Marriage and Family Therapist (Advanced)

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Florida; On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

US Department of Veterans Affairs in the United States (Florida) seeks a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) to deliver family systems therapy for Veterans and their families. The role emphasizes crisis intervention, evidence-based approaches, and supervision of junior clinicians.

Eligible for Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) with program approval pending review by VA. The candidate must possess a Master’s or Doctoral degree in MFT or a comparable mental health field, with full licensure

Qualifications

• Requires a Master's or Doctoral degree in MFT or an equivalent mental health field.
• Must hold full, current, unrestricted MFT license to independently practice.
• Experience with evidence-based family therapy models is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide family systems therapy to Veterans and families.
• Offer crisis assessment, safety planning, and treatment planning.
• Provide supervision to unlicensed MFT staff/trainees toward licensure.

Skills

Crisis intervention

Family therapy

Systemic supervision

Evidence-based practice

Clinical consultation

Education

Master's or doctoral degree in Marriage and Family Therapy or equivalent

Job description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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. MFTs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, paragraph 3j.
• Education. Master's or doctoral degree in one of the following:
  • Marriage and Family Therapy from a program approved by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education OR
  • Marriage and Family Therapy from a MFT program from a regionally accredited institution, OR
  • 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.
• Grandfather Provision - An MFT employed in VHA on the effective date of the qualification standard (4/18/2018) who did not meet all the basic requirements in this standard may not be promoted beyond the full performance level (GS-11) or be newly placed in supervisory or managerial positions until meeting all qualification requirements.

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.

• Education, Experience and Licensure.
  • In addition to meeting the basic requirements, to qualify for the GS-12 you must possess have you successfully completed evidence-based training in family therapy and graduated from a COAMFTE accredited program OR have passed the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Board examination. Candidate must have at least 5 years of post-licensed clinical experience in delivery of family systems therapy (with at least 1 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 that demonstrates the following professional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.
    • Ability to provide specialized consultation for complex cases involving individuals, families and/or couples utilizing evidenced-based family systems theory/therapy.
    • Ability to provide crisis intervention which includes assessment, safety planning and complex treatment planning using independent clinical judgment utilizing family systems theory/therapy.
    • Ability to provide family systems therapy, which seeks to address Veterans and their family members on an individual level and deals with interpersonal interactions.
    • Ability to provide unlicensed MFT staff/trainees with systemic clinical supervision towards licensure from a family systems theory/therapy perspective.
  • Additional Requirement: AAMFT Approved Supervisor credential; this position provides systemic clinical supervision.

Reference

For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

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.

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