Your steps to apply
Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor
Veterans Health Administration · Augusta, Georgia · Closes in 25 days
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public.
Only U.S. citizens may apply. The job is open to the public.
Experience: GS-11 applicants need at least 1 year of post-master's mental health counseling experience (VA or non-VA) and a full, unrestricted license to practice independently. GS-09 is the entry grade for those with less than 1 year of post-master's experience or who are not yet licensed at the independent level.
Education: Hold a master's or doctoral degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling, or a related field (such as Addiction, Community, Gerontology, or Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling) from a CACREP-accredited program. Traditional Rehabilitation Counseling programs do not qualify.
Licenses and certifications:
- Full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor (required for GS-11 and for GS-09 hires except where waived)
Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.
2 Resume and documents
Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.
3 Apply on USAJOBS
Closes in 25 days (November 30, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).
You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.
How they rate you: You will be rated on how well you meet the listed qualifications, based on your online questionnaire and documents. Errors or missing information may lead to an ineligible rating or a lower score.
4 After you apply
In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.
For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.
If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, then the final offer with your start date.
Tips for this job:
- Describe your counseling experience with clear dates and specifics, because the VA will verify it and will not assume details.
- Include a transcript if you use your education to qualify, and confirm your school is accredited by a Department of Education-recognized body.
- Submit your full application package, including required documents, by 11:59 PM ET on 11/30/2026, or it may not be considered.
Kandidatu is an independent website: only the official posting counts. Read it before you apply.