Marriage and Family Therapist (Advanced)

NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker Psychologist Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor and Marriage & Family Therapist. Each discipline is announced separately and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified.

The Vet Center Senior Counselor provides direct counseling services outreach referral and follow-up care coordination to eligible individuals couples and family members. The Senior Counselor plays a key role in the coordination of client care and staff professional development providing expert clinical consultation to other clinicians on complex psychosocial conditions relational and readjustment stress utilizing evidence-based family systems theory/therapy. Responsible for the following domains of service for providing direct readjustment counseling to eligible clients and for developing staff performance through training and clinical supervision.

• Direct Service Provision: Independently implement professional clinical practice applications in the provision of readjustment counseling to individuals couples families and groups.

• Risk Assessment and Crisis Intervention: Provides consultation and associated support for staff developing crisis intervention strategies which includes assessment safety planning and complex treatment planning using independent clinical judgment using family systems theory/therapy.

• Care Coordination: Communicates routinely with inter-professional team members and leadership to communicate about program and patient issues for in-depth problem solving while consistently modeling ethical and professional behaviors and standards to include multicultural awareness. Serves on committees work groups and task forces at the facility Medical Center and Zone District or national level or in the community as deemed appropriate by the Vet Center Director.

• Outreach: Acts as clinical consultant to the Vet Center outreach workers to improve their sensitivity to clinical indicators and basic interviewing questions to expedite the transition of prospective clients contacted on outreach to actual Vet Center readjustment counseling clients. Actively Coordinates with Vet Center Outreach Specialists to ensure seamless referral of individuals engaged in the community at outreach events.

• Documentation/Administrative Responsibilities/Consultation: Actively participate in one-to-one clinical and administrative oversight during administrative and clinical staff meetings as directed by the Vet Center Director. Documents clinical interactions and services delivered as required by policy.

• Screening and Assessment: Works directly with eligible individuals to establish a therapeutic relationship sufficient for completing all required readjustment counseling intake procedures to include an assessment of risk for self-harm and psychosocial stressors.

• Counseling Planning/Goal Setting: Based on the outcome of the intake will develop and periodically update an individualized readjustment counseling service plan that reflects a course of therapeutic and psychosocial interventions inclusive of outcome measurements.

• Clinical Supervision Consultation Training Review and Evaluation: Provides clinical consultation services to other staff members with clinical service responsibilities under the supervision of the Vet Center Director. The scope of clinical consultation services will include all aspects of direct readjustment counseling service such as advising on the clinical assessment service planning and case coordination with community providers when the individuals needs are beyond the scope of services available at a Vet Center.

  • Will provide clinical consultation and supervision to meet the requirements for independent licensure with special attention to providing to unlicensed staff/trainees systematic clinical supervision towards licensure.

  • Will provide clinical oversight (chart auditing etc) as outlined by policy.

• Team cohesion and coordination: Actively participate in staff meetings designed to promote team building and staff development.

• Other Duties: May perform other duties as assigned as appropriate for the grade and assignment and which are within the scope of practice

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 ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers 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.

• 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.

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.
• 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.
• Education. Masters or doctoral degree in one of the following:
  • Marriage and Family Therapy from a program approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) OR
  • Marriage and Family Therapy from a MFT program from a regionally accredited institution OR
  • 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.
• Grandfather Provision - An MFT employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (4/18/2018) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard may not be promoted beyond the full performance level (GS-11) or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions until meeting all qualification requirements.

• Education Experience and Licensure.
  • In addition to meeting the basic requirements to qualify for the GS-12 you must have successfully completed evidence-based training in family therapy and graduated from a COAMFTE accredited program OR have passed the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Board (AMFTRB) examination. Candidate must have at least 5 years of post-licensed clinical experience in delivery of family systems therapy (with at least 1 year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level). Must have an AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential. This experience must demonstrate the use of an evidence-based family therapy model while exhibiting progressive professional competency and expertise that demonstrates the following professional Knowledge Skills and Abilities.
    • Ability to provide specialized consultation for complex cases involving individuals families and/or couples utilizing evidenced-based family systems theory/therapy.
    • Ability to provide crisis intervention which includes assessment safety planning and complex treatment planning using independent clinical judgment utilizing family systems theory/therapy.
    • Ability to provide family systems therapy which seeks to address Veterans and their family members on an individual level and deals with interpersonal interactions.
    • Ability to provide unlicensed MFT staff/trainees with systemic clinical supervision towards licensure from a family systems theory/therapy perspective.