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Counseling Psychologist

Department of Homeland Security
Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers
#FLETC-Surge
This job announcement has closed

Summary

"The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), through strategic partnerships, prepares the federal law enforcement community to safeguard America's people, property, and institutions." We are a unique inter-agency organization preparing the next generation of law enforcement officers to meet our Nation's most pressing security challenges." Click here to learn more.

A recruitment or relocation incentive may be authorized.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
09/10/2025 to 09/25/2025
Salary
$105,383 to - $137,000 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 13
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Glynco, GA
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
Yes—You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy.
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Not Required
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Moderate Risk (MR)
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
No
Announcement number
FLETC-MRSD-25-12791299
Control number
845446600

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

• Federal employees serving on career or career-conditional appointments • Former federal employees with reinstatement eligibility • Individuals with disabilities, peace corps, former overseas employees, military spouses, 30% disabled veterans, and those eligible under other special hiring authorities • Persons eligible under Interchange Agreements • Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA)

Duties

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Serving as a Counseling Psychologist GS-0180-13 makes you a valuable member of the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) team and mission. This position is located in the Student Services Division (SSD) under the Mission Readiness Support Directorate and located in Glynco, Georgia.

The primary purpose of the position is to advise and give guidance to those requesting assistance from the program. Typical duties include:

  • Providing expertise and demonstrating professional knowledge of current, developing, and emerging theories, strategies, technologies, protocols and techniques in rendering services for a wide variety of mental health concerns.
  • Providing crisis intervention and/or stress management and then determining appropriate level of care for the individual.

  • Adhering to the ethical standards of care set forth by the DHS, FLETC, CSP and Peer Support (PSP) programs.

  • Adhering to the ethical standards set forth by particular area of discipline, which may include but are not limited to the following: American Psychological Association (APA), National Association of Social Workers (NASW), and American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA).

  • Adhering to the professional standards of care when providing counseling services and crisis intervention.

  • Identifying problems within the Peer Support and Crisis Response teams that call for action and advising the Division Chief of suggested revisions to the operational procedures and protocols for Peer Support and Crisis Response Teams.

  • Developing enterprise-wide veterans support services for staff and students with the goal of providing immediate, on-site support and resources to all current military and veteran employees. Identifying and coordinating educational and mentor opportunities.

  • Initiating and developing training programs focusing on primary military and law enforcement stress factors with the goal of preventing individual and organizational stress.

  • Conferring with DHS and FLETC representatives and others concerning the content and development of courses with the purpose of analyzing training needs and follow up on the effects of the Counseling Services /Peer Support Program.

  • Providing support and assistance to FLETC's military and law enforcement peer support network that can provide supportive peer outreach and crisis intervention for staff and students that are law enforcement and military veterans.

View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
  • Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You must successfully pass a background investigation.
  • Current and former federal employees within the General Schedule (GS) must meet the time-in-grade requirements outlined in the "Qualifications" section of this announcement.
  • This is a non-bargaining unit position.
  • Must possess and maintain a valid state issued driver's license to conduct official government business.
  • You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you.
  • Complete the initial online assessment and USAHire Assessment, if required.
  • This position is eligible for situational-only telework based on agency policy.
  • Occasional travel may be required.
  • Overtime may be required.
  • Shift work may be required.
  • Weekends and federal holidays may be required.
  • This position is Emergency Essential and required to sustain FLETC’s operations under all conditions.
  • Must possess and maintain Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) certification.

Qualifications

Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications. Please visit www.fletc.gov/site-page/employment-faqs website for further guidance regarding this page limit.

A recruitment or relocation incentive may be authorized.

In order to be considered for this position, you must meet the following requirements:

  1. Educational Requirements: For positions at grades GS-9 and above, satisfactory completion of 2 full academic years of graduate study directly related to professional work in counseling psychology, or satisfactory completion in an accredited educational institution of all the requirements for a master's degree directly related to counseling psychology is required.
  2. Must possess a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) certification. (You must provide a copy of your certificate)
  3. Specialized Experience: You must possess at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-12 grade level as a licensed mental health professional, providing expertise and demonstrating professional knowledge of current, developing, and emerging theories, strategies, technologies, protocols and techniques in rendering services for a wide variety of mental health concerns, inclusive of but not limited to acute and post- traumatic stress, critical incident response, and work/family related stress. All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

Time-in-grade: Current General Schedule (GS) federal employees, and those that have served in GS positions within the last 52 weeks, must have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade, or a combination of the next lower grade level and an equivalent band in the federal service by the closing of this announcement.

