Clarification from the agency

This position is ONLY open to current, permanent VA Sheridan Health Care System Employees, VA Employees Nationwide, Past/Current/Upcoming OAA trainees through the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA), and all other Federal Employees. ***If you are NOT a current federal employee, please apply to the public announcement CBSU-12902446-26-GH. *** NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

• Makes psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses as a result of a complete assessment, utilizing appropriate assessment tools, within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Provides individual, group and family psychotherapy interventions used in the treatment of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, serious mental health disorders, and comorbid mental health needs
• Implements use of Measurement Based Care for measuring effectiveness of clinical practice and services in specialty areas, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services.
• Demonstrates the ability to design changes based on empirical findings as well as to provide a flexible work schedule to accommodate emergency or urgent care matters.
• Interviews veterans and their family members/significant others to establish facts about the veteran's situation, presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the veteran's functioning and health as part of a psychosocial assessment. Is familiar with VA treatment and benefit programs.
• Uses professional skill, objectivity, and insight. Uses advanced clinical training, and experience to identify viable treatment options and makes appropriate referrals for care.
• Serves veterans as outpatients who often have severe crises, lack family or community supports, frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychological support.
• Evaluates the client's situation, including the veteran's reaction and ability to deal with it, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion. Based on the psychosocial assessment, uses professional judgment and advanced practice skills to make a psychosocial diagnosis.
• Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan involving the veteran and family or significant others.
• Assesses serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia, and other high-risk diagnoses.
• Makes independent professional decisions and recommendations for treatment. Consequences to the veteran may be serious, and the results are often unpredictable.
• Develops treatment plans in coordination with BHIP Team Members, including goals for treatment.
• Provides quality therapy by utilizing Evidence Based Psychotherapies (EBP) in the treatment of veterans served.
• Concludes the appropriate action, even in instances where actions can have serious impact on the life of the veteran. These decisions are based on clinicians' advanced practice skills, professional judgment, and expertise regarding the veteran's self-care capability. The family support system, the veteran's health/mental health care needs and possible consequences.
• Responsible for clinical practice in the areas and programs to which assigned, including services that are a key component of treatment. Evaluates his/her practice as a clinician on an on-going basis through participation in professional peer review, case conferences, or other organized means. Is active in and accepts responsibility for the development and maintenance of professional standards of treatment.
• Acts as a community and family liaison by initiating and maintaining necessary contact with the patient, his/her family, VA Healthcare System service programs and personnel, mental health agencies, and other related resource agencies.
• Provides support and consultation to these varying individuals, programs, and agencies as necessary or in the best interest of the patient, following VA rules and regulations regarding confidentiality and the interchange of information.
• Enters all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate/approved formats and templates. This information must be entered in a complete, confidential, and professional manner to ensure information on the patient is shared with other VA staff.
• Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies.
• Attends all appropriate meetings (interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, staff meetings, departmental/section staff meetings, other committees as appropriate, etc.)
• Collaborates in the performance improvement processes and comply with performance measures as required by the appropriate program offices and local policies.
• Provides clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training, including trainees seeking licensure.
• Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework: Ad-hoc.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 54727A / 54728A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be 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.
• 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

*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until June 30, 2026, or until the position is filled. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be March 23, 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. ***

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred & tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:
Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States.
Education. Candidates must meet one of the following:

1. Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage & family therapy from a program approved by COAMFTE,
2. Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage & 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, & 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, & unrestricted MFT license to independently practice marriage & family therapy in a State.

• Exception: VHA, 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. 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.

English Language Proficiency. MFTs must be proficient in spoken & written English.

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a MFT on the effective date of this qualification standard (4/18/2018) 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. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it must meet one of the provisions listed in the qualification standard.

Grade Determinations.

Marriage and Family Therapist, GS-9 (Entry Level)
Experience, Education & 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 level. Unlicensed MFTs at the GS-9 grade level have completed the required education listed in above, & are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities. In addition to meeting the experience, education, & licensure for the 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 & family systems theory & therapy, formal diagnostic criteria, risk assessment, evidence-based practice & assessment tools.
2. Ability to assess, with supervision, the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans & their family members.
3. Knowledge to formulate, implement, & re-evaluate a treatment plan through continuous assessment identifying the Veteran's challenges, strengths, readiness to change, external influences & current events surrounding the origins & maintenance of the presenting issue, & interactional patterns within the client system.
4. Ability to provide counseling &, or psychotherapy services, under supervision, to individuals, groups, couples and families in a manner that facilitates change through restructuring & reorganizing of the client system.
5. Basic knowledge & understanding of existing relevant statutes, case law, ethical codes, & regulations affecting professional practice of marriage & family therapy.
6. Ability to draft documents, manage data, maintain accurate, timely & thorough clinical documentation, & track quality improvements.

Marriage and Family Therapist, GS-11 (Full Performance Level)
Experience, Education & Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, the GS-11 full performance level requires completion of a minimum of 1 year of post-master's degree experience in the field of marriage & family therapy work (VA or non-VA experience) & licensure in a State at the independent practice level.
OR,
In addition to the basic requirements, a doctoral degree in marriage & 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, & Psychiatry) may be substituted for the required 1 year of marriage & family therapy experience in a clinical setting. &
The candidate must be licensed to practice at the independent practice level & they must demonstrate the following KSA.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the experience, education, & licensure 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 & their family members.
2. Ability to provide counseling &, or psychotherapy services to individuals, groups, couples & families that facilitates change through restructuring & reorganizing the client system.
3. Ability to establish & maintain effective working relationships with Veterans & their families, colleagues, & other professionals in collaboration throughout treatment regarding clinical, ethical & legal issues & concerns.
4. Knowledge & understanding of existing relevant statutes, case law, ethical codes, regulations & VA policies affecting the practice of marriage & 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 & consultation to new MFTs including clinical oversight of MFT graduate students, &/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 & thorough clinical documentation, & tracking quality improvements.

Preferred Experience:

• Extensive experience in working with PTSD, including familiarity with cognitive behavior therapy (CPT) for PTSD, prolonged exposure (PE), written exposure therapy (WET) for PTSD, & other evidence-based protocols (EBPs).
• Proficient in suicide prevention and capable in mental health crisis care.
• Completion of evidence-based protocols (EBPs) training with certification.

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: Must be physically & mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Requires visual acuity (with the ability to read typewritten characters without strain, corrective lenses are permitted), keen hearing (aid permitted), clear distinctive speech, & manual dexterity. Moderate levels of lifting & carrying (15-44lbs). Occasional exposure to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. Must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Completes annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment.

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.

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

• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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
• License
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

Veterans' preference does not apply for internal or other current permanent Federal agency employees.

Next steps