Summary

The Battle Creek VA Medical Center is hiring a Psychologist to serve on the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (SARRTP) Team. This position aligns under Psychology Service and reports to the SARRTP Program Manager. This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP).

Qualifications

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 (2) 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
• and - (b) the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.[OR (3) 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 (b) 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 (c) 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 (d) 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 (e) 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
• License.- 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
• Grade Determinations
• In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-13 (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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is 13
• Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor
• The work is primarily sedentary - although the stress involved in dealing continually with patients in emotional distress - who may be uncooperative and occasionally violent - makes this job notably more demanding than most sedentary jobs.

Duties

• EDRP: 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
• 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
• Duties include but are not limited to: Serves as a treatment provider conducting assessment interviews - composing psychosocial assessment reports - formulating diagnostic impressions - developing treatment plans - providing psychotherapy to patients through individual and group sessions - making referrals for aftercare and placement - and documenting services provided and the course of treatment of patients
• This includes obtaining psychosocial history - performing diagnostic assessments using specialized assessments
• Performs professional work describing human behavior - determining the reasons for that behavior and predicting/modifying the behavior
• Administers/scores or evaluates psychodiagnostic tests
• Administers and interprets psychological/psychodiagnostic group/individual tests and composes reports of testing results
• Through testing and clinical interviews and observation - assesses intelligence - behavior and personality variables
• Assists in differential diagnosis
• Serves as an authoritative source of information in the use and interpretation of tests to differentiate the basis for patients' symptomatology
• Is capable of supervising others in the use of psychological tests
• Provides expert consultation to others with regard to test administration and evaluation
• Gathers objective psychodiagnostic information
• Conducts interviews - uses rating scales - questionnaires or other measurement devices or observes the patient to assess emotional - functional or psychological condition
• Has an expert professional mastery of the assessment tools available to effectively diagnose abnormalities or variations thereof in the specialized area of psychology
• Provides a practical environment for assessment in the specialization
• Plans Effective Treatment
• Based on data gathered during the assessment - plans an appropriate clinical treatment for individual patients
• This includes preparation and implementation of treatment plans (using the designated treatment planning software) developed in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team
• Conceptualizes - develops and presents detailed treatment plans for a full range of psychological services for a specialized unit or an entire location
• Patients' ages and varying environmental factors are extremely diverse
• Administers Treatment
• Plans and conducts group and individual psychotherapy - effectively utilizing one or more of the following therapeutic techniques: cognitive-behavioral - Evidence Based Psychotherapeutic approaches - behavior modification - supportive - analytic - eclectic - biofeedback - hypnosis - meditation - couples or family therapy - treatment of sexual dysfunction - etc
• Promotes - supervises or provides individual and group psychotherapy
• Conducts psychotherapy in difficult - multifaceted cases
• As an expert in the specialized area - serves as a key member of the multi-disciplinary team providing the full range of psychotherapy for a widely diverse patient base
• This includes delivery of evidence-based interventions for Substance Use Disorder
• Evaluates/Adjusts treatment - as necessary
• Continually monitors patient's progress using Measurement Based Care principles
• Determines when reassessment is appropriate and adjusts treatment plan accordingly
• Maintains current knowledge of psychotherapeutic techniques by reviewing and/or participating in research and/or attending relevant continuing education
• Independently exercises authoritative judgment in the adjustment of treatment plans
• Serves as expert psychological resource for the multidisciplinary team or devises programs that employ psychological techniques to ensure a therapeutic environment
• Serves as a member of planning committees for evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment program and modifying it to better serve the needs of the patients - when called upon to do so
• Other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Mon-Fri 8:00am-4:30pm Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Financial Disclosure Report: Not required