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

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: 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
• 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
• 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.] 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
• Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist - GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience
• None beyond basic 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 then at the GS-11 grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities
• In addition tot he 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
• GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level) Experience: At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate 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
• 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)
• References: VA Qualification Standards: https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/ The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.

Duties

• This position is a split position between Integrated Care and Mental Health Acute Care Psychiatric Inpatient Unit
• Integrated Care Duties: Serves as Team Member for an inter-professional clinical team - co-located within the Integrative Medicine (IM) and primary care or specialty medicine teams (split between Pain Psychology and Integrated Care into medical settings)
• Provides a full range of diagnostic and evaluation services appropriate to the IM setting - especially pertaining to the evaluation and treatment of pain conditions - emotional and behavioral problems and focused functional assessments
• Provides a full range of psychological interventions consistent with training and expertise - with special emphasis on brief and evidenced-based interventions found to be effective in IM and primary care and/or medical settings
• Facilitates patient and family education appropriate to the IM (e.g. - CBT-CP) and primary care and/or medical settings and the specific presenting mental or behavioral health issues
• Provides consultation services for IM and medical providers (PCP) to maximize the effectiveness of their interventions in reducing health-risk behaviors and enhancing health­ promoting behaviors - with a significant emphasis on a prevention-oriented model of care
• Provides screening - assessment - diagnosis - and treatment of depressive disorders - anxiety-related disorders - and serious mental illness - as well as other conditions per DSM - with an emphasis on the application of evidence-based approaches
• Assesses and provides treatments for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety - adjustment difficulties - & excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs (for which the resident may have a lower-than-normal tolerance due to their medical conditions and the potential for negative interactions with prescribed medication)
• Conducts initial assessments in the Integrated Care role that are focused on the main reason(s) for referral with attention to functional impairment - and that are less extensive than traditional mental health intake evaluations (e.g. - 30 minutes vs
• 60 or 90 minutes for traditional evaluation)
• Provides primarily time-limited (e.g. - approximately 1-6 sessions) - brief (e.g. - 30 minutes) - evidence-informed - individual and/or group interventions in the Integrated Care role for a broad range of mental health and health behavior concerns
• Provides more intensive - evidence-based treatments for chronic pain (e.g. - CBT-CP) using more traditional 45-50 minute approach
• Other duties as assigned
• Psychiatric Inpatient Unit Duties: Delivers a full range of empirically support and evidence-based interventions including individual - family - and group as well as behavioral interventions within the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit
• Performs evidence-based psychological and behavioral evaluations for veterans admitted to the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit
• Conducts capacity/competency assessments when there are questions about a resident's ability to make medical decision - perform other specific functions - or live independently
• Provides screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed
• Consults with Inpatient Psychiatric Unit staff on a wide variety of patient care issues
• Completes requirements related to post-discharge mental health engagement for Veterans recently admitted to acute case settings (e.g. - PDE-1 metric)
• Provides screening - assessment - diagnosis - and treatment of depressive disorders - anxiety-related disorders - and serious mental illness - as well as other conditions per DSM - with an emphasis on the application of evidence based approaches
• Assesses and provides treatments for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety - adjustment difficulties - & excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs (for which the resident may have a lower than normal tolerance due to their medical conditions and the potential for negative interactions with prescribed medication)
• Provides psychological prevention services to residents at significant risk for psychological problems
• Implements behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain - disability - address sleep problems - facilitate weight loss - promote smoking cessation - and enhance medical compliance
• Implements behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain - disability - address sleep problems - facilitate weight loss - promote smoking cessation - and enhance medical compliance
• Promotes communication and interactions between medical team members - residents - and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm (May be negotiated during the interview process) Functional Statement #: 93250
• 93251
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