Employee Assistance Counselor Job

Vacancy No. DESTIMP-12959690-26-VL Department Federal Bureau of Investigation
Salary $75,706.00 to $117,034.00 Grade 12 to 13
Perm/Temp Permanent FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 5/11/2026 Close Date 5/25/2026
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Los Angeles, CASan Francisco, CADetroit, MIMinneapolis, MN
Newark, NJNew York, NYCleveland, OHQuantico, VA
Winchester, VA


Summary

Are you a skilled counselor passionate about making a difference? The FBI is hiring exceptional therapists and clinicians to provide confidential support to employees and their families. In this role, you'll deliver counseling, crisis intervention, and mental health programs that strengthen resilience, foster well-being, and build a supportive culture within the world's premier law enforcement agency. Join us to support those who protect our nation

This job is open to

The public

U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.

Federal employees - Competitive service

Current federal employees whose agencies follow the U.S. Office of Personnel Management's hiring rules and pay scales.

Federal employees - Excepted service

Current federal employees whose agencies have their own hiring rules, pay scales and evaluation criteria.

Internal to an agency

Current federal employees of the hiring agency that posted the job announcement.

Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)

Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.

Veterans

Veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces or a spouse, widow, widower or parent of a veteran, who may be eligible for derived preference

Military spouses

Military spouses of active duty service members or whose spouse is 100 percent disabled or died on active duty.

Individuals with disabilities

Individuals who are eligible under Schedule A.

Clarification from the agency

All U.S. Citizens.

Duties

GS-12:

  • Provide supportive counseling for employees, family members, and task force officers experiencing a wide range of problems characterized by feelings of distress, impaired work performance, health, finances, and/or social well-being issues.
  • Assist employees and supervisors resolve work related problems and monitors employees' progress to assist in long-term recovery efforts.
  • Provide internal and external referrals to clients.
  • Develop and present a variety of psycho-educational topics to a non-clinical audience.
  • Respond to national and local crisis events.
  • Provide after-hours and on-call support as needed.

GS-13 (In addition to the above):

  • Serve at HQ/Field Office as a clinical mental health professional in the EAP as assigned and as a technical advisor to executive management.
  • Provide training and guidance to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Coordinators/Counselors.
  • Develop and delivers training on mental health and wellness topics.
  • Provide management consultations.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. citizen.
  • Must be able to obtain a Top Secret clearance.
  • Some Travel Required.
  • Transcripts are required if qualifying under A and/or B of the Basic Requirements.
  • Must submit a copy of current state clinical mental health independent practice license in psychology, social work, psychiatrist, professional counseling or a clinical independent practice license from a closely allied mental health field with demonstrated substance abuse experience.
  • Add your state license number and type to your resume.

Qualifications

In addition to meeting the BASIC REQUIREMENTS below, applicants must also meet the specialized experience (SE) requirements as described below. In order for you to qualify based on Specialized Experience (SE), you must possess the SE below for the various GS levels. Please ensure all specialized experience can be identified in your resume.

GS-12: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

  • Experience interpreting federal laws, regulations and directives governing operations of employee assistance counseling programs.
  • Experience providing short-term interventions and resources referral assistance to federal employees and their families seeking help with challenges related to mental health and/or substance abuse, emotional, gambling, marital, family relations, financial, work-related issues, stress, grief/loss or other personal problems.
  • Experience providing educational material to the level and interests of the audience and experience leading lectures, training seminars, and discussion groups.

GS-13: In addition to the above, applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-12 level, as defined below:

  • Experience providing diagnosing and treating a variety of psychological illnesses and personality disorders, dual diagnosis and maladaptive behaviors.
  • Experience providing educational material to the level and interests of the audience and ability to communicate such material effectively in forums such as lectures, training seminars, and discussion groups.
  • Experience with consulting and advising management and healthcare professionals on complex employee performance and behavioral concerns and sensitive issues such as psychological, physiological and sociological aspects of alcoholism and other addictions and with the prevailing modes of treatment and rehabilitation.

Desired Skills

Desired skills are NOT mandatory and will NOT be utilized to minimally qualify applicants. Desired Skills are:

GS-12: Two years of full-time experience after obtaining license. (Two-five years of experience post independent licensure).
GS-13: One year of full-time experience at the GS-13. (Five years of experience post independent licensure).

Education

Please see the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section below for Educational requirements.

