Creative Arts Therapist (Art)

The Creative Arts Therapist position is for the Sensory & Physical Rehabilitation Service (SPRS), located at the Bedford VA Medical Center in Massachusetts location. This position is full time at 40 hours per week.
The purpose is to provide care and rehabilitation to those Veterans with a variety of disabilities and multiple diagnoses.
Qualifications: Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but many not be hired until all requirements are met.
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement02/12/2024.
Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States (U.S.). (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified candidates in accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7407(a)).
• English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in spoken and written English, as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).
• Education: The following education requirements apply to the recreation therapist, Creative Arts Therapist (art), Creative Arts Therapist (dance/movement), Creative Arts Therapist (drama), and Creative Arts Therapist (music):

• Creative Arts Therapist (Art)(a) A 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,

  (b) A 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.
  Registration:Creative Arts Therapy (Art). Must possess a full, current, and unrestricted registration with the ATR. Exception. Non-registered and/or non-certified applicants, who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements for registration and/or certification, may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate recreation or Creative Arts Therapist, under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)(B), for a period not to exceed two years. Applicants who fail to obtain registration and/or certification during this temporary full-time appointment may be terminated. The exception only applies to positions at the GS-7and GS-9 level. For grade levels at or above the full performance level, the candidate must be registered and/or certified. 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 candidates.
  GS-9 Experience/Education. None beyond the basic requirements.
  GS-11 Experience. At least one year of creditable experience at the next lower grade level.
  In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Ability to identify current art resources in the community at the time of assessment, for discharge planning purposes.
• Ability to develop and implement quality improvement systems as related to internal and external regulatory requirements, including patient safety.
• Knowledge of diagnostic coding and symptoms of diagnoses in the provision of art therapy.
• Knowledge of the creative process and art media and their effect on the patients' cognitive, sensory, emotional, and physical states.
• Ability to demonstrate and educate stakeholders on the value of the creative process as a therapeutic tool.
• Ability to establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship with professional boundaries that reflect a trusting, empathetic, and respectful interaction.
• Skill in collaborating and maintaining liaison with an interdisciplinary team and educating the treatment team on theoretical framework of art therapy interventions.

References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G60
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.
Physical Requirements: The work requires regular and recurring physical exertion such as standing or walking for prolonged periods of time; frequent bending, reaching, stooping and stretching to set up and take apart equipment; lifting and repositioning veterans; pushing or pulling heaving objects; may require driving government vehicles; good dexterity to perform intricate therapy procedures.

Education: IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on 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/.Employment Type: FULL_TIME