Summary

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. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

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 (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
• 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
• In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-12 (Developmental 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 (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 (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
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 11 to 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

• Duties of this position include but are not limited to: Provides comprehensive outpatient psychological services - including diagnostic evaluations - psychological assessments - and evidence-based individual - group - couples - and family psychotherapy
• Performs specialized psychological evaluations
• selects and administers appropriate assessment tools
• interprets results
• and documents findings in the medical record in a timely manner
• Determines the need for psychological evaluation - specialized procedures - diagnostic clarification - and psychotherapeutic interventions for a wide range of clinical presentations
• Provides consultation to interdisciplinary team members on psychological conditions - diagnostic considerations - and treatment recommendations for complex or difficult cases
• Delivers a full range of evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions consistent with approved clinical privileges - including individual - group - couples - and family therapies
• Applies behavioral health principles to assist Veterans with co-occurring medical and mental health concerns such as health behavior change - pain management - smoking cessation - treatment adherence - and chronic disease management
• Conducts brief or basic neuropsychological assessments for outpatient Veterans - incorporating findings into individualized treatment planning
• Participates in program development - quality improvement - and collaborative treatment planning within the Mental Health Clinic
• May engage in research activities - including developing hypotheses - proposing research designs - or participating in VA-approved research protocols - in accordance with IRB and VA policy requirements
• Provides education and training to psychology trainees - interdisciplinary staff - and Veterans/families - including seminars - case conferences - or supervision of psychology trainees when mutually agreed upon
• Functions as an integral member of a multidisciplinary team - demonstrating strong interpersonal skills - collaborative problem-solving - and effective communication with staff from varied professional backgrounds
• Completes all required clinical documentation - including assessments - progress notes - and consults - in accordance with VAMC timeliness and quality standards
• Performs additional duties as assigned by Mental Health Clinic leadership - within scope of licensure and approved clinical privileges
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:30am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Recruitment Incentives: Approved! Additional approvals are required EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact - the EDRP Coordinator vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov for questions/assistance
• Learn more