Staff Psychologist - Mental Health Clinic BHIP

Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) – a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program approval – award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. 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 United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in both spoken and written English. Education: Must possess one of the following: a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) – the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) – or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) at the time the program was completed. The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. For the purpose of meeting this requirement – the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently – APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist. Therefore – an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA – there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology). OR a Doctoral degree in any area of psychology and – in addition – successfully complete a re‑specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the re‑specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: the re‑specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program and the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally‑accredited institution – with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature – AND internships have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program that was accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed and that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR new VHA psychology internship programs that are in the process of applying for APA accreditation are acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement – provided that such programs were sanctioned by the VHA Central Office Program Director for Psychology and the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations at the time that the individual was an intern. OR VHA facilities that offered full‑time – one‑year pre‑doctoral internships prior to PL 96‑151 (pre 1979) are considered to be acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement. OR applicants who completed an internship that was not accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed may be considered eligible for hire only if they are currently board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty area that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. (NOTE: Once board certified – the employee is required to maintain board certification.) Applicants who have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature may fulfill this internship requirement by having the equivalent of a one‑year supervised internship experience in a site specifically acceptable to the candidate's doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicant's official transcript – the applicant must provide a statement from the doctoral program verifying that the equivalent of a one‑year supervised internship experience was completed in a site acceptable to the doctoral program. Licensure: You must hold a full, current and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory or Commonwealth of the United States or the District of Columbia. Non‑licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" at the GS‑11 or GS‑12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 [(c)(2)(B)] for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade determinations: GS‑11 (Entry Level) – no experience beyond the basic requirements; GS‑12 (Developmental Level) – at least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS‑11); psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist but with less intense supervision than at the GS‑11 grade level. In addition to the experience above – you must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities: knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations; ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies; ability to incorporate new clinical procedures; Ability to conduct research activities such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologist with specified research job duties); ability to perform basic research tasks of scholarship and research execution within the context of an established research team – including research participant relations, research documentation, data acquisition, maintenance and collaboration. GS‑13 (Full Performance Level) – in addition to meeting the basic requirements – you possess at least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS‑12 grade level. In addition to the experience above – you must demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities: knowledge of and ability to apply professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations; ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health; knowledge of clinical research literature. May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Reference: For more information on this qualification standard – please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 13; the actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS 11 to GS 13. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Duties VA Careers – Psychologist: – Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional. The Staff Psychologist serves within the Mental Health Service Line as a core member of the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) in the outpatient Mental Health Clinic. The psychologist provides a full range of evidence‑based psychotherapies, diagnostic evaluations and psychological assessments for Veterans with diverse and complex behavioral health needs. Responsibilities include consultation with multidisciplinary teams, documentation of clinical care, participation in program development, quality assurance and contribution to training activities. Services may be delivered in individual, group, couples and family modalities across outpatient and occasional inpatient settings. Major duties include but are not limited to: participation in program development, evaluation and quality assurance activities; serving on committees at the Medical Center, VISN or national level as assigned; representing the VA at community or professional events; engaging in research, scholarly presentations and continuous professional development as assigned; providing clinical supervision to psychology trainees – including practicum students, interns and postdoctoral fellows – and teaching didactic seminars. Demonstrates cultural competence and sensitivity to the needs of Veterans across the adult lifespan. Upholds VA safety, infection control and privacy standards – including the appropriate use of VistA/VA electronic systems. Maintains customer‑service excellence in all interactions with Veterans and stakeholders. Work schedule: Monday‑Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Recruitment incentive (sign‑on bonus): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (relocation assistance): Not authorized. EDRP authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact: View email address on click.appcast.io – the EDRP Coordinator for questions and assistance. Learn more: Pay – competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay – a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (above minimum rate of the grade). Paid Time Off: 37‑50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13‑26 days of annual leave – 13 days of sick leave – 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment – up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment – full‑time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance; federal health/vision/dental/term life/long‑term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement). Telework: Ad‑hoc virtual – this is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not authorized. #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs