Staff Psychologist (Ambulatory Mental Health)

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. 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: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 – Part II – Chapter 3 – section A – paragraph 3j Education Requirement: Candidates must have 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 Specialty Area Consistency: The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. 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. APA currently 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. School psychology is not a job assignment in VHA; therefore a degree in school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Re‑specialization: Have 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: (a) The re‑specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; (b) the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. Doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internship: Candidates must 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. 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. VHA facilities that offered full‑time, one‑year pre‑doctoral internships before PL 96‑151 (pre‑1979) are considered acceptable in fulfillment of the internship requirement. 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. 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: Candidates 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 provides care only under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Knowledge – Skills – and Abilities must be clearly reflected in resume under description of duties in order to be found qualified for this position/grade level. Staff Psychologist – GS‑11 (Entry Level) Experience: None beyond the basic requirements. Staff Psychologist – GS‑12 (Developmental Level) Experience: 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. Demonstrated Knowledge – Skills – and Abilities (GS‑11): 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 psychologists 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. Staff Psychologist – GS‑13 (Full Performance – Level) Experience: At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist – with at least one year equivalent to the GS‑12 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge – Skills – and Abilities (GS‑13): 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; Preferred Experience: Evidence Based Practices (EBPs) across a broad array of mental health conditions. 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. Duties Total Rewards of an Allied Health Professional. This is an open continuous announcement and will remain open until September 30 2026. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. This Staff Psychologist [Ambulatory Mental Health (AMH)] works in the Psychology Service of the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System. The physical location of the position will be either NewOrleans or BatonRidge – Louisiana. Applicants may select the location(s) for which they wish to be considered in the application. The primary duties include but are not limited to: Conducts psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments. Diagnoses mental disorders by applying advanced professional psychological diagnostic methods and evidence‑based intervention strategies to a full range of patient matters. Treats mental disorders through a variety of modalities (individual, family, and group psychotherapies, etc.). Provides adjunctive interventions (biofeedback, psychological hypnosis, and environmental, etc.) for treatment of medical disorders. Consults with medical center staff representing a variety of disciplines on a wide variety of patient care concerns. Complies with appropriate accrediting/regulatory bodies such as Joint Commission, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), State Operator, and SOARS, and Office of Inspector General (OIG). Assists the Team and/or Service Chief in the execution of program evaluation and data‑driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program. Completes clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center Work Schedule: Typically – Monday – Friday – 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (may change based on the needs of the agency). Work schedules will be discussed during the interview. 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/assistance. 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 401K 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: Available. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: GS‑11: 629‑01478F – GS‑12: 629‑01479F – GS‑13: 629‑01480F. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized. #J-18808-Ljbffr