Psychologist (MHRRTP)

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. 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

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
English Language Proficiency
Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j
Education (1) 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
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
[Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards
OR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
AND (4) 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
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
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: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 Experience
None beyond the basic requirements Staff Psychologist, GS-12 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: 1
Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations
2
Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies
3
Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures
4
Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties)
5
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 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: 1
Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations
2
Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health
3
Knowledge of clinical research literature
References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103 FEBRUARY 7, 2018, PART II, APPENDIX G18Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Duties

'Promoting the delivery of evidenced based psychosocial and environmental interventions for reducing behavioral and psychological symptoms.
Providing screening, assessment, diagnosis and treatment of depressive disorders, anxiety-related disorders, and serious mental illness, as well as other mental health conditions.
Assessing and providing treatments for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety adjustment difficulties, and excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs.
Plans and conducts individual and group psychotherapy utilizing one or more Evidenced Based Psychotherapies.
Develops a comprehensive treatment plan for a wide range of abnormal behaviors.
Provides ongoing case management services and disposition planning for all assigned Veterans.
Providing screening of cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a completed neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed.
Performing capacity/competency assessments when there are questions about a resident's ability to make medical decision, perform other specific functions, or live independently.
Assessing resident's understanding of advanced directives and other forms of consent and assisting staff in determining how to present treatment options and other such material to resident's in a format they can understand.
Providing individual and group interventions to support residents mental health related needs, or adjustment to disability limitations, changes in medical status, adjustment to assistive living/nursing home environments, and other life transitions.
Providing behavioral medicine interventions to manage and enhance medical compliance.
Providing behavioral modification techniques for Veterans with disruptive behavior issues to promote wellbeing.
Psychologists will provide mental disorder examinations based on competent, critical, objective and unbiased information.
Diagnose all mental disorders, including personality disorders using the nomenclature in the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V).
Determine when clinical-administered psychometric testing is necessary and integrate the results of such testing into the examination report.
Work Schedule: Schedules Vary Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 51233-A, 51234-A and 51235-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.
Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required'