The Marriage and Family Therapist, Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP), functions as a member of the VASNHS Behavioral Health Service, and provides outpatient mental health services to veterans and their families. The Marriage and Family Therapist may be located at the VA Medical Center, an outlying Primary Care Clinic, or the Pahrump Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. The incumbent is responsible for treating veterans with a wide range of clinical presentations.

Duties

Major duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to the following: Provides clinical services including direct care to veterans enrolled in the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP). Establish, implement, and maintain referrals and screening procedures. Assess at risk factors, and develops a preliminary disposition plan, involving the Veteran, and the family/significant other. Develop comprehensive treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including goals, objects, and interventions for psychosocial clinical treatment. Participate in the assignment of veterans to treatment teams and programs. Provide individual, family, and group therapy services in accordance with the needs identified in the veteran's treatment assessment, and treatment plan. Responsible for all entries in the veteran's medical record (CPRS), and timely completion thereof, including discharge summaries, and patient encounters. Complete all assigned clinical reminders for patients under their care, and performance measures assigned to the Care Line. Participate actively in Performance Improvement (PI) activities. Participate in a variety of meetings as directed by the BHIP Program Manager and the Chief of Outpatient, Behavioral Health Science: Staff, committee, AD-HOC/work-group committee, task-force, and/or other clinical or administrative activities. Adheres to HIPPA, privacy regulations, and VHA directives related to release of information. Responsible for completion of all assigned clinical reminders for veterans under their care, and performance measures assigned to the Behavioral Health Service. Completes required self- report measures in the Behavioral Health Lab (BHL). Completes required treatment plans in the Mental Health Suite (MHS). Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday. Compressed tours authorized. Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 593-05653F, GS-11. 00000, GS-09. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

Qualifications

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-0182 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. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-09 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 in paragraph 3b above, and are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure. 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. Assignments Entry level MFTs provide mental health services under clinical supervision and within the ethics and guidelines of the professional standards. Individuals assigned at the entry level are clinically supervised since they are not yet functioning at the independent practice level conferred by independent licensure. Entry level MFTs are not practicing at an independent level, therefore should not be assigned to program areas where independent practice is required, such as in a CBOC, unless there is a licensed MFT in the program area who can provide supervision for practice. 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. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) below. 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 and they must demonstrate the following 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. Assignments MFTs at the full performance level are licensed to independently practice marriage and family therapy. MFTs can provide general mental health services to Veterans within the ethics and guidelines of the professional standards. MFTs at this level 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. In the event that Advanced or Supervisory level assignments are not established/supportable, the incumbents at this level can be responsible for clinical supervision for licensing purposes only, provided they have an AAMFT approved supervisor credential. Preferred Experience: SMI Treatment, Substance Misuse Treatment; Mental Health Treatment; EBP skills. Reference: VA HANDBOOK 5005/101, PART II, APPENDIX G44. MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD, GS-0182, Veterans Health Administration, April 18, 2018. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. 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.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address Las Vegas VA Medical Center 6900 North Pecos Road North Las Vegas, NV 89086 US
• Name: Herbert Lum
• Phone: 702-791-9000 X14057
• Email: [email protected]