Counseling Psychologist (Substance Abuse)

Who May Apply: US Citizens

In order to qualify, you must meet the education and/or experience requirements described below. 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; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Basic Requirement for Counseling Psychologist (Substance Abuse):Degree: Two full academic years of graduate study directly related to professional work in Counseling Psychology, or a master's degree directly related to Counseling Psychology.

In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below:

Specialized Experience at the GS-11: One year of specialized experience which includes assisting with clinical assessments of patients with Substance Use Disorders or comorbid conditions, implementing behavioral health treatment plans, and assisting with patient therapy. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-09).

OR

Education Substitution at the GS-11: Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position, such as: Counseling Psychology.

OR

Combination of Education and Experience at the GS-11: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) beyond the second year (total graduate semester hours minus 36) by 18. Add the two percentages.

Specialized Experience GS-12: One year of specialized experience which includes conducting clinical assessments of substance abuse patients; formulating behavioral health treatment plans; and providing professional counseling to substance abuse patients. This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).

Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify. For this job, at the GS-12 grade level, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted.

Licensure: A current, active, valid, unrestricted Master's Level counseling/psychologist license from a U.S. State, District of Columbia, Commonwealth, territory, or jurisdiction is required.