Marriage and Family Therapist Program Coordinator - Suicide Prevention

Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. This position is ONLY open to current, permanent federal employees. *** If you are NOT a current federal employee, please apply to the Public Announcement CBSU-12989545-26-CC. ***

• Provides consultative services to other clinical/administrative staff and to VA programs, focused on any aspect of suicide prevention.
• Provides supportive counseling in the development and utilization of community resources.
• Maintains a patient list of those determined to be currently high-risk for suicide and monitors their care to ensure that needed services are being received.
• Consults/collaborates with providers of high-risk patients for purposes of education and facilitating best practice. May be required to provide direct patient care for the same purpose.
• Provides training to all staff throughout the SVAHCS and community about risk factors, warning signs, treatment options, and resources.
• Promotes the use of evidence-based interventions and strategies for suicide prevention in the health care system.
• Participates and may co-chair with the Patient Safety Officer the RCA (Root Cause Analysis) by performing individual case reviews, assisting with the preparation of quarterly aggregate summaries, and facilitating recommended system improvements.
• Receives and processes consults from the Veteran's Crisis Line and contacts Veterans to engage them in treatment and reports back to the Hotline Staff about the results of interventions.
• Facilitates the completion of suicide assessments in the facility by training staff, updating policies, and occasionally direct provision of assessments, according to the VACO assessment guidelines.
• Facilitates the implementation of reporting high-risk patients through the use of the Suicide Behavior Report.
• Facilitates the implementation of Level II Flags per Central Office Directives.
• Provides tracking reports to the Center of Excellence for data compilation monthly.
• Works closely with the Multidisciplinary Team to ensure that all Veterans on the facility tracking list are being followed closely by the appropriate provider.
• Tracks any no-show appointments by these patients and follows up with the patient as soon as possible to reschedule the appointment.
• Maintains awareness of suicide treatment options and makes recommendations to the patient's provider when new options become available.
• Obtains any relevant HIPAA clearances to allow transmittal of facility data on suicide attempts and individuals at risk to the VISN 19 MIRECC for trending and quality assurance purposes, and transmitting the data following cybersecurity requirements as applicable for this sensitive data.
• Ensures that all flagged patients have a 24-hour resource number to call and ways to get assistance if an immediate crisis should occur.
• Assists in providing crisis intervention as part of the Same Day Access Team, including evaluation, assessment, triage, and disposition of patients experiencing behavioral health emergencies.
• Interviews patients, family, and significant others to obtain pertinent clinical crisis/triage information.
• Reviews and summarizes pertinent psychosocial information for the Mental Health Team.
• Provides psychiatric crisis/triage services under the supervision of a privileged Mental Health clinician.
• Provides supportive counseling in the development and utilization of community resources.
• Participates in activities that obtain feedback from clients and work to enhance services as needed.
• Assists MHSL and the facility in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs as needed.
• Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team.
• Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs to effectively coordinate services.
• Complies with national and local performance measures and clinical reminders, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients.
• Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check-out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes).
• 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.)
• Serves on Interdisciplinary Treatment Team(s).
• Conducts and/or participates in research and/or program evaluation as appropriate.
• Serves on committees, work groups, and/or task forces at the facility, VISN, and/or VA Central Office levels.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30am - 4:00pm
Telework: Ad-hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 60166A
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 identification 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

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.

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

Marriage and Family Therapist, GS-12 (Program Coordinator)

Experience, Education, and Licensure
In addition to the basic requirements, completion of one year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level which demonstrates knowledge, skills, and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment. MFT program coordinators of family programs must be trained in family systems therapy/theory. If the assignment is responsible for providing systemic clinical supervision for licensure the individual must have an AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs in subparagraph below.

Demonstrated KSAs
In addition to meeting the KSAs for GS-12 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:

1. Ability to organize work, set priorities, meet multiple deadlines, delegate tasks and facilitate team building.
2. Ability to manage and direct the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
3. Ability to devise innovative ways to adapt work operations to new and changing programs, to develop staffing and budget requirements, and to translate management goals and objectives into well- coordinated and controlled work operations and ensure compliance with pertinent VHA policies.
4. Ability to establish and monitor performance priorities according to standards and program evaluation criteria.
5. Knowledge of family systems theory/therapy in coordination of family programs.

Preferred Experience: Extensive experience in individual and group therapies working with Suicide Prevention and MH Crisis intervention and education. Applicant should be well-versed in Evidence-Based Protocols (EBPs). Applicant should be able to present in public speaking and community engagement events, as well as VA Staff. Skilled in working within interdisciplinary teams, including medical providers, psychiatrists, nursing staff, and case managers Proficient in Suicide Prevention and capable in Mental Health Crisis Care Capable in Program Management and building professional relationships both within and outside of the VA System. Capable of engaging audiences in public speaking and presentations VA Systems experience
Experience with Suicide Prevention and education of Suicide Prevention.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: This position provides direct services to patients and their families through casework. Incumbents must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Normal work of the position requires visual acuity (with the ability to read typewritten characters without strain, corrective lenses are permitted), keen hearing (aid permitted), clear, distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially moderate levels of lifting and carrying (15-44 pounds). The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete 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:

• License
• 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 (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Resume
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript

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

Next steps