This position is a member of a multidisciplinary team in the Mental Health Service. Incumbent is responsible for coordinating and providing specialty mental health counseling, specifically marriage and family. They will have knowledge and experience working in an integrated team and have clinical training in assessment and treatment of mental health issues, including but not limited to, severe mental illness and psychosis, substance-used disorder, trauma, and personality disorders.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Provide mental health services under clinical supervision and within the ethics and guidelines of the professional standards. Formulate, implement, and re-evaluate treatment plans 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. Utilize knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with current professional marriage and family therapy practice. Conceptualize families, individuals and/or groups utilizing systemic and individual evidence-based theories during the course of acute hospitalization. Provide short-term, crisis-focused individual interventions to patients in the inpatient milieu. Develop and independently facilitate robust recovery-oriented group programming in the inpatient milieu. Diagnose and treat mental health disorders and are highly trained in psychotherapy and family systems. Conducts assessment interviews, develops treatment plans and provides treatment to eligible Veterans. Works in a trans-disciplinary team setting with psychologists, social workers, nurses, psychiatrists, recreation therapists, addiction therapists, peer support specialists, and/or social science techs. Delivers services based on the recovery model, providing patients ongoing mental health assessment, intervention, treatment planning, and education in a supportive, patient-centered and recovery-oriented environment. Refers clients to other programs and professionals as appropriate. Participates in and provides consultation to other team members and participates in conjoint emergency treatment with medical facility mental health personnel. Participates in the completion of data collection/analysis, program evaluation and development to enhance patient outcomes. Provides patients with elements of care coordination, case management, and other ancillary functions to the provision of professional treatment and team-based services as assigned. Involved in the design and implementation of programs for veterans and place special emphasis on the use of evidence-based techniques. Serves as consultant to other clinical staff in Mental Health within the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System (GLA) and related sites in the area of mental health treatment for a variety of mental illnesses. Encompasses the coordination, development and promotion of programs emphasizing group, individual, couples &/or family treatment, and other treatment modalities. Assist MH and Psychology Services in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs and related functions, as requested. Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, established by any affiliated Patient Care Line Director and/or Service Line Director. Liaisons with other mental and physical health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. Work Schedule: Various tours of duty based on the needs of the service. Occasional overtime, weekends, and holidays may be required as needed. Compressed/Flexible:Yes, may be available based on clinic needs. Telework: Position may be eligible for telework as determined by agency policy 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: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Education: (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. Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to MFT positions in the GS-0101 series in VHA must hold a full, current, and unrestricted MFT license to independently practice marriage and family therapy in a State. Exception: The Secretary, or his/her designee, may waive the licensure requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, 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. 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. Grandfathering All persons employed in VHA as a MFT on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education that is part of the basic requirements of the occupation. Grade Determinations: GS-09 (Entry Level):Experience: None beyond the basic requirements. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: In addition to meeting the KSAs for GS-9 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: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 (Full Performance Level):Experience: 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. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities: In addition to meeting the KSAs for GS-11 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: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. Preferred Experience: Clinical experience and/or training working with patients (preferably veterans) in an inpatient setting preferred. References: VA Handbook 5005, PART II, APPENDIX G44. MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-0182 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-09 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: Lift lifting (under 15 pounds); light carrying (under 15 pounds); reaching above shoulder; hearing (aid permitted); emotional stability.

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 San Diego VA Medical Center 3350 La Jolla Village Drive San Diego, CA 92161 US
• Name: Randy Clark
• Phone: 515-868-4391
• Email: [email protected]