Duties

Summary

This position is located in the Counseling & Outreach Unit under the Office of Health Services and reports to the Director of the Counseling & Outreach Unit (COU). The COU is responsible for providing mental health services to Peace Corps trainees, Volunteers; and for providing mental health support for families and Peace Corps overseas staff. The purpose of this position is to serve as an expert on mental health and on Peace Corps policies and procedures which pertain to Volunteer support.

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Responsibilities

The Psychologist performs the following major duties:

• Provides Psychological Services for Patients and/or Clients: Provides highly skilled clinical services to clients with difficult and complex problems by phone or in person. Conducts comprehensive assessments including validated psychometric measures; and conceptualizes/develops/presents detailed treatment plans for patients in a special unit.
• Provides Training Services: Provides technical assistance for overseas staff on behavioral health. Designs, develops, conducts, and directs agency wide training activities, seminars, and workshops on crisis management, conflict resolution, and Volunteer safety and support. This may include travel within the U.S. and overseas. Training requires expertise in facilitation and training skills.
• Psychological Services Program Planning and Management: Interprets and provides technical assistance on volunteer support policies, regulations and procedures and drafts communications to the field. Advises on problem cases and makes recommendations resulting in policy or procedural changes for Agency consideration. Assists early terminating volunteers with PC/Washington consultation services. Conducts assessment interviews with Volunteers and recommends courses of action. Acts as advocate for Volunteers and assists in the transition to private life. Reviews and authorizes Volunteer and trainee requests for emergency leave. Provides them personal support when home on emergency leave, and counsels and advises them on policy and program options. Serves as liaison with the field in cases requiring extended leave. Provides liaison with families concerning the welfare, whereabouts and status of Volunteer/trainee and with family situations or events.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
03

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Please refer to "Conditions of Employment"

Intelligence Background Information

Peace Corps Manual Section 611 is applicable to this position. This section prohibits the employment of certain persons previously engaged in intelligence activities or connected with intelligence agencies within the past 10 years. If you have ever worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you are not eligible for employment at the Peace Corps in any capacity, and you should not apply for employment.

PC-1336 Form: Applicants who are found to be otherwise qualified will be required to submit upon request in the future a completed PC-1336 form , or narrative signed statement, indicating whether the applicant has been involved in or has had any connection with intelligence activities or related work and, if so, the nature and dates of his or her involvement. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the applicant being rated ineligible for further consideration. If you have any other type of possible intelligence connection, your application will not be further considered until you submit this form. Except when the CIA or the National Security Agency (NSA) is involved (see below), if your connection with an Intelligence Agency involves an immediate family member who works or has worked in intelligence, the immediate family member should complete the form, not the applicant. Usually relying on memory is sufficient to answer most if not all of the questions. If you have an immediate family member who works or has worked for the CIA, you should not give them this form to complete. Please contact your relative in person-not by phone, email, social networking, or any other means that is not in person- and ask him or her to contact the Office of General Counsel at the CIA.

If your intelligence connection involves the NSA, you (or, if the connection is with a family member, that person) must contact NSA's Office of the General Counsel at 410-854-3910 before submitting this form to Peace Corps.

Qualifications

Specialized Experience:

You must meet the specialized experience at the grade level(s) in which you choose to be considered by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. To ensure full credit for your experience, please indicate dates of employment by month, day, and year and the number of hours worked per week in your resume.

This vacancy is being announced at one (1) grade level:

FP-3

Qualifying experience for the FP-3 level includes one year of specialized experience at least equivalent to the FP-4 or GS-11/12 level which is in or directly related to the line of work of the position to be filled and which has equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. Specialized experience includes: Experience providing highly skilled counseling services to clients with difficult and complex problems; Experience developing new assessment or measurement devices for a specialty area of psychology; Experience coordinating roles, responsibilities and communication within a unit; Experience providing consultative training or training services to an agency.

and

Satisfactory completion of all the requirements for a doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in psychology is required.

Selective Placement Factor: Must have a valid, unrestricted license to practice clinical psychology in one of the 50 states (or US territory such as Puerto Rico).

Additional information on qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on the OPM web site at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/ .

