Creative Arts Therapist (Art)

This vacancy will remain open until filled. The first cut-off date is Wednesday November 19 2025. Additional applications will be referred as needed. (NOTE: Applications expire after 90 days. Please update application thru USAJobs if you wish to be reconsidered.)

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Administering and interpreting art therapy assessments and utilizing clinical knowledge to develop unconventional assessment and interview approaches to effectively elicit information
• Reviewing pre-evaluation data in the medical record upon admission or through consult conducting analyzing interpreting and reporting assessment data across functional domains (i.e. behavioral cognitive communicative emotional/affective physical sensory social).
• Planning organizing and implementing developmentally and situationally appropriate and evidence-based comprehensive art therapy interventions for persons diagnosed with chronic or life-threatening conditions as well as their families and in collaboration with an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary team
• Recommending and developing new treatment groups and programs (including co-treatment opportunities) for treating patients with complex medical behavioral or mental health issues such as but not limited to dementia parkinson PTSD and traumatic brain injury (TBI) to develop or promote a variety of clinical outcomes such as improved coping with grief loss palliative care/terminal illness behavior management conflict resolution self-expression or non-verbal communication of difficult subject matter
• Participating in other difficult work in co-treatment opportunities including neurological rehabilitation physical rehabilitation mental health recovery programs and palliative care related to the symptoms of a terminal illness
• Planning organizing implementing and evaluating public relations for the program to inform and educate others about art therapy in various settings including the complex interactions of the therapeutic process as well as the efficacy of art therapy in complex cases
• Implementing and modifying treatment plan and goals compatible to patient functional capacity as necessary to assure optimum outcome
• Performing documentation of patient care including progress notes daily attendance/encounters and reports (monthly safety and others) as needed
• Working closely with other treatment team members and community health care professionals to support the patients medical treatment plan
• Providing direct 1:1 treatment and services that require the exercise of mature professional judgment and the flexible use of a wide range of clinical skills
• Carrying full professional responsibility for cases presenting a wide range of psychosocial and medical issues with no limitations (within his/her scope of clinical privileges) as to the range of service to be performed
• Providing information and referral services to various community services as appropriate. Investigates community resources and makes information about them available to other team-members
• Participating in program planning and the development of working relationships with community agencies and resources
• Maintaining accurate statistics and reports as required within specified deadlines
• Submitting data on patient contacts promptly and accurately to program office for monthly statistic
• Participating in research education evaluations and studies
• May supervise Art Therapy students interns and trainees

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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement 11/10/2026

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: The following education requirements apply to the creative arts therapist (art):
  • A masters degree or higher from an accredited college or university with a major in art therapy approved by the American Art Therapy Association on or before June 30 2016. If the degree is received after June 30 2016 a masters degree or higher from an accredited college or university with a major in art therapy must be accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Art Therapy Education: a committee of the Commission on Accreditation on Allied Health Education Program. OR
  • A masters degree in a related field plus graduate coursework and supervised field experience in art therapy. Acceptable related fields include: Counseling Marriage and Family Therapy Social Work Psychology Addictions Counseling Psychiatric Nursing and Psychiatry AND must possess a full current and unrestricted registration as a Registered Art Therapist (ATR) approved by the Art Therapy Credentials Board. If hired under this education the registration cannot be waived.
• Foreign Education: To be creditable education completed outside the U.S. must have been submitted to a private organization that specializes in the interpretation of foreign educational credentials. The private organization must deem such education at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. programs.
• Registration
  • Creative Arts Therapy (Art). Must possess a full current and unrestricted registration with the ATR. If hired under paragraph 3b(2)(b) registration cannot be waived.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

• Ability to identify current art resources in the community at the time of assessment for discharge planning purposes.
• Ability to develop and implement quality improvement systems as related to internal and external regulatory requirements including patient safety.
• Knowledge of diagnostic coding and symptoms of diagnoses in the provision of art therapy.
• Knowledge of the creative process and art media and their effect on the patients cognitive sensory emotional and physical states.
• Ability to demonstrate and educate stakeholders on the value of the creative process as a therapeutic tool.
• Ability to establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship with professional boundaries that reflect a trusting empathetic and respectful interaction.
• Skill in collaborating and maintaining liaison with an interdisciplinary team and educating the treatment team on theoretical framework of art therapy interventions.

• Minimum of two years experience in field of expertise
• Home care experience
• Experience with geriatric chronically ill high risk and/or Veteran population
• Experience with a Creative Arts Program to include development and implementation of policy and procedure