Staff Psychologist

About the role

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. Program 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.

Responsibilities

• Provide a full range of psychological assessment services along with diagnoses of mental disorders, for veterans referred to or enrolled in the Mental Health Clinic
• Provide education to patients, family members, and significant others regarding assessment processes, VA services, treatment options, or other issues impacting the veteran or family
• Implement comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and/or group psychotherapy within the Mental Health Clinic, CBOC or inpatient setting as warranted
• Consult with other professional staff within the Wilkes-Barre VAMC, its CBOC's and/or community providers, regarding clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients assigned to various mental health related programs
• Develop, implement, and document the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients within Mental Health/Behavioral Medicine Services (MH/BS), including prompt completion of a variety of clinical reminders
• Function independently as a member of the WBVAMC Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges, assuming complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation
• Assist the Chief of Psychology and Chief of Mental Health and Behavioral Medicine in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment providers
• Adhere to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, established by the Mental Health and Behavioral Service and the Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center
• Participate in ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program
• Facilitate liaisons with other healthcare programs in order to effectively coordinate services
• Comply with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients
• Provide clinical supervision and instruction for students and/or residents assigned to the Mental Health Clinic rotation
• Participate in student/resident/staff training program, including facilitating or presenting in venues such as case conferences and training seminars; may be assigned to present on mental health issues to Clinical Staff Grand Rounds or other internal medical center educational activities

Qualifications

• Must possess one of the following:
• 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, a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a respecialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the respecialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: (a) the respecialization program completed in an APA or 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, a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• And, an Internship:
• 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.)
• OR, 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.