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. 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-By the time of hire, the applicant must: (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. 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. Internships-By the time of hire, the applicant must: (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. 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-At the GS 13 level, the applicant 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. 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. 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). Grade Determinations: GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level) (a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. (b) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this 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. GS-12 Staff Psychologist (Developmental Level) (a)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. (b) 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. (c)Assignment. Staff psychologists at this 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. GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level) (a) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level (b) 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. (c) Assignment. This is 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. They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting, such as inpatient or outpatient medicine, primary care, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, Compensation and Pension, Vet Centers, and the VHA National Center for Organization Development. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18 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. ["A recruitment/relocation incentive has been authorized for highly qualified applicants. VA Careers - Psychologist: PDF Viewer (va.gov) Functions / Scope of Assigned Duties 1. Assessment and Evaluation. Administers, scores, and interprets psychological assessment instruments. Obtains and evaluates personal, educational, and vocational histories, reviews records of other services for pertinent data, and prepares evaluative reports. Incumbent interviews and evaluates patients in order to analyze historical and dynamic factors pertaining to their illness with special concern for factors relating to diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment variables. Works with patients who present particularly difficult diagnostic, prognostic, or treatment problems. When assessing or providing patient care, the employee considers the age of the patient as it relates to the ability to understand directions, to provide objective self-assessment, or to respond to any other medical milieu appropriate to the overall treatment plan. This requires the knowledge of psychological characteristics of all age groups. 2. Individual Psychotherapy. May plan, conduct, record, evaluate, and report on individual psychotherapy sessions. Individual psychotherapy refers to the professional process whereby the psychologist assists the patient in working through problems and formulating plans and ideas as distinct from those activities principally concerned with evaluating his/her potential and past history of training/experience. Specifically, incumbent assists patients by evaluating their assets and liabilities and in their attempts to understand themselves, to achieve better interpersonal relationships, and to adapt themselves more effectively to their environments. 3. Group Psychotherapy. May plan, conduct, record, evaluate and report on group psychotherapy sessions, as well as facilitate patient education meetings, milieu and ward therapy programs in addition to the professional processes outlined above in paragraph 2. May conduct family therapy sessions. 4. Consultation. May consult with other psychologists, consultants, professional staff, medical center management, or individuals and organizations in the community, usually relating to the status of or plans for patients, problems or procedures related to the operation of the Mental Health Partners Outpatient Clinic, and/or problems referred by other services. May serve persons other than patients, such as screening or counseling of personnel when they are referred. 5. Research. May review professional literature for research planning, hypothesis development, instrumentation, data analysis, and scientific reports. May conduct research that is local, fact-finding, or basic and developmental. May also conduct research that involves direct or indirect service to patients or to the medical center. 6. Training. May plan and personally participate in station-wide training programs and in the training of psychologists and other personnel. May serve on the Psychology Training Committee. Receives training from staff psychologists and other professional personnel including supervision, in service training, and station workshops and seminars. Work Schedule: Tour of duty will be discussed at the time of interview, with hours being between 0800-1830 Monday-Friday and evenings and weekends maybe required. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized for highly qualified applicants. EDRP Authorized: Contact VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov., the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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