Additional information

  • The FBI is in the Executive Branch of the federal government. It is one of the components of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The FBI is the principle investigative arm of the DOJ. All FBI positions are in the excepted service.
  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens and consent to a complete background investigation, urinalysis, and polygraph. You must be suitable for Federal employment; as determined by a background investigation.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated using the FBI's Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documents will be reviewed to verify that you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement and will be compared against your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. If your self-assessment in the vacancy questions is not supported by details in your resume or supporting documents, you may be disqualified from the Most Competitive category. Veterans' preference will be applied. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are deemed Most Competitive, you will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

The first five competencies will be used in a Structured Resume Review to objectively evaluate applicant resumes. Do not provide a separate narrative written statement. Rather you must describe in your resume how your past work experience demonstrates that you possess the competencies identified below. Your resume should demonstrate that you possess the following competencies.

Competencies:

  • Behavioral and Social Science
  • Communication
  • Consultative Services
  • Therapy and Counseling
  • Organizing and Planning

BASIC REQUIREMENTS

Applicants can meet the Basic Requirements by fulfilling one or more of the below:

A. A degree in behavioral science, or related discipline appropriate to the position

OR

B. Combination of education and experience that has provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

OR

C. Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

IF SUBMITTING APPLICATION BASED UPON BASIC REQUIREMENTS A OR B, YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF YOUR TRANSCRIPTS TO DOCUMENT THAT YOU HAVE MET THE EDUCATION REQUIREMENT. UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS WILL BE ACCEPTED IN THE APPLICATION; HOWEVER, OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS WILL BE REQUIRED PRIOR TO BEGINNING EMPLOYMENT.

Applicants must meet ALL requirements by the closing date of this job posting.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements provided you can show foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.

Selective Placement Factor:

In order to be considered for this position, applicants must respond to the following selective placement factor. All qualifying experience MUST be provided within your resume to be considered.

In addition to the selective placement factor, please make sure your specialized experience/requirement(s) can be identified in your resume.

Applicants must have a current state clinical mental health independent practice license in psychology, social work, psychiatrist, professional counseling or a clinical independent practice license from a closely allied mental health field with demonstrated substance abuse experience.

YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF YOUR CURRENT STATE CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH INDEPENDENT PRACTICE LICENSE IN PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL WORK, PSYCHIATRIST, PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING OR A CLINICAL INDEPENDENT PRACTICE LICENSE FROM A CLOSELY ALLIED MENTAL HEALTH FIELD WITH DEMONSTRATED SUBSTANCE ABUSE EXPERIENCE.

Required Documents

  1. Utilizing the Resume Builder, outline your relevant work experience and associated start and end dates. Uploaded resumes will not be reviewed or used for qualification purposes.
  2. A complete assessment questionnaire.
  3. Other supporting documents (if applicable):
    • College transcripts, if qualifying based on education or if there is a positive education requirement.
    • Former civilian Federal employees must submit a copy of your MOST RECENT SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, salary, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. This is a requirement to verify your Time in Grade (TIG). Actions such as promotion, within grade increase, or reassignment actions must be submitted as your most recent SF 50.
    • Most recent Performance Appraisal; not applicable to current FBI employeesVeterans: DD 214; Disabled Veterans: DD 214, SF-15, and VA letter dated 1991 or later.
    • Memorandum for Record (MFR): Work performed outside assigned duties (that would not normally be documented on an SF-50, i. e., back-up duties), has to be documented in detail by an immediate supervisor in order to receive full credit for amount of time worked in that position. If no documentation is furnished no credit will be given for time worked in that position. The following notations must be specified in the documentation:
      • Percent of time worked in the particular position (cannot conflict with main duties.
      • The month/year work beganFrequency worked (i.e., daily, monthly, etc.)
      • Specific duties performed.

How to Apply

To apply for the Employee Assistance Counselor position, please click here.

Agency contact information

Human Resources HQ Staffing
Email
FBI_HQStaffing@fbi.gov
Address
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20535
US

Next steps

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The Most Competitive candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of your status throughout the process.

Additional locations

Newark, NJ
New York, NY
Cleveland, OH
Quantico, VA
Winchester, VA

Federal Bureau of Investigation

The FBI's mission is to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States. We employ 38,000 people at locations around the globe. In addition to our Headquarters in Washington, D.C., we have 56 Field Offices in major U.S. cities, plus more than 350 satellite offices, called resident agencies, in cities and towns across the nation. In addition, we have more than 60 international offices, called legal attaches (legats), in U.S. embassies worldwide.

Agency contact information

Human Resources HQ Staffing
Email
FBI_HQStaffing@fbi.gov
Address
Federal Bureau of Investigation
935 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20535
US