This position advertised has been exempted from the federal civilian hiring freeze.

Position Overview

This position advertised has been exempted from the federal civilian hiring freeze.

You must complete this application process and submit any required documents by 11:59 p.m. (EST) on the closing date of this announcement. You will not be contacted for missing documents, and updated resumes will not be accepted after this posting has closed.

Current, FBI employees are ineligible to apply if serving under the same conditions as that for which is advertised, including:

• Appointing organization (FBI)
• Type of position (full-time, part-time, etc.)
• Same or higher grade
• Duty location (city or state)
• Type of appointment (permanent, temporary, etc.)
  
  

Job Opening: 61611

Opening Date: September, 30, 2025

Closing Date: October, 14, 2025 at 11:59 pm (ET)

Job Title Employee Assistance Counselor

Full Performance Level GS-13

Division Multiple HQ Divisions

Location Multiple FO Locations

Working Hours Will vary depending on Division and Field Office’s needs. This position MAY require evening and weekend work.

Job Type Full Time/Permanent

Who May Apply All U.S. Citizens

Number of Positions Available

Multiple Vacancies

This position is contingent upon the incumbent vacating the position

Questions Email: FBI_HQStaffing@fbi.gov

Salary

GS-12: $75,706.00 - $98,422.00

GS-13: $90,025.00 - $117,034.00

NOTE: The salary listed above is the Base rate of pay for federal employees on the General Schedule (GS) pay scale. A complete list of Pay Tables factoring in locality pay (based on the geographical area) can be found on OPM.gov.

Location : Washington, DC & Quantico, VA; Information Management Division - Winchester, VA; Criminal Justice Investigative Services - Clarksburg, WV; Albuquerque, NM; Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA; Detroit, MI; Newark, NJ; New Haven, CT; Las Vegas, NV, Salt Lake City, UT; Kansas City, Missouri; Miami, FL; New York City, NY; Buffalo, NY; and Nashville, TN.

The above locations are currently available and will be modified accordingly. Additional selections may be made from this announcement to fill positions within the same division when the position includes substantially the same duties, responsibilities, and qualifications.

Job Summary

Are you a skilled counselor passionate about making a difference? The FBI is hiring exceptional therapists and clinicians to provide confidential support to employees and their families. In this role, you’ll deliver counseling, crisis intervention, and mental health programs that strengthen resilience, foster well-being, and build a supportive culture within the world’s premier law enforcement agency. Join us to support those who protect our nation.

KEY REQUIRMENTS

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be able to obtain a Top Secret Clearance
• Transcripts are required if qualifying under A and/or B of the Basic Requirements
• Must have a current state clinical mental health independent practice license in psychology, social work, psychiatrist, professional counseling or a clinical independent practice license from a closely allied mental health field with demonstrated substance abuse experience.
  
  

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the FBI is to protect the American People and uphold the Constitution of the United States.

Major Duties

As an Employee Assistance Counselor you will:

Gs-12

• Provide supportive counseling for employees, family members, and task force officers experiencing a wide range of problems characterized by feelings of distress, impaired work performance, health, finances, and/or social well-being issues.
• Assist employees and supervisors resolve work related problems and monitors employees' progress to assist in long-term recovery efforts.
• Provide internal and external referrals to clients.
• Develop and present a variety of psycho-educational topics to a non-clinical audience.
• Respond to national and local crisis events.
• Provide after-hours and on-call support as needed.
  
  

GS-13 (In Addition To The Above)

• Serve at HQ/Field Office as a clinical mental health professional in the EAP as assigned and as a technical advisor to executive management.
• Provide training and guidance to Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Coordinators/Counselors.
• Develop and delivers training on mental health and wellness topics.
• Provide management consultations.
  
  

Qualifications And Evaluations

Please ensure that your specialized experience and requirements are clearly identifiable in your resume. Your application will be evaluated using the FBI’s Candidate Rating Procedures. Your resume and supporting documents will be reviewed to verify that you meet the job qualifications listed in this announcement and will be compared against your responses to the online assessment questionnaire. If your self-assessment in the vacancy questions is not supported by details in your resume or supporting documents, you may be disqualified from the Most Competitive category. Veterans’ preference will be applied. Applicants must meet the qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

If you are deemed Most Competitive, you will be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.

