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

IMPORTANT NOTICE: This is an open continuous announcement until September 30 - 2025. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. This announcement may close without advanced notice. 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
• 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
• OR (2) 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
• OR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• 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
• Loss of Credential
• A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation - which may result in termination of employment
• At the discretion of the appointing official - an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists
• 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: Staff Psychologist - GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience
• None 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 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
• Preferred Experience: Experience in Substance Use Disorder treatment - Residential Treatment Experience - Trauma informed interventions References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103 PART II APPENDIX G18
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS13
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS11 to GS13
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position
• Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Duties

• Duties Provides a full range of diagnostic and assessment services appropriate to the interdisciplinary addictions treatment setting
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions - including: individual - group - and marital and family therapy - psychoeducation - and care coordination - with special emphasis on evidenced-based interventions found to be effective in treatment of addictions and co-occurring mental health disorders
• Develops - implements - and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients
• Facilitates patient and family education appropriate to the setting and the specific presenting issues Provides consultation services to support team decision-making - building on team interventions and improving team patient working relationships
• Provides psychological consultation to non-psychologist team members and other health care system staff on a wide variety of patient care issues
• Provides clinical supervision to Psychology Postdoctoral Fellows - interns and practicum students training in the SARRTP
• Is involved training of medical students - psychiatric residents - and nursing students who train the SARRTP
• Participates in the monitoring of performance measures that pertain to Mental Health Service and SARRTP
• Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by Mental Health Service and the VASLCHCS
• Participates in program-wide outcome evaluation studies
• Meet the needs of customers while supporting VA - Medical Center and Service Missions
• Consistently communicate and treat customers (Veterans - their representatives - visitors - volunteers - and all VA Staff) in a courteous - tactful - and respectful manner
• Provides the customer with consistent information according to established policies and procedures
• Handles conflict and problems in dealing with customers constructively and appropriately
• Provides the patient care and support which is appropriate to the cognitive - emotional and chronological maturation needs of the young adult through the middle-age adult (18-64 years of age) and the older adult (65+ years of age) patients
• Demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care/support appropriate to the age of the patients served in the assigned service areas
• Demonstrate the knowledge of the changes associated with aging and possess the ability to provide care/support based on age related factors
• Work Schedule: M-F 0800-1630 Telework: Ad-hoc available Virtual: This is NOT a virtual position Functional Statement #:51556-A -51557-A -51558-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: NOT Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact Michael.Campbell6@va.gov and Joshua.Titensor@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more