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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS)
Statement of Work
Background: The Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) Vet Center Program consists of community-based counseling centers that provide a wide range of social and psychological services, including professional readjustment counseling to eligible Veterans, active-duty service members, including National Guard and Reserve components, and their families. Readjustment counseling is offered to make a successful transition from military to civilian life or after a traumatic event experienced in the military. Individual, group, marriage and family counseling is offered in addition to referral and connection to other VA or community benefits and services.
Vet Centers (Readjustment Counseling) were established by Congress in 1979 out of the recognition that a significant number of Vietnam era Vets were still experiencing readjustment problems. Vet Centers are community based and part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. In April 1991, in response to the Persian Gulf War, Congress extended the eligibility to Veterans who served during other periods of armed hostilities after the Vietnam era. Those other periods are identified as Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, the Persian Gulf, Somalia, and Kosovo/Bosnia.
In October 1996, Congress extended the eligibility to include WWII and Korean Combat Veterans. The goal of Vet Centers is to provide a broad range of counseling, outreach, and referral services to eligible Veterans in order to help them make a satisfying post-war readjustment to civilian life. On April 1, 2003, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs extended eligibility for Vet Center services to Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and on June 25, 2003, Vet Center eligibility was extended to Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and subsequent operations within the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT).
The RCS Central Office continues the long tradition of RCS support to Veterans and family members in our communities across the USA. In the execution of this mission, it is critical that Vet Center staff receive regular clinical training in order to maintain and improve their skills and knowledge base in the area of mental health counseling and evidence-based techniques.
Scope: Provide 4 cohorts of Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT) training consisting of 3 days of training, and 2 manuals each for 50 participants in each cohort.(200 total participants) Course will be delivered virtually. Contractor is responsible for providing trainers, all required course content (handouts, manuals, etc.) and documentation of course completion for each completing participant to include Continuing Education Units (CEUs) consistent with hours of instruction.
Purpose: The purpose of DBT Training is to provide an interactive learning experience where counselors will be trained in the theory, knowledge and skills required to practice DBT which is identified in the VA/DOD Clinical Practice Guidelines as recommended evidenced based practice for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a gold standard, evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy developed by Marsha M. Linehan. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an evidence-based treatment commonly used to treat suicidal behaviors, borderline personality disorder and other severe and complex mental health disorders including, emotion dysregulation, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, substance dependence, depression and anxiety-related issues. The treatment's flexibility and ease of use have made it so that DBT is compatible for children, adolescents, adults, the elderly, families, and correctional populations. DBT is intended to increase clients' behavioral capabilities, motivation to behave skillfully, ensure generalization of skillful behaviors, environmental support of new behavior, and therapist' capability and motivation to work with such challenging clients.
Completion of this training will improve the clinical competency of selected Readjustment Counselors within the RCS Organization, Vet Center Program resulting in trauma informed, evidence-based quality care for Veterans, service members and their families.
Period of Performance: Training must start before 6/15/2023 and end before 6/14/2023.
Tasks/Delivery Schedule: Dates Counselors are available:
Schedule business days that are available with Counselors/Clinicians.

EMDR Part 1 -
PART 1 LEARNING OBJECTIVES CONTENT INCLUDES:
Gain fundamental knowledge of how to lead a DBT skills training program in your clinical practice
Identify the 4 skill modules: Mindfulness, Emotion Regulation, Interpersonal Effectiveness and Distress Tolerance.
Prioritize the specific skills from each of the 4 modules to use with your clients.
Identify the difference between group and individual skills training.
Specify what mindfulness practice consists of, and how to practice in your own (and therefore your clients') everyday life.
Define emotion regulation to change or reduce the intensity of your clients' emotional responses.
Effectively communicate while making requests, increasing a positive relationship, and maintaining the self-respect of your clients.
Define crisis survival skills for short-term distress and reality acceptance skills for long-term distress.
Consultation (10 hours) Required: TBD
Proof of Completion: Documentation of course completion to include CEUs will be provided to each completing participant.
Trainers must be a DBT Training Provider.

CEU requirement from the following institutions:
ASSOCIATION OF SOCIAL WORK BOARD (ASWB) AND NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, STATE BOARD OF SOCIAL WORK (NYSED) REQUIREMENTS
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION (APA) AND NEW YORK STATE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, STATE BOARD OF PSYCHOLOGY (NYSED-P) REQUIREMENTS
NATIONAL BOARD FOR CERTIFIED COUNSELORS (NBCC) REQUIREMENTS
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPY

Contractor will outline training schedule for instruction and consultation. Training to be completed no later than September 30, 2023. Contractor will work with RCS to establish dates of training.

Location: Virtual
Contractor Personnel Security Requirements: No Contractor/Subcontractor employees shall be permitted access to the Department of Veterans Affairs' computer systems at any time.
Government Responsibilities
RCS Office of Policy and Oversight will provide the list of students to contractor in advance of the first training.
RCS District leadership will ensure student schedules are clear so that they may focus on each iteration training.

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