NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker, Psychologist, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, and Marriage & Family Therapist. Each discipline is announced separately, and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified.

Duties

As a Marriage and Family Therapist you will ensure the delivery of evidence-based practices in suicide prevention and crisis intervention, applying the techniques of: Engagement, Assessment, Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation. The incumbent is expected to be able to provide crisis risk assessment skills in order to ensure the provision of emergency crisis interventions to a complex and high-risk population. The incumbent will also provide specialty consultation to and collaboration with a network of Veteran Crisis Lines, Suicide Prevention Coordinators across all regions nationwide and approved constituents (e.g., family, VA providers, Coaching into Care, Caregivers Support, Veterans Service Officers, law enforcement, etc.) to coordinate expedited connection to treatment programs support resources and emergency services as needed guidelines, and issues pertaining to the practice of the profession. Duties will also include but not limited to: Demonstrates a wide variety of crisis intervention skill application through incoming/outgoing telephone calls. Ability to navigate a variety of specialized software applications, utilize the data and information within those applications to provide effective service, and accurately document work within those applications. Determines the appropriate level of care needed for the client. Contacts clients through telephone calls and conduct follow-up interviews. Works collaboratively with other members of the Readjustment Counseling Service Crisis Hotline Program to identify appropriate services to veterans and their family members. Assist clients and/or their family/friend/significant other with issues regarding the veteran's mental health issues, referrals, benefits, and support groups. Provide customer service to a variety of recipients from the call center from within the U.S. or any global area particularly those overseas at military bases and installations. Skilled in assessing whether a veteran client is of potential harm to self or others. Provides the customer with consistent and accurate information regarding established policies and handles conflicts and problems in a proactive and constructive manner. Work Schedule: 8-4:30pm Monday - Friday, some nights and weekends required Compressed/Flexible: Maybe Available depending on needs of the Veteran Center Telework: Maybe Available depending on needs of the Veteran Center Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 62238-0 Marriage and Family Therapist GS-12 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

Applicants will be referred in the following order: First - Current Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) Employees; Second -upcoming VHA Health Professional Trainee eligible (HPT); Third - Current Permanent VA Employees Nationwide; Fourth- Current Permanent Federal Employees Other Agencies; Fifth - Former Permanent Federal Employees; Sixth - Veteran Preference will be applied/U.S. Citizens 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: 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. 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. 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 the entry grade level (GS-9). For grades at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be licensed. Supervisory Marriage and Family Therapist, GS-12 (a) Experience, Education, and Licensure. Candidates must have successfully completed evidence based training in marriage and family therapy and must have graduated from a COAMFTE accredited program OR have passed the AMFTRBE. Candidates must have at least five years of post-licensed clinical experience in delivery of family systems therapy including one-year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. This experience must demonstrate possession of using evidence based family therapy model while demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise. Assignments responsible for providing clinical supervision must have an AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs in subparagraph (b) below. (b) Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to meeting the KSAs for GS-12 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Ability to identify professional development needs of other MFTs and guide them in current family systems theory/therapy practice guidelines. Ability to collaborate with members of other disciplines and supervisors and to represent the family systems theory/therapy profession both in and outside of VHA. This includes knowledge of the roles, contributions, and interrelationships with other disciplines. Ability to perform the full range of administrative and clinical supervisory duties including responsibility for work assignments, competency assessments, performance evaluations, selection of staff, and recommendation of awards, advancements, and when appropriate disciplinary actions. Ability to analyze clinical data and make recommendations for corrective actions to optimize quality, efficiency, performance, and productivity within service keeping in line with accrediting bodies and policy. (c) Assignment. At this level, MFTs administratively supervise professional staff which may include experienced MFTs, Advanced MFTs, MFT Program Coordinators, other Mental Health occupations and administrative staff. Duties include preparing work assignments, monitoring clinical performance, conducting performance appraisals, developing performance standards, as well as other clinical and administrative responsibilities. Interviews/recommends individuals for hire, trains, evaluates, disciplines and recommends for termination. Duties may include tracking of data to ensure that trends are analyzed and monitored, preparing appropriate administrative reports and quality assurance reviews. The supervisor at this level may be assigned to any program area. Supervisors may include coordinator responsibilities and may supervise other MFTs for licensure. Preferred Experience: Working with combat veterans in providing family counseling services; working with veterans who were sexually traumatized/harassed while in the military; conducting psycho-social assessments and the provision of processing psychotherapy for trauma related conditions; and implementing treatment plans for combat Veterans/and their families. References: VA Handbook 5005/101 Marriage and Family Therapist Qualification Standard Appendix G44The 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: The work is primarily sedentary. It may require some lifting (10-20 lbs.) occasionally. Reaching above shoulder; Frequent keyboarding (4-7 hours per day); Sitting (4-7 hours per day); Walking up to 6 hours per day); Standing (up to 8 hours per day); Infrequent climbing/descending of stairs; Some bending; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously.

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 Readjustment Counseling Service 120 SE 6th Avenue, Ste. 102 Topeka, KS 66603 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]