Staff Psychologist

About the role

The Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Psychologist works primarily in an outpatient general mental health setting. The psychologist provides psychodiagnostics assessments, individual therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention, and other psychological services. The individual functions as part of a multi-disciplinary team, including psychiatrists, psychologists, nurse practitioners, social workers, licensed mental health professionals, nurses, psychology technicians, and other disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Provides psychological assessment, triage, intervention, education, and consultative services consistent with training and expertise related to mental health and behavioral medicine concerns of varying complexity in an outpatient setting.
• Delivers a full range of psychological interventions with a strong emphasis on time-limited, evidenced-based treatments.
• Provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy and counseling/education to Veterans and family members, as clinically indicated.
• Conducts assessments appropriate to the individual patient, including evaluating high-risk factors, acuity, and need for services, with attention to the implications of test results for a Veteran's real-world function and successful treatment/management of health problems with an emphasis on behavioral health factors associated with improved quality of life.
• Develops comprehensive treatment plans in collaboration with interdisciplinary team members, documenting patient-generated concerns and goals, measurable objectives, and interventions for clinical treatment.
• Employs patient-reported outcome measures to inform treatment plan (measurement-based care) and adjusts interventions based on changing needs, response to interventions, and to improve outcomes.
• Uses therapeutic techniques.

Requirements

• 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.
• To incorporate new clinical procedures.
• To conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).
• 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.
• To provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.
• To provide psychological assessment, triage, intervention, education, and consultative services consistent with training and expertise related to mental health and behavioral medicine concerns of varying complexity in an outpatient setting.
• To deliver a full range of psychological interventions with a strong emphasis on time-limited, evidenced-based treatments.
• To provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy and counseling/education to Veterans and family members, as clinically indicated.
• To conduct assessments appropriate to the individual patient, including evaluating high-risk factors, acuity, and need for services, with attention to the implications of test results for a Veteran's real-world function and successful treatment/management of health problems with an emphasis on behavioral health factors associated with improved quality of life.
• To develop comprehensive treatment plans in collaboration with interdisciplinary team members, documenting patient-generated concerns and goals, measurable objectives, and interventions for clinical treatment.
• To employ patient-reported outcome measures to inform treatment plan (measurement-based care) and adjust interventions based on changing needs, response to interventions, and to improve outcomes.
• To use therapeutic techniques.

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.
• Must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j.
• 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.
• Must 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:
  • The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or CPA accredited doctoral program.
  • The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.
• 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.
• Must have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internships must be completed in an APA or CPA accredited doctoral program and be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.
• May fulfill the internship requirement by having the equivalent of a one-year supervised internship experience in a site acceptable to the candidate's doctoral program.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 provides 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.
• Grandfathering Provision: All persons employed in VHA as a psychologist on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series, and grade held, including positive education (i.e., degree and internship requirements) and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.
• Grade Determinations: Psychologist - GS-11: Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.
• Psychologist - GS-12: Experience: At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11).
• 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.

Skills

• 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.
• To incorporate new clinical procedures.
• To conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).
• 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.
• To provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.
• To provide psychological assessment, triage, intervention, education, and consultative services consistent with training and expertise related to mental health and behavioral medicine concerns of varying complexity in an outpatient setting.
• To deliver a full range of psychological interventions with a strong emphasis on time-limited, evidenced-based treatments.
• To provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy and counseling/education to Veterans and family members, as clinically indicated.
• To conduct assessments appropriate to the individual patient, including evaluating high-risk factors, acuity, and need for services, with attention to the implications of test results for a Veteran's real-world function and successful treatment/management of health problems with an emphasis on behavioral health factors associated with improved quality of life.
• To develop comprehensive treatment plans in collaboration with interdisciplinary team members, documenting patient-generated concerns and goals, measurable objectives, and interventions for clinical treatment.
• To employ patient-reported outcome measures to inform treatment plan (measurement-based care) and adjust interventions based on changing needs, response to interventions, and to improve outcomes.
• To use therapeutic techniques.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 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).
• Credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.
• Parental 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 child.
• Child 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 $416.66.
• 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: Not Available.
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Schedule

Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM.

Pay

Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus)

Authorized.

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance)

Not Authorized.

EDRP Authorized

Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.