responses. These are the KSA's for this position:

GS-09 Marriage and Family Therapist

1. 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.
2. Ability to assess, with supervision, the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Basic knowledge and understanding of existing relevant statutes, case law, ethical codes, and regulations affecting professional practice of marriage and family therapy.
6. Ability to draft documents, manage data, maintain accurate, timely and thorough clinical documentation, and track quality improvements.

GS-11 Marriage and Family Therapist

1. Skill to independently assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, maintaining accurate, timely and thorough clinical documentation, and tracking quality improvements.

Contacts

• Address James A Haley Veterans Hospital 13000 Bruce B. Downs Boulevard Tampa, FL 33612 US
• Name: Ashley Beaver
• Phone: (814) 943-8164
• Email: [email protected]