Career Center

Summary

The incumbent serves as an RCS Vet Center Readjustment Counselor - providing counseling services - outreach - referral - and follow up care coordination to eligible individuals - couples - and family members. In this capacity - the incumbent functions as a member of a small multi-disciplinary team of 4 or more staff members. This entails the incumbent contributing proactively to internal coordination of care and collaborative planning and problem solving among all staff.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. § 7402
• To qualify for appointment - all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following: 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) 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
• Education: All candidates must meet one of the following: 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
• 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
• The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed
• For meeting this requirement - the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and 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 - and school psychology
• ~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 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
• and - the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed
• ~OR~ Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature Internship Requirement: All candidates must meet one of the following: 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 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
• (NOTE: Once board certified - the employee is required to maintain board certification.) ~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
• Basic Licensure Requirement: Candidates must 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
• Grade Determinations: GS-11 (Entry Level) Grade Determination: None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-12 (Developmental Level) Grade Determination: 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 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
• GS-13 (Full Performance Level) Grade Determination: 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 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
• References: Psychologist Qualification Standard - VA Qualifications Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) Physical Requirements: The work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodation
• The full performance level of the GS-0180 job series is GS-13
• The grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS13.

Duties

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for 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 your start date
• 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
• Former EDRP Participants are ineligible to apply for the program
• Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance
• Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker - Psychologist - Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor - and Marriage & Family Therapist
• Each discipline is announced separately - and applicants must apply to the announcement for which they are qualified
• Duties include - but are not limited to: Screening and Assessment: Will work directly with eligible individuals to establish a therapeutic relationship sufficient for completing all required readjustment counseling intake procedures to include an assessment of risk for self-harm and psychosocial functioning
• This information will be used as the foundation for identifying the presenting clinical focus areas and for developing the readjustment counseling service plan
• Counseling Planning/Goal Setting: Develop and periodically update an individualized readjustment counseling service plan that reflects a course of therapeutic and psychosocial interventions - including identification of achievable goals and measurable outcomes
• Direct Counseling Service Provision: Will implement the individualized counseling plan through an appropriate course of individual - group - couple and/or family readjustment counseling
• Will maintain an effective therapeutic relationship with eligible clients fully guided by professional ethics throughout the course of readjustment counseling
• Risk Assessment and Crisis Intervention: Will apply risk assessment procedures during the initial assessment and periodically throughout the planned course of readjustment counseling as required and appropriate
• For individuals identified from intermediate to high risk - the incumbent will work with the individual to develop a safety plan that identifies the precipitating life stressors and safety procedures identified by the client
• Will provide crisis case management services inclusive of coordinating services with the individual's family members
• Care Coordination: Will establish and maintain a network of community care relationships - internal and external to VA - to coordinate access to readjustment counseling through community referrals to the Vet Center - and to ensure that eligible individuals and/or family members receive the full spectrum of services to support the veteran's readjustment that are outside the scope of readjustment counseling
• In support of client care coordination - the incumbent maintains a general knowledge and understanding of the military experience and available VA benefits and services such as VA health care and VBA service-connected benefits
• Outreach: Will maintain active coordination with Vet Center outreach workers to ensure seamless referral to Vet Center services for those individuals and family members engaged in the community at outreach events that may require follow-up readjustment counseling
• Team Cohesion and Coordination: Will actively participate in Vet Center staff meetings designed to promote team building and staff development through cojoint planning and problem solving - staff discussion of problematic cases - coaching and mentoring new hires
• Documentation/Consultation: Will document all clinical interactions with eligible individuals and episodes of care coordination on their behalf as required by RCS policy
• Will provide consultation services to other staff inclusive of other community partners
• Other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am- 4:30 pm
• some evenings and weekends possible Compressed/Flexible: NOT Authorized Telework: NOT Available Virtual: This is NOT a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 63064A/63065A/63063A Financial Disclosure Report: NOT required