Psychologist

Summary This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) – a student loan payment reimbursement program. Applicants must meet specific eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit their EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program approval, including award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years), is determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after a 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. Education: 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. 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 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. NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re‑specialization program – which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship. [Psychologists who have successfully completed a re‑specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.] OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally‑accredited institution – with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internships: (a) 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 – 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. Grade Determinations GS‑11 Staff Psychology (Entry Level): Experience – None beyond the basic requirements. Grade Determinations GS‑12 Staff Psychology (Development 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 – 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; For 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. Grade Determinations GS‑13 Staff Psychology (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 – 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. Duties Incumbents must possess the knowledge and experience to independently employ therapeutic modalities of individual – family – marriage – and group intervention to enhance the readjustment of Veterans – active duty Service members and their families. Intake Screening and Assessment: Work directly with eligible individuals to establish a therapeutic relationship sufficient for completing all required readjustment counseling intake procedures, including an assessment of risk for self‑harm and psychosocial functioning. Use the information to identify presenting clinical focus areas and to develop a readjustment counseling service plan. Readjustment Counseling Goal Setting and Service Planning: Based on the outcome of the initial assessment, develop and periodically update an individualized readjustment counseling service plan reflecting a course of therapeutic and psychosocial interventions – inclusive of outcome measurements. Direct Counseling Service Provision: Implement the individualized counseling plan through an appropriate course of individual – group – marriage and/or family readjustment counseling. Throughout the readjustment counseling, maintain an effective therapeutic relationship with eligible clients fully guided by professional ethics. Risk Assessment and Crisis Intervention: Apply risk assessment procedures during the initial assessment and periodically throughout the planned course of readjustment counseling as required and appropriate. For individuals identified from intermediate to high risk – work with the individual to develop a safety plan that identifies precipitating life stressors and safety procedures identified by the client. Throughout this process – provide crisis case family members. Perform other duties as assigned. Physical Requirements The work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodation. Benefits Paid Time Off: 37–50 days of annual paid time off 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% VA Insurance contributions. Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long‑term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement). Work Schedule 8:00 am–4:30 pm, Monday–Friday, standard operational hours with occasional evenings based on operational need of the facility. #J-18808-Ljbffr