Clinical Psychologist

VA Careers - Psychologist

The incumbent is located within the Mental Health Service with primary assignment as a clinical psychologist to provide care for veterans in the Geriatric/Extended Care and Hospice/Palliative Care areas. Duties include but are not limited to:

• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual, family, and group grief, end-of-life, and adjustment counseling and psychotherapy, and behavioral interventions within the Geriatric/Extended Care, Hospice/Palliative Care Program setting.
• Performs evaluations for veterans served by the Hospice/Palliative Care Program, which may include psychological, behavioral, decisional capacity, cognitive, neuropsychological, and guardianship evaluations, as well as Statements of Expert Evaluation for the Probate Court.
• Consults with Geriatric/Extended Care Unit staff on a wide variety of patient care issues related to Hospice/Palliative Care, Community Living Center (i.e. Nursing Home), Rehabilitation, and Geriatric patients.

Core duties include:

• Facilitating and promoting the transformation of the nursing home to reflect home-like and person-centered principles by engaging in direct staff training in person-centered interactions with residents, incorporating environmental modifications, and implementing processes and programs that promote resident autonomy, growth, and individuality.
• Promoting the delivery of evidence-based psychosocial and environmental interventions for reducing behavioral and psychological symptoms, such as agitation, aggression, and wandering, associated with dementia and other neuropsychiatric and mental health conditions.

Additional duties include:

• Providing screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive disorders, anxiety-related disorders, and serious mental illness, as well as other conditions per DSM, with an emphasis on the application of evidence-based approaches;
• Assessing and providing treatments for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety, adjustment difficulties, & excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs (for which the resident may have a lower than normal tolerance due to their medical conditions and the potential for negative interactions with prescribed medication).
• Providing psychological prevention services to residents at significant risk for psychological problems;
• Providing screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0800-1630

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. 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: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 93048-A, 93049-A, 93050-A

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized