Staff Psychologist-Mental Health

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.

Responsibilities

• Engage in professional and scientific work which relates to behavior, capacities, personality, interests, emotions, and mental disorders.
• Provide professional clinical services, conduct research, carry out education and training activities, carry out program evaluation activities, clinical consultation, supervision and administration.
• Diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct research.
• Apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments and assessment methods to a variety of patient populations.
• Design and implement effective treatment strategies.
• Incorporate new clinical procedures when appropriate.
• Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system.
• May serve as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients.
• Conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).

Requirements

To qualify for this position - you must meet the basic requirements as well as the grade requirements listed in the job announcement. 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.

Qualifications

• 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.
• 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 and - the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.
• Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Have 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.
• 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.

Skills

Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations.

Knowledge of and ability to apply professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.

Knowledge of clinical research literature.

Benefits

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.

Pay

The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13.

Schedule

Monday to Friday 8am-4:30pm

Physical 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.

Duties

This position will be located at Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, FL. Staff Psychologists are Licensed Independent Providers who engage in professional and scientific work which relates to behavior, capacities, personality, interests, emotions, and mental disorders. This work may include any of the following: providing professional clinical services, conducting research, carrying out education and training activities, carrying out program evaluation activities, clinical consultation, supervision and administration. Staff psychologists at the GS-11/GS-12 level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct research. They may be assigned to any program area. Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. Staff psychologists at the GS-13 level are at the full performance level for staff psychologists. At this level, psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Duties at ALL levels include but are not limited to: Clinical Responsibilities (80% of time), Other Responsibilities (20% of time).

References

VA Regulations - specifically VA Handbook 5005/103 Part II Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard - dated Feb 7 - 2018. For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards.

Additional Benefits

• 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
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contribution