Staff Psychologist

• Videos

Videos

• Duties

Help

Duties

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. 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. Learn more

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

The purpose of this position is to service as a Clinical Psychologist within the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Program, which is under the VA NCHCS Mental Health Product Line. The incumbent will specifically address the complex needs of veterans with PTSD. The incumbent has successfully completed or will complete competency-based training in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE) and/or other empirically supported PTSD treatment modalities and assessments. The psychologist applies advanced strategies to a full range of patient problems in the work setting. They have advanced knowledge of culturally sensitive psychological assessment techniques, diagnosis, intervention, and behavioral health that qualifies them to provide advice and consultation to professionals representing a variety of disciplines. The incumbent is also required to exercise judgment in the selection of or adaptation of standard and accepted psychological theories, techniques, and practices in treating patients or developing new techniques and programs for the treatment of clinical populations.

The incumbent functions in accordance with the policies, principals, professional ethics and techniques of accepted Psychology practice to include the American Psychological Association, professional licensing code, and state law. Additional guides are available in the form of Veterans Administration directives; program guides, bulletins and circulars; Center Memoranda; Medical Staff By-Laws; applicable Labor-Management Bargaining Agreements; and external accreditation agencies utilized by the VA Medical Center (Joint Commission, CARF, et.al.). Incumbent is expected to independently make use of guides in a creative flexible manner and must use sound judgment in selecting techniques or introducing new practices and methods, adapting these as necessary to fit the needs of the patient population served.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a highly qualified candidate.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status

No

Promotion Potential

13

• Job family (Series)

0180 Psychology

Similar jobs

• Clinical Psychologists

• Human Resources Psychologists

• Management Psychologists

• Psychologists

• Psychologists, All Other

• Psychologists, Clinical

• Requirements

Help

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job

• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required

• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

• You may be required to serve a probationary period

• Subject to a background/security investigation

• Must be proficient in written and spoken English

• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

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:

• United States Citizenship

• Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.

• English Language Proficiency Requirement

• Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.

• Education Requirement

• 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 respecialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) the respecialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and b) the specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for; 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). NOTE: 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.

• Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following:

• GS-11 Level: no additional experience beyond the basic requirement

• GS-12 Level: at least 1 full year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the GS-11 level, and are able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities:

• 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 Level: at least 2 addition years of experience, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level, as a professional psychologist that was obtained through employment as a psychologist or through participating in a supervised post-doctoral psychology training program that demonstrates 1) active professional practice that was paid/non-paid employment and/or 2) a full, current and unrestricted license. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics associated with current psychology practice:

• 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.

• Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed.

Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.

Physical Requirements:: Moderate lifting, 15-44 pounds; Light lifting, under 15 pounds; Moderate carrying, 15-44 pounds; Light carrying, under 15 pounds; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Walking 8 hours; Standing 8 hours; Repeated bending 8 hours; operation of motor vehicle; Hearing (aid permitted).

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.