Basic Requirements

Applicants can meet the Basic Requirements by fulfilling one or more of the below:

• A degree in behavioral science, or related discipline appropriate to the position
  
  

OR

• Combination of education and experience that has provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.
  
  

OR

• Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.
  
  

IF SUBMITTING APPLICATION BASED UPON BASIC REQUIREMENTS A OR B, YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF YOUR TRANSCRIPTS TO DOCUMENT THAT YOU HAVE MET THE EDUCATION REQUIREMENT. UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS WILL BE ACCEPTED IN THE APPLICATION; HOWEVER, OFFICIAL TRANSCRIPTS WILL BE REQUIRED PRIOR TO BEGINNING EMPLOYMENT.

Applicants must meet ALL requirements by the closing date of this job posting.

Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the above requirements provided you can show foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States.

Selective Placement Factor

In order to be considered for this position, applicants must respond to the following selective placement factor question. All qualifying experience MUST be provided within your resume to be considered.

Applicants must have a current state clinical mental health independent practice license in psychology, social work, psychiatrist, professional counseling or a clinical independent practice license from a closely allied mental health field with demonstrated substance abuse experience.

YOU MUST SUBMIT A COPY OF YOUR CURRENT STATE CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH INDEPENDENT PRACTICE LICENSE IN PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIAL WORK, PSYCHIATRIST, PROFESSIONAL COUNSELING OR A CLINICAL INDEPENDENT PRACTICE LICENSE FROM A CLOSELY ALLIED MENTAL HEALTH FIELD WITH DEMONSTRATED SUBSTANCE ABUSE EXPERIENCE.

Specialized Experience (SE)

In addition to meeting the BASIC REQUIREMENTS above, applicants must also meet the specialized experience (SE) requirements as described below. In order for you to qualify based on Specialized Experience (SE), you must possess the SE below for the various GS levels. Please ensure all specialized experience can be identified in your resume.

GS-12: Applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. SE is defined as follows:

• Experience interpreting federal laws, regulations and directives governing operations of employee assistance counseling programs.
• Experience providing short-term interventions and resources referral assistance to federal employees and their families seeking help with challenges related to mental health and/or substance abuse, emotional, gambling, marital, family relations, financial, work-related issues, stress, grief/loss or other personal problems.
• Experience providing educational material to the level and interests of the audience and experience leading lectures, training seminars, and discussion groups.
  
  

GS-13: In addition to the above, applicant must possess at least one (1) year of SE equivalent to the GS-12 level, as defined below:

• Experience providing diagnosing and treating a variety of psychological illnesses and personality disorders, dual diagnosis and maladaptive behaviors.
• Experience providing educational material to the level and interests of the audience and ability to communicate such material effectively in forums such as lectures, training seminars, and discussion groups.
• Experience with consulting and advising management and healthcare professionals on complex employee performance and behavioral concerns and sensitive issues such as psychological, physiological and sociological aspects of alcoholism and other addictions and with the prevailing modes of treatment and rehabilitation.
  
  

Desired Skills

Desired skills are NOT mandatory and will NOT be utilized to minimally qualify applicants. Desired Skills are:

• GS-12 - Two years of full time experience after obtaining license. (Two-five years of experience post independent licensure).
• GS-13 - One year of full time experience at the GS-13. (Five years of experience post independent licensure).
  
  

How To Apply

For detailed instructions related to applying, uploading documents, withdrawing an application or updating your application, please review instructions on How to Apply . If applying online is a hardship, please use the contact information listed in the vacancy announcement prior to the closing date for assistance.

