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. ***This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until September 15, 2025. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be October 17, 2024, with subsequent cut-off dates once prior certs are returned. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.*** 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 1) 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. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body & not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, & school psychology. 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. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology). OR 2) Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology &, 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 3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 & 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internships a) Have successfully completed a professional psychology internship training program that was accredited by APA or CPA at the time the program was completed & that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR b) 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 & the VHA Office of Academic Affiliations at the time that the individual was an intern; OR c) 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 d) 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 e) Applicants who have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 & 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. NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision & who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard. Licensure. Hold a full, current, & unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or the District of Columbia. English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken & written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. b) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this 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, & may conduct research. They may be assigned to any program area. Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist. Staff Psychologist, GS-12 a) Experience. At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level GS-11. Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist but with less intense supervision than at the GS-11 grade level. b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of & ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. 2. Ability to design & implement effective treatment strategies. 3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. 4. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing & implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). 5. Ability to perform basic research tasks of scholarship & research execution within the context of an established research team, including research participant relations, research documentation, data acquisition, maintenance, & collaboration. c) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this 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, & may conduct research. They may be assigned to any program area. Staff Psychologist, GS-13 a) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of, & ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. 2. Ability to provide professional advice & consultation in areas related to professional psychology & behavioral health. 3. Knowledge of clinical research literature. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationSt&ards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 11 to 13. Physical Requirements: none ["Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Psychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf Clinical Practice a. Assessment & Psychotherapy Provides a full range of psychodiagnostic services including assessment & using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care. Provides direct patient contact including psychological assessment, treatment planning, individual/group psychotherapy, and/or family/caregiver stress therapy sessions. Provides psychological assessments & individual and/or group psychotherapy. Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions including: individual, group, & family psychotherapy, caregiver stress support, cognitive-behavioral therapy, & interpersonal therapy within the residential & outpatient settings. Provides education to patients, family members & significant others. Develops, implements, & documents the psychotherapeutic treatments plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders. Serves as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team & provides consultation to the professional staff concerning clinical assessment findings & appropriate treatment plans for patients. Functions independently as a member of the VA WCHCS medical staff with full clinical privileges & assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, & documentation. Provide on call responsibilities covering the inpatient services, emergency room, & consultation service. b. Documentation skills Assumes complete professional responsibility for her/his clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, & documentation. Develops, implements, & documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders. Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation & proper patient check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic & procedure codes). c. Consultation Skills Collaborates with physicians, mid-level medical providers, nursing staff, social workers, peer specialists, vocational rehabilitation specialists & others in the residential and/or outpatient care setting using an interdisciplinary team approach. Promotes communication/interactions between medical, nursing, social work & other team members & patients & their families/significant others to facilitate the treatment process. Provides advice to other staff professionals in residential and/or outpatient care in an attempt to promote & preserve a therapeutic environment for individual patients. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Administration/Program Evaluation & Development/Research Serves on Healthcare System committees as endorsed by supervisors. Participates as a member of the medical staff, in accord with medical staff by-laws. Participates in support of psychology & RRTP-SUD performance improvement activities e.g., by taking on assigned projects & serving on committees. Collaborates in the establishment of program monitors & outcome measurements within the RRTP-SUD using a data-driven quality assurance processes. Assists in the development of treatment protocols for Veterans with substance use disorders.. Attends monthly Psychosocial Services staff meetings, intern supervisory staff meetings, & complies with Mental health medical record review procedures. Academic/Teaching/Training Supervise psychology doctoral interns in accord with training program policies & accrediting agency requirements at the discretion of the Internship Director of Training & Clinical Training Committee. Work Schedule: M-F, 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Jillana.Martinez@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Telework: AD-Hoc Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 59219O, 59220O, 59221O"]

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