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 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. 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. The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. For the purpose of 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. 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. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of 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: (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. 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. [Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards; OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature; AND Internships: 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. NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard. 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 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 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 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 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-15: Experience: At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 grade level Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to supervise and manage a large group of professional staff effectively Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution and ability to work collaboratively with supervisors from other units Ability to accurately apply the qualification standards, assesses the potential of current and prospective employees, and promotes their professional development Ability to develop appropriate productivity standards for professional staff, often across multiple program lines Knowledge of the goals and objectives of the medical center and VISN and ability to communicate these to subordinates References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G18 Physical Requirements: This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, and sitting. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment. ["This is an open continuous announcement until September 30, 2022. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred weekly. The Senior Psychologist, Service Chief (Chief of Mental Health) manages administrative and clinical aspects of a combination of programs located across the Western Colorado Health Care System (WCHCS). They have responsibility for coordinating interdisciplinary staffing, creating and monitoring work assignments, managing budget, ensuring implementation of treatment services per VA Directive, monitoring and reporting upon quality and safety of services and providers, ensuring program standards meet accreditation requirements of oversight bodies, monitoring and reporting upon outcomes of various programs, actively participating in and reporting to national, VISN and facility level committees. They also supervise employees assigned to the programs. At WCHCS, the incumbent will function under the title of Chief of Mental Health (Senior Psychologist, Service Chief). They will directly oversee program services congruent with experience and areas of competence. This includes the oversight of over 80 personnel employees. The incumbent assumes the supervisory and administrative responsibility for the management of the assigned staff members who function within Mental Health programs in the WCHCS. As a psychologist, the incumbent provides services to Veterans, their families and the interdisciplinary team regarding evaluation, identification and treatment of psychological concerns and psychiatric diagnosis in the mental health settings. As the supervisor, the incumbent plans, establishes, and implements policies and procedures; developing individual or group goals and objectives as well as monitoring, operating, evaluating, coordinating and overseeing the staff assigned to mental health programming. The incumbent will assure the staff whom they supervise are aware of, adhere to all current directives of VHA, and meet current Joint Commission standards, State licensure standards, and VA-OIG expectations. The incumbent will conduct ongoing intensive reviews and appraisals to ensure the accomplishment of objectives and adherence to standards set by governing bodies. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm\nTelework: Not Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 54577-O\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized\nEDRP Authorized: Contact Gina Hammer, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Required"]