Note: Current or former Federal employees MUST submit a copy of their SF-50 Form which shows competitive service appointment ("position occupied" block 34 on the SF-50 should show a "1"), tenure group (block 24 should show a 1 or 2), grade, and salary. If you are applying for a higher grade, please provide the SF-50 Form which shows the length of time you have been in your current/highest grade (examples of appropriate SF-50s include promotions, With-in Grade/Range Increases, and SF-50s dated a year apart within the same grade/job). If you have promotion potential in your current position, please provide proof. Employees applying with an interchange agreement must provide proof of their permanent appointment. IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT ALL OF THE REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CONSIDERATION AS A STATUS CANDIDATE.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Career Transition Assistance Program/Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP/ICTAP) Eligibles: If you have never worked for the federal government, you are not CTAP/ICTAP eligible. View information about CTAP/ICTAP eligibility on OPM's Career Transition Resources website. To be considered eligible under CTAP/ICTAP, you must be placed in the well-qualified category for this position, as described above. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Background Investigation: To ensure the accomplishment of our mission, FLETC requires every employee to be reliable and trustworthy. To meet those standards, all selected applicants must undergo and successfully pass a background investigation for Suitability/Fitness as a condition of placement in this position. This review may include financial issues such as delinquency in the payment of debts, child support and/or tax obligations, as well as certain criminal offenses and illegal use or possession of drugs.

Work Environment: The work is usually performed in a typical office setting; however, requirement of 24-hour availability is crucial. The nature of the work is intrusive into private life. Travel may be required.

Physical Demands: The work is basically sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required.

Re-employed annuitants' annual salaries will be reduced by the amount of their retirement annuity and by further cost of living increases. FERS retirees receiving a FERS annuity supplement must also be aware that, like social security benefits, their FERS annuity supplement is subject to an earnings test and may be reduced if the salary earned is more than the social security exempt amount of earnings. Additional information is available on OPM's website or by contacting OPM.

This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies during the next 90 days. This could result in a few or many vacancies being filled from this announcement.

Education

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/homeYou must submit a copy of your college transcript (unofficial is acceptable) from an accredited institution listing the college/university, degree confirmation date(s) and applicable courses for the position you are applying to.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

Additional information

Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire

The Department of Homeland Security encourages persons with disabilities to apply, to include persons with intellectual, severe physical or psychiatric disabilities, as defined by 5 CFR 213.3102(u), and or Disabled Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30 percent or more as defined by 5 CFR 315.707. Veterans, Peace Corps, VISTA volunteers, and persons with disabilities possess a wealth of unique talents, experiences, and competencies that can be invaluable to the DHS mission. If you are a member of one of these groups, you may not have to compete with the public for federal jobs. To determine your eligibility for non-competitive appointment and to understand the required documentation, click on the links above or contact the servicing Human Resources Office listed at the bottom of this announcement.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12564 and FLETC policy, FLETC is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and, therefore, conducts random and other drug testing of its employees in order to ensure a safe and healthy work environment. Headquarters personnel in safety- or security-sensitive positions are subject to random drug testing and all applicants tentatively selected for employment at FLETC are subject to drug testing resulting in a negative test result.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment for this position, you will be required to complete an Optional Form 306, Declaration of Federal Employment, and to sign and certify the accuracy of all information in your application, prior to entry on duty. False statements on any part of the application may result in withdrawal of offer of employment, dismissal after beginning work, fine, or imprisonment.

The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act prohibits the Department of Homeland Security and its Components from requesting an applicant's criminal history record before that individual receives a conditional offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S. Code § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Fair Chance to Compete Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act, may submit a written complaint to fletc-jobinfo@fletc.dhs.gov.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Please limit your resume to 5 pages. If more than 5 pages are submitted, only the first 5 pages will be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.

You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the online assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail, Customer Service, Decision Making, Flexibility, Influencing/Negotiating, Integrity/Honesty, Interpersonal Skills, Learning, Reading Comprehension, Reasoning, Self-Management, Stress Tolerance, and Teamwork

The USA Hire Assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

If you are the best qualified, you may be referred to the hiring manager for consideration and may be called for an interview. To preview the application questionnaire, click: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12791299

Due weight will be given to performance appraisals and incentive awards in merit promotion selection decisions in accordance with 5 CFR 335.103(b)(3).

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA): To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, the veteran must be 1) be a preference eligible; or 2) be a veteran separated after 3 or more years of continuous active service performed under honorable conditions. In addition, you must submit the supporting documents listed under the required documents section of this announcement. (Note: Veteran's preference does not apply under Merit Promotion procedures. View VEOA information on Feds Hire Vets.)

Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on the online assessment may also result in your removal from consideration.

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