Staff Psychologist

Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) - a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval - award amount (up to $200 -000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after 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 Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - Section A - Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. - chapter 73 or 74 - to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English Education - 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 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 a 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 and b) the 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 AND - Internship Requirement - You 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 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) OR - 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 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 4 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 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 (Entry Level) - None beyond the basic requirements GS-12 Level (Developmental Level) - In addition to the basic requirements above - you must have 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 - and are able to 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 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 (Full Performance Level) - In addition to the basic requirements above - you must have at least two years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level and are able to 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 Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit 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: All candidates must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position - with or without reasonable accommodation - without hazard to themselves or others Candidates must meet the physical requirements outlined in Section II and Section VI of the OPM Operating Manual - Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions and must possess emotional and mental stability. Duties Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Staff Psychologist provides clinical services to address issues related to mental illness and other complex/diverse psychosocial problems The incumbent will operate within the general scope of practice for the discipline This general scope of practice includes diagnosing mental disorders - conducting psychological and neuropsychological assessments - treating mental disorders through a variety of modalities - and providing adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders The modalities provided by the psychologists are individual - family - and group psychotherapies - and other interventions such as biofeedback - psychological hypnosis - and environmental interventions Psychologists also consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues and are expected to be involved in program evaluation - performance improvement projects - and psychology internship training Duties include but are not limited to: Ability to diagnose mental disorders and provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services Conduct psychological assessments for clinical or administrative purposes - including Compensation and Pension Examinations Ability to treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities - and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including: individual - group and family psychotherapy - caregiver stress support - cognitive-behavioral therapy - interpersonal and other forms of evidence-based psychotherapy Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues Involved in program evaluation and/or research activities Provides administrative duties including - attending organizational meetings May provide clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training - including trainees seeking licensure in psychology (full performance level) 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 their patients (full performance level) Presents outcome data and research at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings - as appropriate Assists in preparation of RFP's and grant proposals Serves on Medical Center - VISN - and/or National VA committees or task forces Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 7:45am- 4:30pm 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 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) 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: Adhoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 61256-F - 61191-F - 61212F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized #J-18808-Ljbffr