Summary 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. Responsibilities Duties to include: Clinical Responsibilities: 1. Provides a full range of psychological assessment services and diagnoses mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients. 2. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. 3. Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy. 4. Provides consultation to professional staff within VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. 5. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for patients who require such treatment. 6. Functions independently as a member of the Eastern Kansas Health Care System Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. Administrative Responsibilities: 1. Assists the LMFT Program Manager (or related), Chief of Psychology, and BH SLM in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment providers. 2. Adheres to operational policies and procedures established by the Chief of Psychology and Behavioral Health Service Line Manager (BHSLM). 3. Assists 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. 4. Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. 5. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. 6. Adheres to VA regulations regarding documentation and completion of encounters. Documentation will be thorough, timely, consistent with treatment plan, proper check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes) and will follow established VA guidelines and required note format. 7. Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the LMFT Program Manager, Chief of Psychology, BHSLM (or designee) and facility Director. 8. 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), as applicable. 9. Attends regular Psychology Service staff meetings, Medical staff meetings, and Behavioral Health Service Line staff meetings. 10. Completes all TMS and other education requirements timely. Academic/Teaching/Training: 1. May provide discipline-specific clinical consultation and clinical supervision for MFT students, interns, residents. 2. May support discipline-specific training program and training committee. 3. May supports the training of medical students, medical and psychiatric residents, nursing students and fellows, as appropriate. 4. May provide leadership, guidance, and consultation on staff education and development. Other Significant Responsibilities: 1. Serves on Medical Center or healthcare system, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces. 2. Represents 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. Prepares Issue Briefs and responses to Congressional inquiries as needed. This position will provide clinical supervision and will require to have or acquire an AAMFT Approved Supervision designation within 2-years from the date of initial appointment. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not 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. 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 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. 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: Marriage and Family Therapist, GS-12 (Advanced) Education, Experience and Licensure. Candidate must have successfully completed evidence based training in family therapy and must have graduated from a COAMFTE accredited program OR have passed the AMFTRE. Candidate must have at least five years of post-licensed clinical experience in delivery of family systems therapy including one-year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. This experience must demonstrate the use of an evidence based family therapy model while exhibiting progressive professional competency and expertise. Assignments requiring responsibility for providing clinical supervision must have an AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs listed below. Demonstrated KSAs: 1. Ability to provide specialized consultation for complex cases involving individuals, families and/or couples utilizing evidenced-based family systems theory/therapy. 2. Ability to provide crisis intervention which includes assessment, safety planning and complex treatment planning using independent clinical judgment utilizing family systems theory/therapy. 3. Ability to provide family systems therapy, which seeks to address Veterans and their family members on an individual level and deals with interpersonal interactions. 4. Ability to provide unlicensed MFT staff/trainees with systemic clinical supervision towards licensure from a family systems theory/therapy perspective. This position will provide clinical supervision and will require to have or acquire an AAMFT Approved Supervision designation within 2-years from the date of initial appointment. 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-12. 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 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. 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 applicant's 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.
