Psychologist-Mental Health Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Program

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. Learn more 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 be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA PolicyEducation: (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 completedThe specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employedFor 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 skillsThere are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologisttherefore - an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointmentOR (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 programand -(b) the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employedNOTE: 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 standardsOR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in natureAND (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 employedOR (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 internOR (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 requirementOR (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 programIf 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 programLicensure: 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 ColumbiaExceptionNon-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a ""graduate psychologist"" at the GS-11 or GS12 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 licensedFailure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointmentEnglish Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3jMay 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-11 (Entry Level): (a) ExperienceNone beyond the basic requirements(b) AssignmentSee Assignment under EducationStaff Psychologist - GS-12 (Developmental Level): (a) ExperienceAt 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 AbilitiesIn addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations2Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies3Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures4Ability to conduct research activities - such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties)5Ability 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) AssignmentSee Assignment under EducationStaff Psychologist - GS-13 (Full Performance - Level): (a) ExperienceAt 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 AbilitiesIn addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1Knowledge of - and ability to apply - professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations 2Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health3Knowledge of clinical research literature(c) AssignmentSee Assignment under EducationReference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Duties Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The VA San Francisco Health Care system is currently recruiting a Psychologist-Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Program for the Mental Health service in the Oakland locationsMajor duties include - but are not limited to: Provides specialized psychological services at all levels of complexity for patients with PTSD - with service delivery to include intake evaluation - diagnostic assessments - psychotherapy and patient educationProvides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual therapy - group therapy - and psycho-education classesBest practices - practice guidelines and evidence-based treatment protocols (such as CPT and PE) are utilized to the extent feasible in all therapeutic interventionsIncumbent will provide services to the assigned site - as well as providing services to other NCHCS sites via telemental healthConsults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues to include patient's decision making capacity regarding health careDevelops person-centered - culturally sensitive treatment plans to address mental health needs of patientsConducts evaluations to aid in the differential diagnosis of complex casesCompletes all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system - as appropriate.Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Chief of Service - Chief of Staff and Director (or duly appointed designees)Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30PM Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentiveContact V21CCOEEDRP@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistanceLearn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experienceParental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a childChild Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual positionFunctional Statement #: 07540F/ 07541F/ 07542F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Physical Requirements: Physical Demands of the work are generally minorThe work is primarily sedentary - although the stress involved in dealing continually with persons in emotional distress and who may be uncooperative and occasionally violent makes this work notably more demanding than most sedentary jobs.