Staff Psychologist (PCMHI)

About the role

The Greater Los Angeles Health Care System (GLAHCS) is recruiting a Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Staff Psychologist. This position is located at the Antelope Valley VA Outpatient Clinic in Lancaster, CA.

Responsibilities

• Providing a full range of psychological and behavioral health services within the Primary Care setting
• Applying experience and training to involvement in clinical and didactic training and supervision in the specific areas of psychology
• Attending and participating in administrative and informational meetings held by the Service Line and facility director
• If licensed, supervising students at all levels from within Psychology and from other disciplines
• Providing collaborative mental health assessments and treatments, with special emphasis on trans‑disciplinary integration within the primary care team(s) and working collaboratively with the many disciplines and functions involved from mental health and primary care
• Assessing and treating mental disorders including but not limited to: PTSD, anxiety‑related disorders, mood‑related disorders, substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions in person and/or via clinical video telehealth (CVT)
• Assessing and treating a variety of behavioral health problems – including tobacco use, sleep problems, weight management, chronic illness, treatment/medication adherence, and adjustment issues or life stressors
• Providing patients with elements of care coordination, case management, and other ancillary functions to the provision of professional psychological and team‑based services as assigned
• Complying with national and local VA performance measures – including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients
• Complying with all Electronic Health Record (EHR) documentation procedures – including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check‑out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes)
• VA Careers – Mental Health Professionals: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOMintJXa3Y

Qualifications

• Citizenship: Citizen of the United States
• Education: Must meet at least one of the following:
  • Doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program accredited by APA, PCSAS, or CPA at time of completion; specialty area consistent with the assignment.
  • Doctoral degree in any area of psychology plus successful completion of a re‑specialization program (including documented approved internship) meeting:
    1. Re‑specialization completed in an APA or CPA accredited doctoral program.
    2. Retrained specialty consistent with the assignment.
  • Doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally‑accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internships: Must have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program accredited by APA or CPA at time of completion, consistent with the assignment, OR:
  • New VHA psychology internship programs in process of APA accreditation, sanctioned by VHA Central Office Program Director for Psychology and VHA Office of Academic Affiliations at time of internship.
  • VHA facilities offering full‑time one‑year pre‑doctoral internships prior to PL 96‑151 (pre‑1979) considered acceptable.
  • Applicants with non‑accredited internship may be eligible if currently board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty consistent with the assignment (must maintain certification).
  • For doctoral degrees awarded 1951‑1978, equivalent of one‑year supervised internship experience acceptable to the doctoral program may substitute; verification required if not on transcript.
• Licensure: Must hold a full, current, unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or District of Columbia. Non‑licensed applicants meeting other requirements may receive a temporary appointment as a “graduate psychologist” (GS‑11 or GS‑12) for up to two years under 38 U.S.C. 7405(c)(2)(B), provided they practice only under supervision of a licensed psychologist; failure to obtain licensure within that period justifies termination.
• Board Certification: Persons hired to VHA psychology positions who completed a non‑accredited internship must be board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology in a specialty consistent with the assignment; certificate must be current and continuing education requirements met.
• 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.
• Grade Determinations:
  • GS‑11 Graduate Psychologist: Experience – none beyond basic requirements.
  • GS‑12 Graduate/Staff Psychologist: Experience – at least one year of creditable experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to GS‑11, plus ability to:
    • Apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to varied patient populations.
    • Design and implement effective treatment strategies.
    • Incorporate new clinical procedures.
    • Conduct research activities (designing/implementing clinical research projects)