Marriage and Family Therapist

Major duties include but are not limited to the following:

• Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services which requires advanced and expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual group and/or family psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management interventions used in treatment of Veterans with a range of DSM diagnoses substance abuse/dependence and poly-traumatic injuries.
• The incumbent may have clinical program management responsibilities under the direction of program managers program coordinators or discipline specific supervisors which include the operation and management of various psychology or mental health programs within the VA Central Iowa Healthcare system (VACIHCS).
• The incumbent may assist with coordinating administrative and programmatic resources of various clinical programs with oversight by program managers program coordinators or discipline specific supervisors.
• The incumbent may coordinate programming within the various mental health programs with managers of other programs in mental health as well as with discipline supervisors of affected staff assigned to these programs.
• The incumbent will assist managers of mental health programs in making sure that work is assigned in a systematic way and meets facility and VA guidelines/standards.
• The incumbent may serve as the representative for Psychology Service on various Psychology Service Mental Health Service Line System or VISN administrative committees or work groups as assigned.
• The incumbent should have the ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in the specialty area rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective practice addition there may be opportunities to teach and mentor staff and students in the specialty area of practice.
• The incumbent should have the ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession demonstrating innovation in the creation of new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention to identify and address specialized clinical needs. Ability to assist in drafting policies procedures and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the specialty population or specialty treatment program as assigned.

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.
• NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information refer to Required Documents below.

• 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

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: Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 Part II Chapter 3 Section A paragraph 3j.
• Education: Candidates must meet one of the following:
  • Hold a masters degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a program approved by COAMFTE OR
  • Hold a masters degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a MFT program from a regionally accredited institution OR
  • 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.
    • MFTs that are not licensed at the time of appointment must become licensed at the independent level (Journey level) within three years of their appointment as a MFT. Most States require two years of post-graduate MFT experience as a pre-requisite to taking the licensure examination; VHA allows MFTs one additional year to pass the licensure exam.
    • It is VHA policy that a MFT who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be clinically supervised by an AAMFT approved licensed MFT at or above the journey level who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record
    • Failure to Obtain License: In all cases unlicensed MFTs must actively pursue meeting State prerequisites for licensure starting from the date of their appointment. At the time of appointment the Human Resource Officer will provide the unlicensed MFT with the written requirements for licensure the date by which the license must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed by the deadline. Failure to obtain a license by the prescribed date will result in removal from the GS-0182 MFT series and may result in termination of employment.

• Marriage and Family Therapist GS-9 (Entry Level):
  • Experience Education and Licensure: The entry level grade is used for nonlicensed 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.
  • 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 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.
• 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-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. 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-11 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 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.