Summary

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.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.g, this part.) 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
• (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) 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 (or will complete) as part of the re-specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: Must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program, and, the specialty in which the applicant is retained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed
• (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) AND 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
• 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
• 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
• 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 supervision of a psychologist who is licensed
• Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment
• (COPY OF LICENSE REQUIRED) Board Certification
• Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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
• The board certificate must be current, and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education
• 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)
• Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level) 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
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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
• Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures
• Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties)
• Ability 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
• Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level) Experience
• At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations
• Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health
• Knowledge of clinical research literature
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13
• Physical Requirements: None

Duties

• 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 GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: This Mental Health Integration (MHI) Psychologist position is administratively aligned with the Mental Health Service and is assigned as a co-located, collaborative, and integrated mental health care provider in Neurology
• This is a full-time clinical position
• The MHI Psychologist provides focused assessment, brief evidence-informed interventions, education, and consultation services to Veterans, and education and consultation for Specialty Medical Providers and allied team members
• The MHI Psychologist works collaboratively within the specialty medical clinic to promote prevention, assessment, early identification, and treatment of mild to moderate mental health and health behavior concerns
• The MHI Psychologist is fully integrated into the specialty medical clinic team, engaging in a variety of team-based activities, such as huddles, team meetings, case review, consultation, education, and conjoint and/or shared appointments
• The MHI Psychologist is regularly available for same day access with most referrals connected to care via warm handoff within the Neurology Clinic
• FUNCTIONS OR SCOPE OF ASSIGNED DUTIES: The MHI Psychologist provides focused assessment, brief intervention, education, and consultative services regarding a wide range of mental health and health behavior concerns
• It is expected that the MHI Psychologist will attend to general mental health and health behavior concerns (e.g., depression, anxiety, adjustment, trauma, tobacco use) as well as problems consistent with the specialty clinic's focus area (e.g
• Epilepsy, Parkinson Disease, Dementia, Chronic headache disorders)
• The MHI Psychologist is not expected to serve as a specialist (e.g., health psychologist, psycho-oncologist, pain psychologist, behavioral sleep medicine psychologist or neuropsychologist) in evaluating or treating the medical conditions seen in the clinic
• Rather, the MHI Psychologist utilizes a Population-Based Care and Public Health approach to maximize the reach of services to as many Veterans as possible
• Consistent with the VA Whole Health philosophy, the MHI Psychologist promotes collaboration in support of each Veteran's personal Mission/Aspiration/Purpose and awareness of the mental and behavioral aspects of health and well-being
• The MHI Psychologist accepts referrals from Specialty Medical Providers and allied specialty team members and supports guideline-concordant treatment
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8am-4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VHAEDRPProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child
• 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 contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized