Clarification from the agency

Qualified candidates will be referred and considered in the following order: 1) Current, permanent employees of the Physical Medicine & Rehab Dept within VA San Diego Health Care System 2) Current, permanent employees of the VA San Diego Health Care System Facility NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

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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.

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.
• 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.

• 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.

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: Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education:
  • Master's 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 master's 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
  • Master's 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.

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.

How you will be evaluated

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

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.