Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veterans Affairs employees, current permanent Federal employees of other agencies and all US Citizens. NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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Duties included, but not limited to:

• Oversight: The Associate District Director of Counseling ADD/C has the primary responsibility to assess and evaluate the clinical effectiveness of Vet Centers. Assessment of clinical effectiveness is gathered through remote and on-site quality assurance assessments of Vet Centers; these assessments follow the format of a site visit protocol to include administrative and clinical quality assurance.
• Quality Assurance: The Associate District Director of Counseling ADD/C oversees the administrative and clinical aspects of a major specialty treatment program for quality assurance in RCS. ADD/C ensures clinical quality assurance utilizing various clinical modalities and evidence-based practices. Each Vet Center is reviewed and evaluated at least annually. The site visit protocol exercises measurements of clinical record review, record management, customer satisfaction surveys, resource management, cost effectiveness, market penetration, collaborative clinical relationships internal and external to the Department of Veterans Affairs, staff morale, clinical competence of the staff, and supervisory effectiveness of the Vet Center Director on clinical matters.
• Clinical Crisis Management: The Associate District Director of Counseling ADD/C develops, reviews, and analyzes a clinical crisis reporting system that accurately tracks critical incidents to improve Vet Center services. The individual collaborates and coordinates with VA entities to facilitate and ensure that a Mortality & Morbidity (M&M) quality review panel is conducted when Vet Center clients die by suicide.
• Staff Development and Education: Will manage a wide range of programs which include the operation and management of key clinical, training, or administrative programs. The individual also ensures staff is kept abreast of clinical issues or evidence based treatments. The individual assesses the educational developmental needs of the clinical staff and develops a program to address these needs. The individual develops educational activities, training curriculum in conjunction with District Office for all clinical trainings.
• Education Liaison: The Associate District Director of Counseling ADD/C, Deputy District Director, and Vet Center Director will oversee and ensure that all clinical supervisors adhere to established VHA policies governing health professions training in VHA facilities.
• Supervision/Guidance: The individual provides consultation, clinical supervision, and guidance to the clinical staff of the Vet Centers. The individual is the primary clinical supervisor for each Vet Center Director within their RCS Zone. The venue of supervision may be on site during a quality assurance site visit, telephonic, tele-video, or through written policy and directives.
• Research: The individual reviews all research proposals involving Vet Centers and advises the Deputy District Director of the effectiveness and value of the project to enhance treatment of Vet Center clients. Upon approval of any research project, the ADD/C monitors the process and compliance with VHA research protocol; ensures proposal guidelines, Veteran client privacy, and timely completion.
• Outreach: The Associate District Director of Counseling ADD/C monitors Vet Center outreach to ensure outreach activities are strategically planned and adjusted to ensure market penetration of the local eligible individual population. The individual also reviews and advises the Deputy District Director as to the appropriateness and effectiveness of outreach efforts, strategies, and activities.
• Collaboration and Networking: The Associate District Director of Counseling ADD/C ensures that Vet Centers maintain clinically productive relationships with programs and organizations internal and external to the Readjustment Counseling Service. The goal of these relationships is to attain a network of liaisons and coordination of services that enhance prompt and successful referrals of Veteran clients.

Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm; Monday - Friday, standard operational hours with occasional evenings and weekends based on operational need of the facility
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 765820
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker, Psychologist, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, or Marriage & Family Therapist. Each discipline is announced separately, and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified.

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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification 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 will 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 interest. In 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.

Qualifications

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: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English.
• Education: Candidates must meet one of the following: (1) Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a program approved by COAMFTE, (2) Hold a master's degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a MFT program from a regionally accredited institution, OR, (3) Hold a master's 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. (1) 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. (2) 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.

Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA as a MFT on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the grade held, including positive education that is part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply:
(1) Such employees may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, demoted, but may not be promoted beyond the journeyman level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions.
(2) MFTs who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard.
(3) Employees who are retained as a MFT under this provision and subsequently leave the occupation lose protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry as a MFT.

Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade.

Marriage and Family Therapist (Program Manager), GS-13

(a) Experience, Education, and Licensure. In addition to the basic requirements, completion of one year of progressively responsible assignments and experience equivalent to that equivalent to the GS-12 grade level which demonstrates knowledge, skills, and abilities that are directly related to the specific assignment. MFT Program Manager must have graduated from a COAMFTE approved program OR have passed the AMFTRB examination. MFT Program Manager must have five years of post- licensed clinical experience in family systems theory/therapy and must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills and judgment, demonstrating progressive professional competency and expertise. MFT Program Manager must have an AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential.

(b) Demonstrated KSAs. In addition to meeting the KSAs for GS-13 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
1. Skill in assessing qualifications and abilities of current and prospective employees to include staff performance evaluation and may include evaluations of lower level assignments and support staff.
2. Ability to facilitate professional development of other MFTs across programs/or locations (i.e. CBOC, outpatient clinics, etc.) and guide them in current practice guidelines.
3. Ability to collaborate with leaders of other disciplines within facilities, the community, VISN, and VACO. 12
4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives, reporting requirements and the ability to devise ways to adapt work operations to new and changing programs, staffing and budget requirements. This includes knowledge of VA policy and procedures as well as fair, principled and decisive leadership practices.
5. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.
6. Ability to clinically supervise in areas related to the provision of marital and family therapy services to accomplish organizational goals and objectives.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-0182 Marriage and Family Therapist job series is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements: The work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodation.

How you will be evaluated

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

Area of Consideration: Eligible applications will be reviewed and referred in the following order:
1. Current permanent VA employees of the facility.
2. All other VA employees.
3. Current permanent Federal employees of other agencies.
4. All other applicants.

Note: Veterans' Preference is not applicable to VA employees or employees of other Federal agencies.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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; religions; 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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.