Skip to main content

This job has expired

Clinical Psychologist

Employer
USAJobs
Location
Emporia, Virginia
Closing date
Dec 2, 2021
Duties

This position is located in the Mental Health Service of the McGuire VA Medical Center, physically located in the Mental Health Clinic at the Emporia Outpatient Clinic. The incumbent will be expected to provide psychological assessment services and evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising psychotherapies consistent with provision of care guidelines for Veterans presenting with a broad spectrum of psychological problems and psychiatric symptoms.

The successful incumbent will have experience in provision of time-limited individual and group psychotherapies for female and male veterans presenting with mental health concerns, particularly those with histories of military and non-military trauma. Additional foci of treatment may include anger management, insomnia, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders, among others. Duties may include but are not limited to:

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES (90%)
  • Performs evaluations for patients with a variety of neuropsychological, psychological, and neurological disorders including ADHD, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress, and personality disorders.
  • Provides a full range of evidence based and evidence informed therapeutic interventions including individual, group, couples and family, tele-mental health, within the outpatient Mental Health Clinic.
  • Provides evidence-based and evidence-informed individual and group treatment for military and non-military trauma, including combat and war zone trauma, sexual trauma, childhood trauma, accidents, and natural disasters, among others.
  • Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues.
  • Provides a full range of psychodiagnostics services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care. Provides direct patient contact including neuropsychological screens, psychological assessments, treatment planning, individual psychotherapy/ assessment sessions, and family/ caregiver stress therapy sessions.
  • Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes).

NONCLINICAL DUTIES
Academic/Teaching/Training (5%)
  • May provide clinical supervision, including trainees seeking licensure in psychology.
  • May be involved in Psychology Training Program and Training Committee.
  • May serve as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assist in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients.
Admin/ Program Evaluation (5%)
  • Remains involved in program evaluation activities.
  • Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment teams to which the incumbent is assigned.
  • Facilitates liaisons with other mental health and health care programs to effectively coordinate services.
  • Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings.
  • Participates fully in peer review and quality improvement reviews of other psychologists at the McGuire VA Medical Center and its CBOCs.
  • May serve on Medical Center or Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces.
  • May represent Psychology on decision-making committees at the Medical Center or Healthcare System.
  • May actively participate in leadership roles on local, state, and national professional organizations.
  • Represents the Medical Center or Healthcare System at professional/program community group/ events and committees.
  • Other duties as assigned.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:45 am to 4:30 pm. Subject to change based on the needs of the agency. Position will be in Emporia three days a week and in Richmond two days a week.
Telework: Ad Hoc Telework is Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Title/Functional Statement #:Clinical Psychologist/PD000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact hector.france@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
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
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period
  • Subject to a background/security investigation
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination programs are requirements for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)


Qualifications

Basic Requirements
Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Regulations.

Education. (1) 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
(2) Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a respecialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the respecialization 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. 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. Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.
OR
(3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

Internships. (a) 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
(b) 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
(c) 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
(d) 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
(e) 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. (1) 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 (a)(1)(D) 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.

English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Regulations.

Grade Requirements
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:
1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.
2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health.
3. Knowledge of clinical research literature.

Assignment. This is the full performance level for staff psychologists. At this level, psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting, such as inpatient or outpatient medicine, primary care, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, Compensation and Pension, Vet Centers, and the VHA National Center for Organization Development. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, 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 and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities.

Reference: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18, Psychologist Qualification Standard. Available in the Human Resources Office.

Physical Requirements: Pre-placement and periodic physical examinations are required for hybrid occupations to ensure workers are placed in positions where they can perform the essential functions of their job including their physical, mental and emotional capacities, without endangering their health or the health of their co-workers. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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

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

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

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.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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 .

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalized job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert