Marriage and Family Therapist

Full Job Description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program.

You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment.

Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application.

Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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: Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States.

(Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3.g.).

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 3.j.

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.

Grade Determinations, Marriage and Family Therapist, 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-master's 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.

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. Assignments: MFTs at the full performance level are licensed to independently practice marriage and family therapy.

MFTs can provide general mental health services to Veterans within the ethics and guidelines of the professional standards.

MFTs at this level formulate, implement, and re- evaluate treatment plans through continuous assessment identifying the Veteran's 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.

In the event that Advanced or Supervisory level assignments are not established/supportable, the incumbents at this level can be responsible for clinical supervision for licensing purposes only, provided they have an AAMFT approved supervisor credential.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-11 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below: Skill to independently assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 GS-11. Physical Requirements: Work is mostly sedentary and primarily performed in an office setting.

Typical office work involves active listening, reading, observing, and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior, writing reports and clinical notes.

The position requires the use of office equipment such as computers, keyboards, telephones, fax machines, and photocopy machines.

Visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity are required.

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.

If required as a condition of employment, the incumbent must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, employee physicals, etc. Major Duties:

Duties and responsibilities for this position include, but are not limited to the following: Provides evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising psychotherapeutic interventions, including marital, couples, family, individual, and group psychotherapies.

Provides treatment to patients with a wide variety of problems, including PTSD, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, and personality disorders, among others.

Conducts psychosocial assessments of Veterans and their identified significant others.

Develops treatment plans in collaboration with the Veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team, if applicable.

Possesses the skills to offer relationships-focused interventions and measures outcomes to interventions.

Coordinates community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community agency programs.

Identifies high-risk patients and provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences, and serves as a liaison to family members.

Provides consultation services to other staff regarding evaluation and appropriate treatment planning for patients with marital and family problems.

Ability to evaluate own practice through professional peer review, case conferences, and other organizational means.

Communicates effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds.

Has working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures.

This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology.

Provides psychoeducation to patients, family members, and significant others. Leads workshops and/or psychoeducational series on relationship health, marriage, and family issues.

Develops patient education materials/modules and assists with Veteran Peer and Family activities as assigned. Able to meet the needs of customers while supporting VA missions.

Consistently communicates and treats customers (Veterans, their representatives, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner.

Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures.

Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate.

Has working knowledge and skill in the use of word-processing, data management, and other computer systems, especially those programs in use by VHA.

Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, assigned program and/clinic, CBOC/HCC Service Line, Hampton Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences (MH&BS) Service Line, and Hampton VA Medical Center.

Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Program Manager, Service Chief, Chief of Staff, and/or Medical Center Director.

Remains actively involved in CBOC/HCC Service Line and, as indicated, Hampton Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences (MH&BS) Service Line training, Marriage and Family Therapist training, education, and administrative activities as indicated.

Actively participates in and assumes responsibilities associated with committee assignments to include Performance Improvement, Peer Review, and Performance Measures.

Assists as requested, with staff education and training on assigned topics.

Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Telework Eligible: Ad-hoc. Functional Statement #: 00000 EDRP: Authorized: Yes.