Creative Arts Therapist

Major duties to include but not limited to:

• Conducts formal standardized assessments of needs aptitudes interests and abilities; includes cognitive psychosocial sensory-motor and functional domains relevant to outpatient mental health and rehabilitation.
• Develops and implements evidence-informed Art Therapy plans specifying scope duration and frequency; aligns goals with outpatient rehab plans and mental health treatment objectives.
• Applies specialty Art Therapy modalities to address sensory integration; neuromuscular and motor-cognitive integration; cognitive components; psychosocial skills; and psychological symptoms (trauma depression anxiety grief behavioral activation).
• Exercises high-level independent clinical decision-making; designs develops or adapts unique Art Therapy interventions; collaborates in co-treatment for complex presentations.
• Partners with Psychiatry CLC Psychology PM&R/PMRS Nursing Social Work OT/PT/SLP to integrate Art Therapy into treatment plans rounds and care transitions.
• Completes timely accurate documentation (assessments progress notes encounters consults care plans discharge summaries); ensures appropriate coding/workload capture (VERA/productivity).
• Maintains professional boundaries; provides a safe trauma-informed environment for symbolic expression processing and skill acquisition; supports safety planning and crisis response as indicated.
• Incorporates knowledge of the roles and meaning of art across cultures; co-develops relevant interventions and programming;
• Serves as a subject matter expert; provides consultation in-service education mentorship; contributes to quality improvement and program evaluation.
• Identifies community resources for discharge planning; ensures coordinated handoffs to outpatient MH RT/CAT and rehabilitation services.
• Engages when mental health symptoms impede participation or progress toward physical rehab goals or when symptom regulation/safety is required to enable rehabilitation (e.g. PTSD symptoms affecting engagement severe anxiety limiting therapy tolerance depressive symptoms diminishing activation).
• Performs focused inpatient mental health Art Therapy evaluations and delivers targeted interventions (e.g. grounding regulation trauma-informed approaches behavioral activation) that directly support rehab milestones and safe participation.
• Initiates coordinated care with the Experiential & Recreation Therapy team; collaborates with PM&R/PMRS Psychiatry Psychology Nursing Social Work OT/PT/SLP to integrate Art Therapy into the inpatient rehabilitation plan of care and discharge planning.
• Ensures continuity by communicating treatment goals progress and recommendations to outpatient teams; supports transitions back to outpatient services to sustain gains
• Covers Outpatient mental health Creative Arts Therapy clinics and consults; Inpatient consultative involvement as clinically indicated to achieve physical rehab goals; cross-coverage for outpatient/inpatient needs during leave or program transitions.
• Serves as backup Government Purchase Card (GPC) holder completing required training and adhering to VA/facility policies internal controls documentation reconciliation and audit requirements for micro-purchases and approved transactions.

Perform other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 AM-4:00 PM or 8:00 AM-4:30 PM; Tour may vary based on agency needs.
Compressed/Flexible: Not Available.
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

• 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 identification 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 may 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 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.

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: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Education:
  • 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
  • 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.
• Certification:
  • Certification in a specialty treatment area in art therapy such as but not limited to: Trauma Informed Art Therapy Focused-Oriented Art Therapy Photo Therapy Mandala Assessment Research Instrument (MARI) Art Therapy Analytics or in a directly related field such as dementia motivational interviewing and/or cognitive behavior therapy.

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:

GS-12 Creative Arts Therapist (Art): In addition to meeting the basic requirements the completion of two years of progressively complex experience which includes one year equivalent at the next lower grade GS-11 directly related to the position being filled is required.
-AND-
In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:

1. Skill in differentiating signs symptoms and contraindications as related to clinical diagnoses in order to independently determine appropriate interventions.
2. Ability to apply advanced clinical judgment and critical thinking when interpreting and documenting interactions related to complex medical conditions.
3. Ability to design comprehensive and complex screening tools and templates.
4. Ability as a skilled listener sensitive to a variety of human needs.
5. Ability to exhibit emotional stability patience and interpersonal skills.
6. Knowledge of insight and psychological processes.
7. Skill in using a higher degree of sensitivity of group dynamics interpersonal interactions and symptoms with special attention to complexity comorbidity and contraindications.
8. Knowledge of a variety of art mediums through continuing education for application in clinical settings.
9. Knowledge of how therapy impacts revenue resource allocation as it relates to complex diagnosis treatment and diagnostic coding.

Preferred Experience: Greater than 2 years progressively complex experience as Creative Arts Therapist with preference that experience hospital based Recreation/Creative Art Therapy Program.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.