Required Documents

To apply to this position, interested applicants must provide a complete application package by the closing date which includes:

• A two-page resume that outlines relevant work experience and associated start and end dates.
• Resumes exceeding two pages will not be considered.
• A complete assessment questionnaire
  
  

Other Supporting Documents

• College transcripts, if qualifying based on education or if there is a positive education requirement
• Copy of current state clinical mental health independent practice license in psychology, social work, psychiatrist, professional counseling or a clinical independent practice license from a closely allied mental health field
• Notification of Personnel Action, SF-50; not applicable to current FBI employees
• Most recent Performance Appraisal; not applicable to current FBI employees Veterans: DD 214; Disabled Veterans: DD 214, SF-15, and VA letter dated 1991 or later
• Memorandum for Record (MFR): Work performed outside assigned duties (that would not normally be documented on an SF-50, i. e., back-up duties), has to be documented in detail by an immediate supervisor in order to receive full credit for amount of time worked in that position. If no documentation is furnished no credit will be given for time worked in that position. The following notations must be specified in the documentation:
• Percent of time worked in the particular position (cannot conflict with main duties.
• The month/year work began Frequency worked (i.e., daily, monthly, etc.)
• Specific duties performed
  
  

Attach the Memorandum for Record to your application in the “Cover Letters and Attachments” section of My Career Tools on the Careers Home page. Please upload the attachment as type “Other.”

While applicants might see these documents in their profile, HR Specialists may be unable to access them. Therefore, all applicants MUST upload another copy to ensure that staffing units can review the complete application.

Please note: Failure to provide the necessary and relevant information required by this vacancy announcement may disqualify you from consideration. Incomplete applications will not be supplemented with additional requests for information; your application will be evaluated solely on the information you submit. You must complete the application process and submit all required documents by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the announcement’s closing date.

What To Expect Next

Once your complete application is received, we will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications and determine your ranking. The Most Competitive candidates will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. You will be notified of your status throughout the process.

Additional Information

• The FBI is in the Executive Branch of the federal government. It is one of the components of the Department of Justice (DOJ). The FBI is the principle investigative arm of the DOJ. All FBI positions are in the excepted service.
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens and consent to a complete background investigation, urinalysis, and polygraph. You must be suitable for Federal employment; as determined by a background investigation.
• Positions with fitness for duty requirements or those that require international travel may require proof of certain vaccinations.
• Management may select any grade for which this position has been announced.
• Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for an actual assignment and performance of higher-level duties.
• If you are selected, you will be required to serve a two-year probationary period. Probationary employees are precluded from being considered for all job opportunities until 12-months of their 24-month probationary period has concluded. Probationary Employees may be considered for competitive vacancies that are advertised within their respective division or field office after serving 90 days within the FBI.
• The probationary periods will be served concurrently.
  
  

Veterans' Preference

If you are entitled to veterans' preference, you should indicate the type of veterans' preference you are claiming on your resume and application. Your veterans' preference entitlement will be verified by the employing agency.

Nepotism

Nepotism is the act of favoring relatives in the hiring process and is prohibited by law. Public officials are prohibited from hiring or promoting relatives or relatives of officials in their chain of command, as well as actively or indirectly endorse a relative’s appointment or promotion. During the hiring process, all selected candidates and FBI hiring managers will be required to certify they are not related to anyone involved in the hiring process.

Reasonable Accommodation

The FBI provides reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application and/or hiring process, please contact the Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Affairs (OEEOA) Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Program by email at REASONABLE_ACCOMMODA@fbi.gov, phone at 202-324-2158, or fax at 202-324-3976. This email address is for reasonable accommodation requests only. Do not send applications or unrelated inquiries to this address, as they will not be considered.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The FBI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for this vacancy. Unless explicitly authorized by law, selection will be made without regard to, and there will be no discrimination because of, color, race, religion, national origin, marital status, parental status, physical or mental disability, genetic information, age (40 or over), sex, pregnancy and related conditions, or on the basis of personal favoritism, or any other non-merit factors.

Benefits

The Bureau matches your dedication with a commitment to professional growth, a supportive work environment, and a robust benefits package that prioritizes you. As a member of our team, you’ll enjoy comprehensive health and life insurance benefits, paid vacation, sick leave, and federal holidays. For more details about benefits available to all federal employees, visit the Office of Personnel Management’s website .