Time-in-Grade Requirements: Internal applicants and Federal employees who are currently holding, or who has held within the previous 52 weeks, a position under a non-temporary appointment in the competitive or excepted service, must meet "time-in-grade" requirements (have served 52 weeks at the next lower grade of the grade for which you are applying). NOTE: All current or former Federal employees (including internal employees) must provide a copy of their SF-50 (you may need to submit more than one), "Notice of Personnel Action" that indicates proof of status and time-in-grade eligibility. The SF-50 must include your position, title, series, grade, step, tenure, and type of service (Competitive or Excepted).

All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Qualification claims will be subject to verification.

Education

Degree: Satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology is required.

Additional information

Peace Corps Information

• This is a Federal civilian job in the Excepted Service. PC employees are paid on the Foreign Service scale and employment is limited NTE 5 years.
• Qualified internal applicants will be given first consideration.
• Additional hiring needs may be filled through this vacancy.
• National Service (e.g., volunteer) refers to paid & unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, community, student).
• Peace Corps is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.
• Peace Corps is a drug free workplace and promotes a drug free environment.
• Peace Corps is committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive culture. Our goal is to attract and develop the best and brightest from all lifestyles and backgrounds. Peace Corps strives to create a culture of inclusion where individuals feel respected and are treated fairly in all aspects of differences. Our commitment is to make a difference in the lives of people around the world.
• Peace Corps provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the hiring process, please notify the Office of Human Resources by calling 202-692-1200 or the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity on 202-692-2139. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodation are made on a case-by-case basis.

Conditions of Employment

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• You must successfully complete a background security investigation with favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet this requirement will be grounds for employment termination.
• All male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must have registered for the selective service. If selected for this position, you must sign a statement certifying your registration, or you must demonstrate exempt status under the Selective Service Law.
• Prior Intelligence Activity or Related Work: Individuals who have been engaged in certain intelligence activity or related work or who have been employed by or connected with an intelligence agency are ineligible for employment with Peace Corps. Acceptance of employment with Peace Corps precludes employment by certain intelligence organizations for a specific period of time, determined by the employing agency, after Peace Corps employment ceases.
• All Federal employees are required to have federal salary payments made by direct deposit to a financial institution of their choosing.
• A one (1) year trial period is required.
• This is not a bargaining unit position.
• This position requires a Tier 2, Moderate Risk Public Trust Security Clearance.

If you have questions regarding this vacancy, you may contact peacecorpsjobs@peacecorps.gov . In the subject line, include the vacancy #, position title and closing date.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application will be evaluated based on your resume, attached supporting documentation and your responses to the self-assessment questionnaire. Your materials will be evaluated to validate your possession of any required knowledge, skills, abilities (KSA) and/or competencies. The following competencies will be evaluated in the self-assessment questionnaire:

• Interpersonal Skills
• Flexibility
• Education and Training
• Psychology
• Influencing and Negotiating

Please note that a complete application is required for consideration; including any documentation that is being used for qualifications. Your resume and supporting documentation will be reviewed by a Human Resources Specialist, which must support the answers you provided. Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for disqualification.

To preview questions please click here .

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
No

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package. This includes: a detailed resume, a completed electronic self-assessment questionnaire, an SF-50 (for current and former Federal employees, including internal employees), and the submission of any other required documents. All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Resume: Include relevant work experience including job title, duties and accomplishments, employer name and address, supervisor name and phone number, start and end dates, hours per week & salary. If you are a current Federal employee or former Federal employee, provide your pay plan, series and grade level (e.g. GS-0201-09).

Veterans Documents: Veterans' preference in appointment does not apply to this vacancy; however, if you are using your 30% or more disability rating to be considered, you must attach all required documentation; including a DD-214 reflecting the type of discharge, the SF-15 and a VA Letter. Proof of a service-connected disability is required at the time of application. For more information regarding veterans' preference, please review the OPM Vet Guide .

Federal Employees: If you are a current or former Federal employee (including internal employees), you must provide a copy of your most recent SF-50 (and/or the SF-50 which verifies your reinstatement eligibility). Please note that this appointment does not convey career or career-conditional tenure in the competitive service; however, federal employees who have earned career tenure will not lose it as a result of this appointment.

Qualifications Based on Education or a Combination of Education and Experience: If you are qualifying based on education or a combination of education and experience, you must submit a copy of your transcript(s) or an appropriate course listing with a diploma. Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be used towards qualifications. Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by recognized institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website .

Note: All applicants (including internal) are required to submit the applicable documents listed above as verification of eligibility. If you fail to provide the information requested, or the information you submit is insufficient to verify your eligibility, you may lose consideration for these positions.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.