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:

• Education: 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- 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: Must possess a full, current, and unrestricted registration with the ATR
• If hired under paragraph 4b(2)(b), registration cannot be waived
• In addition to the Basic Requirements you must meet the following Grade Requirements: GS-11 GRADE: Experience: Do you possess at least one year of creditable experience at the next lower grade level (GS-9) including: Gathering informal art-based assessment of patients' needs, aptitudes, interests, and abilities
• Developing and implementing individualized art therapy treatment plans, to include the scope, duration, and frequency of treatment
• Developing art therapy programs, interventions, and instructional programs
• In addition to the experience, you must demonstrate all of the following 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 o fart 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.