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

• Conducts comprehensive psychological assessments and formulates diagnostic impressions using standardized and clinically appropriate methods.
• Delivers evidence-based and evidence-informed psychotherapy for mental health - substance use - behavioral - and psychosocial concerns within granted clinical privileges.
• Completes all required clinical documentation and charting in accordance with healthcare system timelines - quality standards - and accreditation requirements.
• Provides clinical supervision - guidance and education to assigned staff and trainees involved in psychological service delivery.
• Serves as a resource to other professional personnel by offering consultation regarding psychological services and treatment planning.
• Offers education to patients - patients' family members - professional staff - and trainees on mental health conditions and treatment approaches.
• Functions as a contributing member of multidisciplinary medical and mental health teams in inpatient - outpatient - or specialty care settings.
• Serves as a resource to other professional personnel by offering consultation regarding psychological services and treatment planning.
• Performs risk assessments for self-harm or harm to others and implements suicide prevention and crisis management procedures.
• Serves as a contributing member of multidisciplinary medical and mental health teams in inpatient - outpatient - or specialty care settings.
• Participates in performance improvement and quality assurance activities relevant to psychological services and assigned clinical programs.
• Supports and/or participates in scientific activity.
• May serve on internal and external committees.

Requirements

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education: 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.
• There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist therefore - an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment.
• (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:
  • The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a 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.
  • (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
  • Internships: 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • 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: 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 (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 licensed.
  • Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment.
  • Loss of Credential: A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation - which may result in termination of employment.
  • At the discretion of the appointing official - an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists.
  • English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j.

Qualifications

May 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).

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.

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.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional.

• Duties of this position are - but not limited to:
  • Conducts comprehensive psychological assessments and formulates diagnostic impressions using standardized and clinically appropriate methods.
  • Delivers evidence-based and evidence-informed psychotherapy for mental health - substance use - behavioral - and psychosocial concerns within granted clinical privileges.
  • Completes all required clinical documentation and charting in accordance with healthcare system timelines - quality standards - and accreditation requirements.
  • Provides clinical supervision - guidance and education to assigned staff and trainees involved in psychological service delivery.
  • Serves as a resource to other professional personnel by offering consultation regarding psychological services and treatment planning.
  • Offers education to patients - patients' family members - professional staff - and trainees on mental health conditions and treatment approaches.
  • Functions as a contributing member of multidisciplinary medical and mental health teams in inpatient - outpatient - or specialty care settings.
  • Serves as a resource to other professional personnel by offering consultation regarding psychological services and treatment planning.
  • Performs risk assessments for self-harm or harm to others and implements suicide prevention and crisis management procedures.
  • Serves as a contributing member of multidisciplinary medical and mental health teams in inpatient - outpatient - or specialty care settings.
  • Participates in performance improvement and quality assurance activities relevant to psychological services and assigned clinical programs.
  • Supports and/or participates in scientific activity.
  • May serve on internal and external committees.

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.

Schedule

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional.

• Duties of this position are - but not limited to:
  • Conducts comprehensive psychological assessments and formulates diagnostic impressions using standardized and clinically appropriate methods.
  • Delivers evidence-based and evidence-informed psychotherapy for mental health - substance use - behavioral - and psychosocial concerns within granted clinical privileges.
  • Completes all required clinical documentation and charting in accordance with healthcare system timelines - quality standards - and accreditation requirements.
  • Provides clinical supervision - guidance and education to assigned staff and trainees involved in psychological service delivery.
  • Serves as a resource to other professional personnel by offering consultation regarding psychological services and treatment planning.
  • Offers education to patients - patients' family members - professional staff - and trainees on mental health conditions and treatment approaches.
  • Functions as a contributing member of multidisciplinary medical and mental health teams in inpatient - outpatient - or specialty care settings.
  • Serves as a resource to other professional personnel by offering consultation regarding psychological services and treatment planning.
  • Performs risk assessments for self-harm or harm to others and implements suicide prevention and crisis management procedures.
  • Serves as a contributing member of multidisciplinary medical and mental health teams in inpatient - outpatient - or specialty care settings.
  • Participates in performance improvement and quality assurance activities relevant to psychological services and assigned clinical programs.
  • Supports and/or participates in scientific activity.
  • May serve on internal and external committees.

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.

Qualifications

May 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).

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.

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.

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.

Schedule

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional.

• Duties of this position are - but not limited to:
  • Conducts comprehensive psychological assessments and formulates diagnostic impressions using standardized and clinically appropriate methods.
  • Del