The Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) serves as a member of the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP). The BHIP consists of multi-disciplinary teams of mental health professionals which provide comprehensive, accessible, Veteran-centered mental health care.

Duties

Marriage and Family Therapist-Mental Health-Outpatient-Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program, BHIP duties include but aren't limited to: Serves as member of interdisciplinary team as a serve as a resource for referrals, mental health recommendations, and coordination of care. Demonstrates I-Care values when interacting w/ all internal/external customers. Maintains current knowledge of & practices in accordance w/ The Joint Commission requirements. Protects printed & electronic files containing sensitive data according to Federal privacy Act & confidentiality statutes. Follows regulations & instructions regarding release of sensitive/protected patient/ employee information. May serve on Service Line committees, workgroups, &/or task forces, etc. Performs other duties as assigned. The incumbent completes thorough psychosocial assessments and includes pertinent information in all the required areas of functioning in order to determine appropriate diagnoses and other treatment-related conclusions. The incumbent ensures that clinical assessments are found to be appropriate to the referral question and conclusions are found to be reasonably substantiated by interviews, observations, historical data, collateral data (i.e. from outsides sources such as other treatment providers, family members, etc.) and other data when indicated. The incumbent provides a DSM diagnosis to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and/or their families. They must be able to utilize this assessment in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable. The incumbent provides emergency/crisis interventions that are provided to Veterans in an effort to stabilize. The incumbent engages in rapid assessments and develops crisis management plans. The incumbent ensures the interventions are appropriate to the level of need and would involve a range of services including facilitation of transfer of care to the appropriate level based on Veteran need as well as referral to other VA resources or community agencies. The incumbent provides psychotherapy as individual, group &/or family interventions when clinically indicated/appropriate and when of therapeutic benefit to the recipients. The incumbent is willing to be successfully trained and implement Evidenced Based Psychotherapies and ensures the interventions are empirically supported and/or are theoretically appropriate. The incumbent interventions are provided with emphasis on development of a positive and appropriate therapeutic relationship which is sensitive to the clinical, cultural, developmental and spiritual needs of Veterans and ensures the treatment is arranged in appropriate intervals of time over an appropriate span of time. The incumbent documents direct Veteran care at a minimum of 80% of the time allotted to direct care in the clinician's weekly profile. This includes individual therapy, groups, family therapy, couples therapy, and direct clinical phone calls with the Veteran. The incumbent establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and/or their families. The incumbent works independently with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems. THe incumbent provides consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits and specialty programs, and advance directives. This includes the incumbent's knowledge of the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community programs. This involves coordination of Veteran and family involvement in the development of a recovery oriented treatment plan. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm; alternate and compressed tours negotiable Telework: May be available for the highly qualified applicant Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #:000000 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: U. S. Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it's not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance w/ VA Policy English Language Proficiency. Applicants must be proficient in spoken & written English Education: Candidates must meet one of the following: (1) Hold a master's or doctoral degree in marriage & family therapy from a program approved by COAMFTE OR (2) Hold a master's or doctoral degree in marriage & family therapy from a MFT program from a regionally accredited institution OR (3)Hold a master's or doctoral degree in a comparable mental health degree Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, Social Work, Psychiatric Nursing, Psychology & Psychiatry that meets current VA qualification standards of that profession Licensure. Persons hired/reassigned to MFT positions in the GS-0182 series in VHA must hold a full, current & unrestricted MFT license to independently practice marriage & family therapy in a State Exception: The Secretary, or his/her designee, may waive licensure requirements for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of State prerequisites for licensure examinations not to exceed 3 years from employment start date on the condition that MFTs appointed on this basis provide care only under supervision of a fully licensed MFT w/ an AAMFT approved license. Non-licensed MFTs who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given an appointment as an MFT under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3). This exception only applies at entry grade GS-9 levels. Candidate must be licensed for grades at/above full performance levels (1) MFTs that aren't licensed when appointed must become licensed at independent Journey levels w/in 3 years of MFT appointment. Most States require 2 years of post-graduate MFT experience as a pre-requisite to taking licensure examination; VHA allow MFTs 1 additional year to pass licensure exam (2) It's VHA policy that MFTs who don't have a license that allow independent practice must be clinically supervised by AAMFT approved licensed MFT at/above journey level who's a VA staff member & who's 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 appointment date. Upon appointment, Human Resource Officer provides unlicensed MFTs w/ written requirements for licensure, the date by which the license must be obtained & consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. Failure to obtain a license by the prescribed date results in removal from the GS-0182 MFT series & may result in employment termination Loss of Licensure. Once licensed, MFTs must maintain a full, current/unrestricted license to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure results in removal from the GS-0182 MFT series & may result in employment termination Grade Determination Requirements:In addition to basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining a candidate's grade GS-9 Experience, Education and Licensure 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 & are working towards completing their license prerequisites AND In addition, candidates must demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities, KSAs below: 1) Knowledge of human development throughout lifespan, interventions based on research & family systems theory/therapy, formal diagnostic criteria, risk assessment, evidence-based practice & assessment tools2) Ability to assess, w/ supervision, the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans/family members3) Knowledge to formulate, implement & re-evaluate treatment plans through continuous assessment identifying Veteran's challenges, strengths, readiness to change, external influences & current events surrounding origins/maintenance of presenting issues & interactional patterns w/in the client system4) Ability to provide counseling &/or psychotherapy services, under supervision, to individuals, groups, couples/families in culturally competent manner that facilitates change through client system restructuring/reorganizing5) Basic knowledge/understanding of existing relevant statutes, case law, ethical codes & regulations affecting professional practice of marriage/family therapy6) Ability to draft documents, manage data, maintain accurate, timely & thorough clinical documentation & track quality improvements. GS-11 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. AND In addition, candidates must demonstrate KSAs below:ORIn addition to the basic requirements, a doctoral degree in marriage & 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 & Psychiatry, may be substituted for the required one year of marriage & family therapy experience in a clinical setting AND Candidates must be licensed to practice at the independent practice level AND Must demonstrate the following KSAs 1) Skill to independently assess psychosocial functioning & Veterans & family member2) Ability to provide counseling &/or psychotherapy services to individuals, groups, couples & families in a culturally competent manner that facilitates change through restructuring/reorganizing client system3) Ability to establish/maintain effective working relationships w/ Veterans/their families, colleagues & other professionals in collaboration throughout treatment regarding clinical, ethical & legal issues/concerns4) Knowledge/understanding of existing relevant statutes, case law, ethical codes, regulations/VA policies affecting marriage and family therapy practice: including ability to assist Veterans/families to make informed decisions relevant to treatment to include confidentiality limits5) Ability to provide orientation, training/consultation to new MFTs including clinical oversight of MFT graduate students &/or provide clinical supervision to pre-licensure MFTs6) Skill using computer software applications to draft documents, manage data, maintain accurate, timely & thorough clinical documentation & track quality improvement References: VA Handbook 5005/101 Part II Appendix G44 This vacancy's full performance level is a GS-11 An applicant may be selected at a GS-9 to a GS-11 grade for this vacancy. Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentaryRequires movement between offices, hospital, warehouses & similar areas for meetings & to conduct workRequires frequent walking/standing & carrying/lifting light items less than 15 pounds

Education

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 James E Van Zandt VA Medical Center 2907 Pleasant Valley Boulevard Altoona, PA 16602 US
• Name: Tianna Miller
• Phone: 404-680-6127
• Email: [email protected]