SUMMARY

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.

QUALIFICATIONS

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

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: Candidates must meet one of the following:
• Hold a master’s degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a program approved by COAMFTE,
• Hold a master’s degree or doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from a MFT program from a regionally accredited institution, OR,
• 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.
• Loss of Licensure: Once licensed, MFTs must maintain a full, current and unrestricted license to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure will result in removal from the GS-0182 MFT series and may result in termination of employment.

EDUCATION

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

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.

IF YOU ARE RELYING ON YOUR EDUCATION TO MEET QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

DUTIES

Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) (Advanced) serves as a core member of a multidisciplinary team. Responsible for providing family, couple and marriage counseling to Veterans. Conducts intakes, assessment interviews, develops treatment plans, and provides treatment to eligible Veterans and their families. Treatment modalities may include crisis intervention as well as both short term and long term services. May refer patients to other programs and professionals. Participate in all Alaska VAHCS functions as required, including consultations with others, emergency care, and interacting in trainings and staff meetings. Works to provide expert level psychosocial interventions and case management services to veterans with complex medical, social and behavioral conditions in which routine clinic based care is not effective.
LRC serves to assist in implementation of policies and procedures from the National Recovery Coordinator and to facilitate implementation of recovery oriented services. Particular responsibility to ensure that the full range of psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery services is available to all Veterans with a serious mental illness and to promote activities that eliminate any stigma associated with mental illness.

LRC Duties (30%)

• Champion and advocate for the recovery model.
• Develops a 3-5 year plan for the facility that identifies staged implementation of recovery oriented services.
• Develops a facility wide program for providers and veterans and their families geared toward de-stigmatization of SMI.
• Develops an ongoing education plan for providers, Veterans and families.
• Serves as consultant to MH programs and recovering veterans.
• Promotes use of evidence-based strategies for implementation.
• Assists with VA regional or local recovery-oriented trainings, meetings, or conferences.
• Serves as a MH Liaison to the facility Consumer Council.
• Provides an annual report on implementation progress to the VISN RC and the NRC.
• Meets quarterly with other VISN LRCs to coordinate a network response to recovery implementation.
• Participates in facility meetings and policy planning groups.
• Tracks and supports providers of patients with severe and persistent mental illness.
• Collaborate with providers.

BHIP Clinical Responsibilities (70%)

• Screenings and Assessments
• Interviews Veterans and their significant others to determine specific problems. Independently conducts intake and needs assessment of Veterans and their significant others and establishes a relationship with the Veterans within the counseling setting. This includes making DSM diagnosis as appropriate to level of training.
• Treatment Planning and Goal Setting
• Responsible for developing comprehensive and unique goal-directed treatment plans that reflect a course of therapeutic intervention to address the needs identified in the assessment.
• Clinical Counseling
• Provides individual, conjoint, family, couples and group therapy for Veterans and significant others, including the potential use of Evidence Based Psychotherapies.
• Crisis Intervention
• Provide crisis intervention, stabilization, and follow-up for Veterans and significant others. This includes evaluation and management of suicidal/homicidal patients and other psychiatric emergencies.
• Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center as appropriate and may present outcome data as appropriate.
• Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues.
• Remains involved in program evaluation.
• Maintains full clinical privileges as a member of the medical staff.
• Abides by Medical Staff By-Laws for own practice and via oversight for Medical Staff within the Mental Health Service Line.
• Professional Competency
• Will keep abreast of current state of the art procedures, processes, and date-driven treatment approaches, including VA trained Evidence Based Psychotherapies.
• Responsible for all other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm
Telework: AD-HOC
Virtual: This is not a virtual position
Functional Statement #: 000000
Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please ensure you have included all documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50’s (current/former Federal employees), etc.

• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (VA)
• License
• Other (1)
• Professional Certification
• Resume
• Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcrip

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/18/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12794835.

• To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
• Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package