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. 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: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. Education: 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 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; (b) The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship.....OR... Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internship: 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: 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. 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: GS-13 Staff Psychologist (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 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. A psychologist at the GS-13 level 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. All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package. References: VA Handbook 5005/103 Part II Appendix G18. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: See VA Handbook 5019 (Employee Occupational Health) ["General Description: The psychologist for whom this functional statement applies is a Clinical Psychologist who is experienced in providing psychological assessment and treatment to Veterans from a variety of cultural backgrounds with the full range and types of Substance Use Disorders. The Clinical Psychologist functions as a full member of the Mental Health Specialty Care team at the Massaponax Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). Duties include providing diagnostic interviews, psychological assessments, psychoeducation, behavior planning, and individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapies for patients with Substance Use Disorders and co-occurring diagnoses, including PTSD and depression. The incumbent may be involved in program development and evaluation and/or research activities. S/he reports to the Psychology Program Manager and Supervisory Psychologist for the CBOCs Clinical Responsibilities: 1. Conducts initial screening and intakes of Veterans referred for Substance Use Disorder treatment. 2. Within the scope of privileges granted, incumbent provides a full range of comprehensive psychotherapeutic interventions, including crisis intervention and outpatient individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapies for Substance Use Disorders and co-morbid conditions and diagnoses, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and PTSD, with an emphasis on time limited evidence-based and evidence-informed approaches. Clinical services provided include such evidence-based practices as Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, Seeking Safety, Motivational Interviewing, Behavioral Couples Therapy for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, Transcending Self Therapy, ham reduction strategies, and relapse prevention. 3. Leads a minimum of four psychotherapy groups, including an introductory group, a co-occurring disorders group, and a relapse prevention group. 4. Incorporates new evidence-based and recovery-oriented clinical theories and procedures (including psychoeducational and rehabilitation interventions) into clinical services for patients with psychological and substance use problems and dual or multiple diagnoses. 5. Devotes at least 0.2 FTE time to providing evidence-based treatments to Veterans. Program Development/Program Evaluation/Research: 1. Participates in the development of policies, standard operating procedures, goal setting, and treatment planning processes for the Substance Abuse Treatment Program. 2. May assist in the development and implementation of a battery of pre-and post-intervention psychological assessment measures to evaluate the effectiveness of units to which the incumbent is assigned. 3. Oversees the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using a data-driven quality assurance processes. Administrative Responsibilities: 1. Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate. 2. Attends regular meetings of CBOC staff, local and regional psychologists, and local treatment teams. 3. Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment teams to which the incumbent is assigned. 4. Facilitates liaisons with other mental health and health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services. 5. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Other Significant Responsibilities: 1. Participates fully in peer review and quality improvement reviews of other psychologists at the Richmond VA Medical Center and its CBOCs. 2. Assures the needs and rights of patients and other customers are met while also supporting VA missions. Consistently communicates with customers (Veterans, active duty service members, their representatives, DoD, community providers, visitors, and all VA staff) in a courteous, tactful, and respectful manner, and handles conflicts and problems with patients and staff constructively and appropriately. Work Schedule: 8:00AM -- 4:30PM Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 EDRP Authorized: Contact Monique Head (monique.head@va.gov), the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.
