Psychology Technician

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; California; On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Psychology Technician to support the BHIP team at the Monterey Clinic within the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, located in Marina, CA.

The position requires a bachelor's degree with psychology coursework and English proficiency to perform essential clinical support tasks. Responsibilities include assisting in research data collection, supporting counseling and neuropsychology testing, and aiding in behavior assessment under supervision.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college with a major in a social or biological science and twelve semester hours in psychology.
• Must submit transcripts at the time of application and degree conferred must be shown.
• Two years of technical work under the direction of a professional psychologist; at least six months at the GS-8 level or one year at the GS-7 level.

Responsibilities

• Assist in research data collection and presentation according to a predetermined plan.
• Assist counseling psychologists with vocational placement outreach and testing protocols.
• Assist neuropsychologists with administration and scoring of tests per defined procedures.
• Assist psychologists with behavior rating scales and behavior modification activities.
• Documentation of duties and hours on the resume; provide details in the application.

Skills

English proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree with psychology coursework

Job description

This position serves as a Psychology Technician supporting the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team at the Monterey Clinic located within the Monterey Clinic BHIP team, part of Veterans Affairs (VA) Palo Alto Health Care System, physically located in Marina, CA. The clinic is a CBOC (Community Based Outpatient Clinic) that is co-located with PACT (Patient Aligned Care Team) and other clinical providers.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.

AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENT: Completion of a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university with a major in an appropriate social or biological science, which included or was supplemented by twelve (12) semester hours in psychology. NOTE: You must submit copies of transcripts at the time of application. Education will not be credited without documentation. Please ensure that your transcripts show that a degree was conferred. Display copies of degrees or course listings do not provide the information needed.

AND In addition to the above requirement, in order to meet the minimum qualifications for this position at the GS- 9 level you must have: EXPERIENCE: Two (2) years of technical work under the direction of a professional psychologist. At least six (6) months of this experience must be comparable in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade in the Federal service (GS-8), or one (1) year comparable to the second lower grade (GS-7).

Technical duties include experience with one or more of the following:

• (1) Assisting in research as in systematic collection of psychology research data, recording and collecting data, preparing tabular or graphic presentation of data, in accordance with a predetermined research plan;
• (2) Assisting counseling psychologists in contacting potential employers for the purpose of making vocational placement, providing follow-up consultation, administering and scoring of interest, achievement and aptitude tests, securing work history and other relevant vocational information;
• (3) Assisting neuropsychologists in administering and scoring of selected tests of neuropsychology battery in accordance with clearly defined procedures;
• (4) Assisting psychologists in completing behavior rating scales or in conducting behavior modification.

NOTE: Experience under the direction of a professional psychologist is required and MUST be documented on your resume. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

OR EDUCATION: Two (2) full years of graduate study in psychology in an accredited college or university may be substituted for two (2) years of experience and meets in full the requirements at the GS-9 level. Transcripts must be submitted at the time of application.

Physical Requirements: Applicants must be physically and mentally able to efficiently perform the essential functions of the position without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing, or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment will not automatically disqualify an applicant for appointment. The loss or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid. Reasonable accommodation may also be considered in determining an applicant's ability to perform the duties of a position. Reasonable accommodation may include but is not limited to: the use of assistive devices, job modification or restructuring, provision of readers and interpreters, or adjusted work schedules.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.