Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This announcement is open to current & permanent employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs and other Federal agencies. All others please apply to CAZM-12830341-26-EMG.

This job is also open in another announcement to:

The public

This vacancy will remain open until filled. The first cut-off date is Wednesday, November 19, 2025. Additional applications will be referred as needed. (NOTE: Applications expire after 90 days. Please update application thru USAJobs if you wish to be reconsidered.)

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Administering and interpreting art therapy assessments and utilizing clinical knowledge to develop unconventional assessment and interview approaches to effectively elicit information
• Reviewing pre-evaluation data in the medical record upon admission or through consult conducting, analyzing, interpreting, and reporting assessment data across functional domains (i.e., behavioral, cognitive, communicative, emotional/affective, physical, sensory, social).
• Planning, organizing and implementing developmentally and situationally, appropriate and evidence-based comprehensive art therapy interventions for persons diagnosed with chronic or life-threatening conditions, as well as their families and in collaboration with an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary team
• Recommending and developing new treatment groups and programs (including co-treatment opportunities) for treating patients with complex medical, behavioral or mental health issues such as but not limited to dementia, parkinson, PTSD, and traumatic brain injury (TBI) to develop or promote a variety of clinical outcomes such as improved coping with grief, loss, palliative care/terminal illness, behavior management, conflict resolution, self-expression or non-verbal communication of difficult subject matter
• Participating in other difficult work in co-treatment opportunities including neurological rehabilitation, physical rehabilitation, mental health recovery programs, and palliative care related to the symptoms of a terminal illness
• Planning, organizing, implementing and evaluating public relations for the program to inform and educate others about art therapy in various settings including the complex interactions of the therapeutic process as well as the efficacy of art therapy in complex cases
• Implementing and modifying treatment plan and goals compatible to patient functional capacity as necessary to assure optimum outcome
• Performing documentation of patient care, including progress notes, daily attendance/encounters, and reports (monthly, safety, and others), as needed
• Working closely with other treatment team members and community health care professionals to support the patient's medical treatment plan
• Providing direct 1:1 treatment and services that require the exercise of mature professional judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical skills
• Carrying full professional responsibility for cases presenting a wide range of psychosocial and medical issues with no limitations (within his/her scope of clinical privileges) as to the range of service to be performed
• Providing information and referral services to various community services, as appropriate. Investigates community resources and makes information about them available to other team-members
• Participating in program planning and the development of working relationships with community agencies and resources
• Maintaining accurate statistics and reports, as required, within specified deadlines
• Submitting data on patient contacts promptly and accurately to program office for monthly statistic
• Participating in research, education, evaluations and studies
• May supervise Art Therapy, students, interns, and trainees

Work Schedule: Typical tour of duty is Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:45pm but may be adjusted due to needs of the facility
Telework: Ad-hoc available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/10/2026

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: The following education requirements apply to the creative arts therapist (art):
  • A master's degree or higher, from an accredited college or university, with a major in art therapy approved by the American Art Therapy Association on or before June 30, 2016. If the degree is received after June 30, 2016, a master's degree or higher from an accredited college or university, with a major in art therapy, must be accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Art Therapy Education: a committee of the Commission on Accreditation on Allied Health Education Program. OR,
  • A master's degree in a related field, plus graduate coursework and supervised field experience in art therapy. Acceptable related fields include: Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy, Social Work, Psychology, Addictions Counseling, Psychiatric Nursing, and Psychiatry, AND must possess a full, current, and unrestricted registration as a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) approved by the Art Therapy Credentials Board. If hired under this education, the registration cannot be waived.
• Foreign Education: To be creditable, education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. The private organization must deem such education at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.
• Registration
  • Creative Arts Therapy (Art). Must possess a full, current, and unrestricted registration with the ATR. If hired under paragraph 3b(2)(b), registration cannot be waived.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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:

GS-09
Experience/Education: None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-11
Experience:. At least one year of creditable experience at the next lower grade level.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

• Ability to identify current art resources in the community at the time of assessment, for discharge planning purposes.
• Ability to develop and implement quality improvement systems as related to internal and external regulatory requirements, including patient safety.
• Knowledge of diagnostic coding and symptoms of diagnoses in the provision of art therapy.
• Knowledge of the creative process and art media and their effect on the patients' cognitive, sensory, emotional, and physical states.
• Ability to demonstrate and educate stakeholders on the value of the creative process as a therapeutic tool.
• Ability to establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship with professional boundaries that reflect a trusting, empathetic, and respectful interaction.
• Skill in collaborating and maintaining liaison with an interdisciplinary team and educating the treatment team on theoretical framework of art therapy interventions.

Preferred Experience:

• Minimum of two years experience in field of expertise
• Home care experience
• Experience with geriatric, chronically ill, high risk and/or Veteran population
• Experience with a Creative Arts Program to include development and implementation of policy and procedure

Reference: 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-9 to GS-11.

Physical Requirements: distant vision 20/40 in one eye with or without correction; field of vision 70 degrees; ability to distinguish red, green and amber; whispered voice at five feet, or average hearing loss of not greater than 40 dbs at 500, 1000 and 2000 Hz.

Driver's License Requirement: Applicants must possess a valid, unrestricted State driver's license, have a safe driving record, and demonstrate that he or she is medically qualified to operate the appropriate motor vehicle safely. Applicants are required to pass agency Government Vehicle Drivers physical examination. NOTE: We cannot accept photographs, therefore; please do not submit a copy of your driver's license with your application package. If an interview is requested, you may be required to provide a copy of your valid state-issued driver's license.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Candidates are encouraged to apply to the vacancy announcement that matches their specific occupation/discipline (Recreation Therapist, Creative Arts Therapist (Music), or Creative Arts Therapist (Art)), as each occupation has very specific qualification standards that are used to determine qualifications. Candidates must meet the qualification requirements for the occupation/discipline to which an application package has been submitted. We are unable to move applications to other vacancy announcements...please make sure you are applying to the appropriate occupation/discipline. This recruitment effort is currently focused on the following occupations/disciples:

• Recreation Therapist (VA/Federal/HPT) CAZM-12830336-26-EMG
• Recreation Therapist (Public) CAZM-12830337-26-EMG
• Creative Arts Therapist (Music) (VA/Federal) CAZM-12830338-26-EMG
• Creative Arts Therapist (Music) (Public) CAZM-12830339-26-EMG
• Creative Arts Therapist (Art) (VA/Federal) CAZM-12830340-26-EMG
• Creative Arts Therapist (Art) (Public) CAZM-12830341-26-EMG

To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action

Special Note for Applications: To complete your application, please use the following link https://vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Resume.docx to download the standard Clinical Resume Document. This one-page document does not need to be modified and must be uploaded into the two-page restricted 'Resume' document upload field.

Your full resume/CV may be uploaded without page limitation into the 'Other' document upload field.

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• PCS Orders
• Performance Appraisal
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire. You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form. Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.

Next steps