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INTERDISCIPLINARY SOCIAL WORKER / PSYCHOLOGIST

Department of the Navy
U.S. Marine Corps

Summary

You will serve as a Social Worker / Psychologist in the Marine and Family Programs of MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT.

Overview

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Accepting applications
Open & closing dates
12/09/2025 to 12/15/2025
Salary
$84,462 to - $109,795 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 11
Location
San Diego, CA
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Competitive
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Secret
Drug test
Yes
Position sensitivity and risk
Noncritical-Sensitive (NCS)/Moderate Risk
Trust determination process
Financial disclosure
No
Bargaining unit status
Yes
Announcement number
ST-12846361-26-RJM
Control number
851886200

Duties

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  • You will serve as a clinical counselor for the Substance Abuse Program (SAP).
  • You will interview individuals and family members as appropriate.
  • You will counsel individuals in the identification and awareness of early warning signs, abuse detection techniques, and preventative measures of substance abuse.
  • You will coordinate case management services (e.g., assess follow-through with treatment recommendations) to determine if additional referrals or resources are needed.
  • You will work with clients to set goals and objectives for patient treatment in counseling sessions.
  • You will provide direct non-medical services using a wide variety of techniques.
  • You will identify crisis situations (e.g., suicidal or homicide risk, danger of physical or sexual abuse to family members, increased risk of further family violence) through clinical assessment to provide crisis intervention and safety planning.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Must be a US Citizen.
  • Must be determined suitable for federal employment.
  • Must participate in the direct deposit pay program.
  • New employees to the Department of the Navy will be required to successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit e-verify.gov
  • Generally, current federal employees applying for GS jobs must serve at least one year at the next lower grade level. This requirement is called time-in-grade. Time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
  • Within the Department of Defense (DoD), the appointment of retired military members within 180 days immediately following retirement date to a civilian position is subject to the provisions of 5 United States Code 3326.
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain an interim and/or final security clearance prior to entrance on duty. Failure to obtain and maintain the required level of clearance may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or removal.
  • Successful completion of a pre-employment drug test (including marijuana) is required. A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if you fail to report to the drug test appointment or fail the test. You will be subject to random testing.
  • This is a bargaining unit position.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain a current , active, and unrestricted license or certification as an Alcoholism and/or Drug Abuse Counselor in a State, territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia.
  • You will be required to obtain and maintain a current active, and unrestricted license as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Marriage and Family Counselor, or Professional Counselor in a State, or the District of Columbia.
  • You will be required to pass a criminal history background investigation.
  • This position is subject to work an uncommon tour, including nights, weekends, and holidays to meet mission requirements. Overtime or night differential pay and/or unusual duty hours may be required.
  • You will be required to wear personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, gown, or coats.

Qualifications

In addition to the Basic Requirements for this position, your resume must also demonstrate at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-09 or pay band in the federal service or equivalent experience in the private or public sector. Specialized experience must demonstrate the following: Providing treatment, counseling services, case management, assessment, and referral related to substance use disorder service planning.

Substance Abuse Certification (Alcohol and Drug Counselor II, International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium Substance Abuse Counselor Certification, OR state equivalent required within 36 months of hire if not already obtained, through passing a proctored exam, from a state or nationally accredited certifying body. (NOTE: A copy of your Certification can be submitted with your resume if you have the certification)

Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), License Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), License Professional Counselor (LPC) required with the resume application.

You must be working toward Substance Abuse certification and obtain certification within a 36-month period from the date of hire.

This position is a TIER TWO clinical care practitioner. Applicants must meet all of the following requirements as outlined in SECNAVINST 1754.7A:

1.Master's degree from a program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Education Programs (CACREP) or an equivalent degree,

OR
2. Master's degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) or an equivalent degree,

OR
3. Master's degree in Social Work from a graduate school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) or an equivalent degree,

OR
4. Doctoral degree in clinical or counseling psychology from an American Psychological Association (APA) accredited university or professional school and a one-year APA accredited clinical internship.

