Staff Psychologist - EDRP, Recruitment/Relocation Incentive Authorized

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

• Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services, including assessment, and uses the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care.
• Performs evaluations for a wide array of patients representing diverse diagnostic entities.
• Provides evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, as indicated and appropriate for the specific setting and duties of the Psychologist, which may include individual, family, and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation.
• Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others regarding mental disorders and best practices.
• Fully assesses mental health disorders utilizing clinical interviews, psychological screeners and/or assessment if indicated.
• Delivers a wide range of VHA-approved Evidence Based Psychotherapies (EBPs), including, but not limited to: (a) Cognitive Processing Therapy, (b) Prolonged Exposure, (c) Interpersonal Therapy for Depression, (d) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression, (e) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Depression, (f) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain, (g) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia, (h) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Substance Use Disorders, (i) Motivational Interviewing, U) Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy, and (k) Problem Solving Training.
• Duties are continued in the Education Section.

Requirements

The Staff Psychologist will be assigned to Behavioral Health Service. The incumbent will provide face-to-face and/or telemental health (e.g., VA Video Connect, CVT) services to Veterans across WTVAHCS sites of care. Psychological services may include conducting assessments, delivering psychotherapy in individual and group formats, and provision of consultation to Behavioral Health staff regarding Veteran care issues. The incumbent also provides consultation to medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities. In addition to providing direct patient care, this psychologist does have limited administrative/managerial duties.

Qualifications

• VA HPT's pending the completion of education or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.
• Applicants pending license requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a graduate psychologist not to exceed 2 years at the GS-11 or 12 grade levels, depending on years of creditable experience.
• Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: You must be a U.S. Citizen English language proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English
• Education: To be qualified for a GS-0180 Psychologist you must possess 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, OR 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 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). 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.
• 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. Exception: Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements 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 (a)(1)(D) 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.
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when considering candidates for promotion or advancement to higher grades: (a) A minimum of one year of progressively responsible experience at the next lower grade level; (b) possession of 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, OR (c) Possession of a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completing a re-specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the re-specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: (i) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or CPA accredited doctoral program; and, (ii) the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed; OR (d) Possession of a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature; OR (e) Possession of 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.

Benefits

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).