Career Center

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. Learn more 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: (1) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and, (2) 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 OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internship. 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 ORVHA 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. Provide copy of licensure. 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 for a period not to exceed two years. English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English. Grade Determinations: GS-11 Staff Psychologist Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-12 Staff Psychologist Experience. At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11) which includes diagnosing disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may include research. 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. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSA's: 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 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. AND 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 provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health Knowledge of clinical research literature. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18, Qualification Standards for Psychologist. 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: Light carrying (Under 15lbs.), hearing (aid permitted), working closely with others. ["The PCMHI Psychologist serves as the lead behavioral health consultant for the PACT team and assists with identification, treatment, and management of behavioral health conditions in the primary care patient population. The PCMHI psychologist provides generalist behavioral health interventions within the primary care clinics and follows a brief, time-limited model, which includes same-day access. Care provided by the PCMHI Psychologist is always collaborative in nature and involves open communication with the Veteran and each member of the PACT team as indicated. Duties will include: The PCMHI psychologist provides brief functional assessments using assigned templates, routine use of Measurement Based Care (e.g., PHQ-9, PCL, AUDIT C, etc.), and population-based practice management strategies to inform collaborative treatment plans. The PCMHI Psychologist should be well-versed in evidence-based/informed interventions for mild to moderate depression and anxiety, grief/bereavement, pain, tobacco cessation, alcohol misuse, anger, weight management, coping with chronic illness like diabetes and hypertension, relationship distress, stress management, sleep problems, and treatment non-adherence. The PCMHI Psychologist will provide education to PACT members on behavioral health issues, as well as consultation on tips for successful care management. Provides a full range of integrated psychological care to Veterans within a primary care setting, including integrated screening, psycho-diagnostic assessment, brief individual and group psychotherapies, collaborative care management, evidence-based integrated psychotherapies, behavioral medicine, motivational interviewing, and other services. Produces timely, appropriate documentation of care in accordance with agency policies. Provides clinical support to medical services, such as through behavioral medicine interventions, psychoeducational offerings, and screenings for medical conditions (e.g., dementia). Consults with health care providers of all disciplines regarding care for patients with mild-to-moderate mental & behavioral health disorders. Collaborates daily with primary care staff, mental health staff, substance abuse therapists, social workers, and health care providers of other disciplines in support of patient care. Completes administrative activities in support of patient care, such as treatment planning and documentation of care, including Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluations (CSRE), MH Safety Plans, Suicide Overdose and Behavior Reports (SBOR) Faculty member and member of training committee for facility's APA-accredited clinical psychology internship. Provides training and clinical supervision to interns in the program. Contributes to meetings and faculty training associated with the internship. Provides training and clinical supervision to trainees in other mental health disciplines, medical students, nursing students, and others, as assigned. Develops and helps provide training to staff throughout the VAMC on VHA best practices and clinical practice guidelines for the treatment and management of Veterans with mild-to-moderate mental health problems. Assists PCMHI Program Manager in developing, monitoring, and reporting on outcome and performance measures. Additional duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Compressed Tours - 7:00am-5:30pm. Monday through Friday\nTelework: Eligible\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nEDRP Authorized: Please contact the VISN 20 EDRP Coordinator Stacy Hermann @ V20CompensationTeam@va.gov\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]