Staff Psychologist- Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI)

01Basic Requirements

United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

02Education

(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.

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. 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.

03Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-11 Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. 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.

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 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 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, 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/.FORMER VA HANDBOOK REFERENCE: PART II APPENDIX G18,PSYCHOLOGIST QUALIFICATION STANDARD GS-0180 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.

04Physical Requirements

The work requires patience and emotional regulation. The work may require using appropriate techniques to physically restrain patients who present a danger to self or others. The work may also require assisting physically disabled Veterans. Day to day involves sitting, walking, standing and carrying light objects. Some of the work is performed in a setting away from the office, where the environment cannot be controlled.

This Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Psychologist position is administratively aligned with the Mental Health Service and is assigned as a Collocated Collaborative Care (CCC) behavioral health consultant in Primary Care. The incumbent will work collaboratively within the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) to promote prevention, early identification, and treatment of most mild to moderate behavioral health and health behavior concerns as part of routine primary care.

The PCMHI Psychologist provides brief, evidence-based interventions, education, and consultation services to Veterans, Primary Care Providers (PCPs), and allied PACT members.PCMHI visits are brief (generally, 30 minutes or less), limited in number (1-6 visits), and structured so that the patient views meeting with the behavioral health provider as a routine primary care service.

PCMHI CCC psychologists integrate their practice into the fast-paced primary care clinic, engaging in a variety of team-based activities, including huddles, case review, consultation, and education. Direct service delivery occurs via brief, focused interventions with a large percentage of those being seen via in-person, warm handoff within PACT to ensure same day access. Work Schedule: (Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm) OR (Monday - Friday 7:30am - 4:00pm) Telework: Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 55742F, 55743F, 55744F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized for highly qualified candidates EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact ([email protected]), the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more