Staff Psychologist-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

To qualify for this position - you must meet the basic requirements as well as the grade requirements listed in the job announcement. 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. 08/31/2026

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Required
• 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 policy
• No person will be appointed to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English
• Education - must have one of the following (further details in Education Section): 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
• 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: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program
• and - the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed
• OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• Internship - must have one of the following: 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
• GS11 and GS12 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 not to exceed two years from the date of employment
• 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: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above - the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates
• While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities - (KSA's) - you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position
• Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training or we cannot award credit
• If selected - you will be required to provide narrative responses at that time
• Staff Psychologist GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience: None beyond the basic requirements listed above
• Staff Psychologist GS-12 (Developmental Level) Experience: At least one (1) 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 Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (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
• Staff Psychologist GS-13 (Full Performance Level) Experience: At least two (2) years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one (1) year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level
• 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
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities (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
• References: VA Regulations - specifically VA Handbook 5005/103 Part II Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard - dated Feb 7 - 2018
• 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
• Physical Requirements: The work requires patience and emotional regulation
• The work may require using appropriate techniques to physically restrain patients who present a danger to self or others
• The work may also require assisting physically disabled Veterans
• Day-to-day work involves sitting - walking - standing and carrying light objects
• Some of the work is performed in a setting away from the office - where the environment cannot be controlled.

Duties

• This position will be located at Naval Air Station in Jacksonville - FL
• Staff Psychologists are Licensed Independent Providers who engage in professional and scientific work which relates to behavior - capacities - personality - interests - emotions and mental disorders
• This work may include any of the following: providing professional clinical services - conducting research - carrying out education and training activities - carrying out program evaluation activities - clinical consultation - supervision and administration
• Staff psychologists at the GS-11/GS-12 level diagnose mental disorders - conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments - treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities - provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders - and may conduct research
• They may be assigned to any program area
• Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist
• Staff psychologists at the GS-13 level are at the full performance level for staff psychologists
• At this level - psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services - consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate.Among the modalities provided are individual - family - and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions
• Duties at ALL levels include but are not limited to: Clinical Responsibilities (80% of time) Applies a wide range of professional psychological treatments and assessment methods to a variety of patient populations
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions for Veterans and other eligible patients through a variety of modalities including evidence-based practices and adjunctive interventions including but not necessarily limited to individual and group psychotherapy - family therapy - consultation - rehabilitation - and psycho-education
• Diagnoses mental disorders - and conducts psychological and/or cognitive function assessments and neuropsychological screenings
• Designs and implements effective treatment strategies
• Incorporates new clinical procedures when appropriate
• Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system - as appropriate
• Other Responsibilities (20% of time) May serve as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients
• May conduct research activities - such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties)
• Preferred experience: Substance abuse counseling/case management Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 8am-4:30pm Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 51984F - 51985F - 51986F Staff Psychologist - Substance Abuse EDRP Authorized: May be authorized for a highly qualified candidate subject to further facility leadership approval - available funding - and in accordance with agency policy
• Once selected and approved - contact View email address on us.fitly.work - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Additional Benefits 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) 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
• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.