Clarification from the agency

This job is open to current permanent Department of Veteran 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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The incumbent functions as an independently licensed clinician responsible for coordinating assessment and management of Veterans who exhibit disruptive or high-risk behaviors. As an LMFT, the incumbent applies a systemic, relational, and family-informed perspective to assessing behavior, identifying contributing factors, and supporting collaborative safety planning.

Major Duties include but not limited to:

Program Coordination and DBC Operations
- Serves as the coordinator for the Disruptive Behavior Committee, organizing and facilitating regular meetings, case reviews, and follow-up activities.
- Ensures timely review of reports involving disruptive or high-risk Veteran behavior.
- Tracks and monitors patients with behavioral flags, orders of behavioral restriction (OBRs), or other risk indicators.
- Coordinates bidirectional communication between clinical teams, police, leadership, and other stakeholders.
- Ensures information is appropriately communicated to Veterans and, when clinically indicated and permitted by policy, to their families and/or caregivers to support care continuity and safety planning

Clinical Assessment and Risk Management
- Conducts comprehensive behavioral and systems-based assessments utilizing LMFT-specific approaches, evaluating interpersonal, rational, environmental, and contextual factors contributing to disruptive behavior.
- Integrates family/caregiver perspectives, when appropriate, to understand patterns contributing to behavioral risk or de-escalation.
- Applies evidence-based and systems-oriented therapeutic strategies to inform behavioral management planning.
- Provides crisis intervention, de-escalation consultation, and safety planning to Veterans, families/caregivers (when clinically appropriate), and care teams.
- Supports interdisciplinary teams in managing complex behavioral presentations across outpatient, inpatient, and community settings.

Consultation and Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Provides expert consultation to providers, staff, and facility leadership regarding disruptive behavior, risk assessment, and systems-based management strategies.
- Collaborates with mental health, primary care, inpatient units, VA police, social work, administrative services, and other stakeholders to ensure coordinated responses to high-risk behaviors.
- Participates in facility-level workplace violence prevention committees and multidisciplinary safety initiatives.

Program Oversight and Quality Improvement
- Monitors compliance with VHA policies related to disruptive behavior management, workplace violence prevention, and behavioral flab/O.B.R. processes. - Collects and analyzes program data to support performance improvement and risk mitigation. - Assists in development and refinement of policies, procedures, and workflows that incorporate relational and systemic considerations in risk management.

Education and Training
- Designs and delivers training for staff on de-escalation strategies, behavioral risk factors, systems-based case formulation, and workplace violence prevention.
- Provides education to Veterans and, when appropriate, their families/caregivers regarding behavioral expectations, safety planning, communication strategies, and available support resources.

Documentation and Compliance
- Maintains accurate and timely documentation of DBC activities, risk assessments, and coordination efforts in accordance with VA policy and professional standards.
- Ensures adherence to ethical standards, confidentiality requirements, and regulatory guidelines, including those governing communication with families/caregivers.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm
Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized.
EDRP Authorized: Not Authorized
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 61959F
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

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 identification 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.

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: The basic requirements for employment as a VHA MFT are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(10), as amended by section 239 of Public Law 114- 223, enacted Sept 29, 2016. To qualify for appointment as an MFT in VHA, all applicants must:

• a. Citizenship. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g, this part.)
• b. 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.

• 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of the candidates.

Senior Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, GS-12

(a) Education, Experience and Licensure. Candidate must have successfully completed evidence based training in family therapy and must have graduated from a COAMFTE accredited program OR have passed the AMFTRE. Candidate must have at least five years of post-licensed clinical experience in delivery of family systems therapy including one-year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. This experience must demonstrate the use of an evidence based family therapy model while exhibiting progressive professional competency and expertise. Assignments requiring responsibility for providing clinical supervision must have an AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the professional KSAs listed below.

(b) Demonstrated KSAs:

1. Ability to provide specialized consultation for complex cases involving individuals, families and/or couples utilizing evidenced-based family systems theory/therapy.

2. Ability to provide crisis intervention which includes assessment, safety planning and complex treatment planning using independent clinical judgment utilizing family systems theory/therapy.

3. Ability to provide family systems therapy, which seeks to address Veterans and their family members on an individual level and deals with interpersonal interactions.

4. Ability to provide unlicensed MFT staff/trainees with systemic clinical supervision towards licensure from a family systems theory/therapy perspective.

(c) Assignments: For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Advanced MFTs can be assigned as the sole licensed mental health provider in settings such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics or have responsibility and oversight for a MFT training program established under VA/VHA training policy as well as provide systemic clinical supervision to those MFT interns. The Advanced MFT who has responsibility for the training program provides family systemic clinical supervision to unlicensed MFTs and provides clinical consultation to less experienced staff. Advanced MFTs develop behavioral health related training curriculum and conduct trainings for clinical staff. Advanced MFTs meet routinely with inter-professional team members and leadership to communicate about program and veteran and family issues for in depth problem solving.

Preferred Experience: Working in interdisciplinary teams, brief evidence-based interventions, and brief/focused assessments.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.The full performance level of this vacancy is 12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is a GS-12.

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.

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.