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

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

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
• You must 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
• OR - Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and - in addition - successfully completed a 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 - Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• Internship Requirement
• You must 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
• (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
• 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
• 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
• Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment
• 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
• 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Staff Psychologist - GS-11 (Entry Level): Education
• No 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
• 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
• 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 a 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
• Preferred Experience: Experience working with the geriatric population 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: The work is mostly sedentary and requires sitting - standing - bending and carrying light items (15 lbs.) such as charts - papers and books
• Occasional lifting of heavier loads - as in assisting the moving of a patient from a wheelchair to a chair is required
• A significant amount of standing and walking up to 4 hours per day is also required
• Must perform rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously.

Duties

• *This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will close on December 31 - 2025
• Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as they are received.* VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Major duties include but are not limited to: Clinical Duties: Providing screening - assessment - diagnosis - and treatment of depressive and anxiety-related disorders - as well as other mental health conditions - with an emphasis on the application of time-limited - evidence-based approaches
• Assessing and providing treatments for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety - adjustment difficulties - or misuse of substances
• Providing services to the families of Veterans with cognitive decline being served by HBPC - when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan for the Veteran and will allow better care and allow the family to sustain the Veteran at home
• Providing screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation is needed
• Performing capacity/competency assessments when there are questions about a patient's ability to make medical decisions - perform other specific functions - or live independently
• Assessing patients' understanding of advanced directives and other forms of consent and assisting staff in determining how to present treatment options and other such material to patients in a format they can understand
• Providing individual interventions to support patients that are coping with feelings of grief and loss associated with physical health changes and other life transitions
• Providing psychoeducational and supportive interventions - in conjunction with the Veteran - for spouses - family members/caregivers - and others
• Providing effective interventions with couples or families - when appropriate - to relieve relationship difficulties - provide support to caregivers of Veterans with dementia or other significant frailty - and/or promote collaboration with the HBPC team
• Facilitating transition and adjustment to new living situations - and providing seamless intervention services - as appropriate
• Providing behavioral modification interventions to manage pain - physical health challenges - address sleep problems - facilitate weight loss - promote tobacco cessation - and enhance medical compliance
• Promoting communication/interactions between medical team members - patients - and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process
• Administrative Duties: Responsible for identification of patient problems requiring consultation with other multi-disciplinary medical center staff and making appropriate referrals
• Fully accountable for practice - including scheduling and documenting patient visits - measuring outcomes to interventions - and meeting productivity standards
• Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team established by the BH Clinic and HBPC Program
• Complies with national and local performance measures including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients
• Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check out procedures
• Supervise - teach - and mentor psychology trainees and participate in the doctoral internship program
• Coordinators or points of contact for a variety of specialty programs
• Administrative oversight of the program
• Other Duties: Serve as a behavioral health representative on BH and Medical Center committees and workgroups
• May be asked to participate in the selection panels for vacant positions
• May act as a consultant on psychological issues for BH providers
• Attends and participates in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings
• Participates in peer review processes - assessing the quality of professional psychology standards provided within the medical center and - at times - other VAs
• Advocates for the delivery of trauma-informed care across programs
• All staff are encouraged to participate in systems redesign activities and are allotted time to participate in activities that will contribute to the overall efficiency - quality - and satisfaction of Veterans and employees
• Serve as a clinical supervisor as part of the APA accredited doctoral internship training program
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday: 7:30am - 4:00pm Compressed/Flexible: Available Telework: Ad-Hoc telework is authorized at Management's discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact vhavisn04hredrp@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required