Marriage and Family Therapist

Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Responsibilities Eastern Kansas Health Care System is committed to Diversity and Inclusion. Together, we strive to create and maintain a working and learning environment that promotes professional growth and teamwork. We offer an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming environment where we celebrate our individual differences and unite as a team toward a common goal of providing outstanding service to our Nations Veterans. The Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) is a member of the Behavioral Health Service Line (BHSL) and functions within the outpatient Mental Health Clinic, an interdisciplinary program, at the Junction City CBOC. The incumbent provides program screenings and a full range of psychosocial assessments for diagnosis and treatment planning, evidence and recovery-based groups and individual/couple/family psychotherapy, client centered mental health recovery plans, care management, and other clinical services. The incumbent is assigned a tour of duty compatible with the needs of the program and may include weekends and holidays; day and evening tours. Additional and/or collateral duties may be assigned by the MFT Program Manager, Chief of Psychology, and/or Behavioral Health Service Line Manager (BH SLM). Duties to include: Clinical Responsibilities: 1. Provide a full range of assessment, providing formal diagnosis of mental disorders using DSM-5-TR criteria and determination of psychosocial functioning and needs of the Veteran, with collaborative input from family members, partners, and other identified supports. 2. Provide psychosocial and mental health education to patients, family members, partners, and other identified supports. 3. Provide comprehensive recovery and psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy, and including tele-mental health services, based on research and family systems theory. 4. Provide consultation to professional staff within the VA Medical Center and other stakeholder concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. 5. Develop, implement, and document the psychotherapeutic treatment recovery plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders and program measurement-based care instruments. 6. Functions at the VA Medical Center, and assumes professional responsibility for clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. 7. Family Services are delivered in compliance with VHA Directive 1163.04 Family Services. Administrative Responsibilities: 1. May assist LMFT Program Manager and Behavioral Health Service Line Manager (BHSLM). in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment providers. 2. May assist the Chief of Psychology and BHSLM in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program. 3. Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. 4. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. 5. Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes). 6. Complies with and participates in peer review, Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations (OPPE), Focused Professional Practice Evaluations (FPPE), and/or recommendations from the Professional Standards Board (PSB). 7. Attend and participate in administrative and informational meetings held by the LMFT Program Manager, Mental Health Clinic Program Manager, Assistant Chief of Psychology, and the Chief of Behavioral Health, and other meetings as assigned to participate. 8. Attend regular Psychology Service staff meetings, Medical staff meetings, and Behavioral Health Service Line staff meetings. Other Responsibilities: 1. May serve on Medical Center or healthcare system, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces. 2. May represent the Medical Center at professional community group/events and committees, in conferences/meetings with higher ranking managers, supervisors, and staff from other disciplines or work units, and/or with representatives of local public interest groups, congressional district offices and employees of State and local governments. 3. May prepare Issue Briefs and responses to Congressional inquiries as needed. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am – 4:30pm Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Marriage and Family Therapist Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN15EDRP@va.gov , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) – See “Additional Information” below for details. Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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 masters degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a program approved by COAMFTE,(2)Hold a masters degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a MFT program from a regionally accredited institution, OR,(3)Hold a masters 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. 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-9 (Entry Level)Experience, Education and Licensure. The entry level grade is used for non-licensed MFTs or for MFTs (masters 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, the candidates must demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) in subparagraph below. Demonstrated KSAs. 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 Veterans 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 Entry level MFTs provide mental health services under clinical supervision and within the ethics and guidelines of the professional II-G44-6 April 18, 2018 VA Handbook 5005/101 Part II Appendix G44 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. GS-11 (Full Performance Level) 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-masters 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 KSAs in subparagraph 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 KSA. Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to meeting the KSAs for GS-09 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the 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. 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-09 to GS-11. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination. 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/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.