Staff Psychologist - Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI)

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. 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: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English Education: 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 The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed OR - have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and - in addition - successfully completed are specialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program and b) specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for OR - have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.***See Education below 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 Exception: 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 psychologist who is licensed Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment Internship: 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 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 Level: no additional experience beyond the basic requirement GS-12 Level: at least 1 full year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the GS-11 level Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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 GS-13 Level: At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level 1) active professional practice that was paid/non-paid employment and/or 2) a full - current and unrestricted license Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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 **Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties to be performed Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is 13 The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS11 to GS13 Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the position involve standard office requirements such as using the telephone - retrieving files - writing reports - data entry and maintenance of computer databases - etc Work is typically performed sitting at a desk and using a computer This position may require occasional travel The position requires periods of walking - standing - sitting and bending. Duties Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The incumbent PCMHI psychologist functions as part of an interdisciplinary primary care team - serving primary care providers - and allied Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) members Clinical Responsibilities: The incumbent PCMHI psychologist provides brief functional assessments using assigned templates - brief intervention - education - and consultative services regarding a wide range of mental health and behavioral medicine concerns - upon referral from primary care providers and allied PACT members The incumbent PCMHI psychologist provides brief - time limited mental health and behavioral interventions face-to-face - via telephone and via telehealth The incumbent PCMHI psychologists see patients for an average of 2 to 4 sessions for a broad range of concerns including - but not limited to - mild to moderate depression and anxiety - grief/bereavement - pain - tobacco cessation - alcohol misuse - weight management - coping with chronic illness - stress management - sleep - relaxation training - nonadherence to treatment and other interventions will be provided as clinically appropriate - based on patient need The practice of the incumbent PCMHI psychologist will be in line with PCMHI national and VISN expectations Enriching elements (e.g. - clinical supervision of associated health trainees - monthly meetings): The incumbent PCMHI psychologist may provide clinical supervision to trainees (e.g. - graduate and post-graduate students - Externs - Interns - and/or Post-doctoral Fellows - and similar trainee positions) in accordance with VHA Handbook Policy 1400.04 The incumbent PCMHI psychologist reviews and rates externship - internship - and/or postdoctoral fellow applicants and interviews prospective applicants The incumbent PCMHI psychologist may serve on the internship/fellowship didactics committee and participate in didactic training The incumbent PCMHI psychologist serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding patients Other Responsibilities: The incumbent PCMHI psychologist may participate in monthly chart reviews - compile resulting data - and submit data to the PCMHI Program Manager The incumbent PCMHI psychologist may participate in program evaluation The incumbent PCMHI psychologist is responsible for timely completion of all clinical documentation as required by the medical center and health care system - performing at highest standards on performance measures - timely completion of Psychology Clinical Pertinence Reviews - and compliance with internal and external continuing education requirements The incumbent PCMHI psychologist may serve on hospital-wide committees - Psychology Training Committee - or in other capacities that promote program improvement and development - health psychology - mental health - or psychology as a discipline Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30-4pm - day shift - no holidays/weekends Compressed/Flexible: May be considered Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (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 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 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: Supervisory Discretion (Ad-hoc) Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 92957A - 92958A - 92959A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs