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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. 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: Must be proficient in written and spoken English 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: 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. 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 Internships: 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. 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. 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: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 Experience: None beyond the basic requirements. Staff Psychologist, GS-12 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 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18 Preferred Experience: Experience with Psychology Intern supervision. 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: Work is primarily sedentary. May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. Requires carrying light items such as books, files, or laptop computer. ["Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm Telework: Available - Ad-hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact V21CCOEEDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Incumbent serves as the Psychology Internship Training Director and Telemental Health staff psychologist. As the Psychology Internship Training Director, the psychologist is responsible for organizing the recruitment of interns, managing the selection process, meeting deadlines for submission of information to Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC) and American Psychological Association (APA), prioritizing training experiences such as rotations and didactics for psychology interns, and chairing the Psychology Internship Training Committee. In addition, the incumbent provides direct patient care to patients in CBOCs via Telemental Health. The psychologist will diagnose mental disorders, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies. The incumbent will provide evidence-based psychotherapies, as appropriate. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to: Being part of the national recruitment and selection process of interns. Maintaining a comprehensive evaluation system of the trainees that is consistent with APA guidelines. Incorporating feedback from trainees, supervisors, and other sources to continuously assess and improve the quality of the internship program. Develop program self-studies as needed to maintain APA accreditation. Orientation of interns to the medical center, mental health services, and the respective training rotations. Mentoring and supervising interns. Chair the monthly Training Committee meeting. Chair annually established Psychology Intern Selection Committee meetings and oversee recruitment/selection process for the Psychology Internship Program. Develop and maintain informational/recruiting websites for the Psychology Internship Training Program. Respond to all email requests for the PDF file Brochure for the Psychology Internship Training Program from potential applicants. Develop the Psychology Internship Didactic Training Calendar to provide Psychology interns with the necessary training required by APA to become an independent licensed psychologist. Coordinate programming within the training program with the supervisors of the programs in Mental Health Service. Analyze survey data of previous psychology interns for the purpose of evaluating the Psychology Internship Program. Provides psychological assessment services and diagnoses mental disorders primarily via Telemental Health. Deliver services face-to-face, as needed. Provides a full range of comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy. Identifies patient problems requiring consultation with other medical center staff and making appropriate referrals. Assures that appropriate referrals to specialty programs, including community resources, are accomplished. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. Provides, and where appropriate, refers patients, families and significant others for counseling in health maintenance and disease prevention. Functions independently as a member of the VASNHCS Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for their clinical findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. Consults with peers and supervisors as appropriate. Provides clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training. Attends regular Psychology meetings, Medical Staff meetings, and complies with Psychology peer review procedures. Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the ACOS, Mental Health Service, and the Supervisor, Mental Health Clinic (MHC). Other duties as assigned by management."]

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