Psychologist

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 Requirement: You must 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, Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a 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 you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for; OR, Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

Internship Requirement: You must 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; OR, 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, 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).

NOTE: 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

Candidates 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.

NOTE: At the GS-11 and GS-12 levels non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" 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.

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 and meet the criteria).

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-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.

Preferred Experience

Experience providing care for individuals with Severe Mental Illness. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Physical Requirements

See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Clinical Responsibilities (90% of time): Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic and services including assessment, treatment, evaluation and consultation services on complex patients with problems of personality, emotional adjustment or mental illness and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care. Performs evaluations for psychodiagnosis, treatment planning and functional evaluations.

Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including an individual and group psychotherapy, family therapy or marital counseling, consultation, rehabilitation and psychoeducation. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities.

Provide psychological consultation to Primary Care Providers and interventions for primary care patients identified with a variety of psychiatric diagnoses (e.g. depression, anxiety disorders, and substance misuse), as well as psychological factors affecting their physical condition (e.g. sleep disturbances, treatment compliance, and pain management}.

Provide a full range of brief, solution focused therapeutic interventions such as cognitive and behavioral techniques, behavioral interventions, supportive therapy, and, when appropriate, insight-oriented therapy. Trained in psychosocial rehabilitation techniques to be applied in day to day patient treatment. Recovery and appropriate evidenced based treatments will be utilized as indicated.

Academic/Teaching/Training (5% of time): Provides clinical supervision to Psychology practicum students, predoctoral interns and postdoctoral fellows for training in psychological assessment, consultation, treatment and research. Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staffs of units to which assigned.

Conducts seminars, case conferences or other educational meetings in his or her areas of expertise Research (3% of time): May develop hypotheses and research designs and takes responsibility for the preparation and implementation of his or her research program. Serves as a consultant to other staff members on their research projects and may collaborate in carrying out interdisciplinary research. Attends professional conferences and reads professional publications to keep abreast of current research.

Presents his or her own findings or theories at professional conferences and/or in professional publications. Other Significant Responsibilities (2% of time): May serve on Medical Center, VISN, and/or National VA committees or taskforces at the Chief of Mental Health's request. Performs all other duties assigned by the Chief of Mental Health Service or supervisory psychologist or designee, even though they may not be outlined above, as long as he or she can do so without violating ethical standards.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm. Telework: May be authorized by Supervisor as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 91389-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized