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Staff Psychologist (OPEN CONTINUOUS)

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Salem, Virginia
Closing date
Dec 10, 2022
Duties

VA Careers - Psychology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77qHlLw9Xck

***This is an Open and Continuous announcement for multiple locations/positions and can be taken down at any time.

***Due to the multi-specialty availability of this posting, below is a brief overview of each specialty;

Neuropsychologist:
  • functions as a mental health provider providing neuropsychological assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation services. This position may work in both outpatient and inpatient settings and is responsible for providing direct clinical services that include neuropsychological evaluations and individual, marital, and group psychotherapy. In addition, this position provides teaching and training experiences to students, trainees, interns, and residents.

PTSD Psychologist:
  • functions as a mental health provider providing PTSD assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation services. This position provides direct clinical services to veterans experiencing trauma-related problems and disorders, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based treatment approaches. In addition, this position provides teaching and training experiences to students, trainees, interns, and residents.

Outpatient Psychology Services:
  • functions as a mental health provider, providing mental health prevention, assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation services. This position provides screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive and anxiety-related disorders, as well as other mental health symptoms, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based treatment approaches. In addition, this position provides teaching and training experiences to students, trainees, interns, and residents.

PC-MHI (Primary Care-Mental Health Program.):
  • functions as a mental health provider in our Primary Care-Mental Health Program. This position provides brief therapy to Veterans with mild to moderate symptoms as an element of the PACT treatment plan, including PCPs in treatment decisions and updates. This position also provides same-day behavioral health functional assessments, including same-day brief interventions for presenting problems in PACT and subspecialty medical clinics. In addition, this position provides teaching and training experiences to students, trainees, interns, and residents.

Pain:
  • functions as a mental health provider for the interdisciplinary PREVAIL team, providing a wide range of pain-related mental health prevention, assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation services. This position provides screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of pain and pain-related disorders, as well as other mental health symptoms, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based treatment approaches. In addition, this position provides teaching and training experiences to students, trainees, interns, and residents.

PRRC (Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center):
  • functions as a mental health provider, providing mental health prevention, assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation services to patients with severe mental illness in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC). This position provides individual and group psychotherapies as well as ongoing case management services. In addition, this position provides teaching and training experiences to students, trainees, interns, and residents.


Work Schedule: The primary tour of duty will vary.
Telework: Available on an AD-HOC basis for highly qualified applicants.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact Christopher Cullen (christopher.cullen@va.gov), the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Conditions of Employment


  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
  • All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • Subject to background/security investigation.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  • Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.


Qualifications

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 Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. Education Requirement - You must 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. OR, have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a 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 you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are applying for; OR, have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. Internship Requirement - You must 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). NOTE: 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: Candidates 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. 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:

GS-11 Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level): Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-12 Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level): 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.

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.
GS-13 Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level): at least 2 additional years of experience, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level.

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 a 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 Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. 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: Light lifting, under 15 lbs.; Light carrying, under 15 lbs.; Reaching above shoulder; Use of fingers; Both hands required; Walking, Standing; Both legs required; Hearing (aid permitted).

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ . If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application .

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