Tier II includes providers who are State licensed or State certified or were granted a license or a certificate by a U.S. territory to provide independent clinical care. These providers are eligible to apply for clinical privileges to function as an independent practitioner.

Additional qualification information can be found from the following Office of Personnel Management website:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=List-by-Occupational-Series

Psychology Series 0180 (opm.gov) Social Work Series 0185 (opm.gov)

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (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.

Education

Applicants must meet the following positive education qualifications requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual:

Applicants must meet the following Basic Requirements of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualifications Standards Manual:

GS-0180 SERIES:

  • Clinical psychology: satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology is required.
GS-0185 SERIES:
  • Degree: social work. Must fulfill all of the requirements for the master's degree in social work in a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
  • Successfully completed a master's degree in social work that included a practicum.
The following can be substituted in order to meet the minimum qualification requirements listed under the Qualifications Section:
  • Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or
  • 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D.; or
  • equivalent doctoral degree or LL.M., if related; or
  • a combination of specialized experience and education that equates to one year of experience.

Additional information

The Secretary of Defense has ordered a department-wide hiring freeze subject to certain limited exceptions. This position is subject to the DoD hiring freeze. Offers of employment related to this vacancy announcement will not be executed until the position has an approved exemption.

This position is covered by the Department of Defense Priority Placement Program.

Additional vacancies may be filled by this announcement.

A tentative offer of employment will be rescinded if the selectee fails to meet the pre-employment requirements, including failure to report to any of the scheduled appointments.

During the application process you will have the ability to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions in the local commuting area. Depending on the hiring organization and the position being filled, job requirements (e.g., security clearance, travel, drug testing, financial disclosure filing, bargaining unit status, etc.) may vary. Other hiring managers filling similar positions may offer relocation expense reimbursement and/or may offer recruitment incentives for new employees, depending on funding availability and in accordance with policy. If you opt-in and are referred on a certificate, your resume will be available to other hiring managers for 180-days from the date the job announcement closes. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

Federal annuitant information: The selection of an annuitant is subject to the Department of Defense and Department of the Navy policy on the employment of annuitants. Policy information may be found at: http://www.secnav.navy.mil/donhr/Documents/CivilianJobs/FedCivAnnuitants.pdf

PPP applicants will be placed at the FPL, if determined Well Qualified (WQ). To receive priority consideration, the FPL must be the same grade level or equivalent of the retained grade or the grade held immediately prior to separation.

ICTAP Applicants: To be considered well-qualified and exercise selection priority as an ICTAP candidate, displaced Federal employees must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a rating in the highly qualified category (score 85) or higher. ICTAP candidates must provide copies of all of the following documentation at the time of application: 1) agency notice; 2) most recent performance appraisal; and 3) most recent SF-50 or notification of personnel action that includes position, grade level, and duty location. Applicants who do not provide this documentation will not receive consideration as an ICTAP candidate. For more information about ICTAP eligibility please review the following link: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/federal-employees/career-transition/

Military Spouse Preference applicants will be placed at the highest grade for which they have applied and are determined Best Qualified (BQ). A BQ military spouse possesses knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies comparable to others who meet the competitive referral criteria for the specific position.

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.

In order to qualify for this position, your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are being considered. Your resume is the key means we have for evaluating your skills, knowledge, and abilities as they relate to this position. Therefore, we encourage you to be clear and specific when describing your experience.

When the application process is complete, we will review your resume to ensure you meet the hiring eligibility and qualification requirements listed in this announcement. You will be rated based on the information provided in your resume and application package, along with your supporting documentation to determine your ability to demonstrate the following competencies:

0180 Counseling
0180 Written Communication
0180 Oral Communication

This recruitment will utilize the following technical assessment tools:
USA Hire
Structured Resume Review
Structured Interview


You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.

If after reviewing your resume and supporting documentation, a determination is made that you inflated your qualifications and/or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities or you may be found ineligible/not qualified.

Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

All eligibility, qualifications, and time-in-grade requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.

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