Staff Psychologist

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Hampton (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Hampton, VA seeks a Staff Psychologist (GS-13) to provide a full range of psychological services including assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment.

The incumbent will deliver individual, group, and family therapies, and collaborate with medical center staff across inpatient and outpatient settings. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in psychology from an APA/CPA/PCSAS accredited program, be licensed, and able to practice independently.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in psychology from APA/CPA/PCSAS accredited program.
• Must be licensed to practice psychology at doctoral level.
• Specialty area must align with the assignment and VA requirements.

Responsibilities

• Provide full range of psycho-diagnostic and psychotherapy services.
• Diagnose mental disorders and conduct assessments.
• Deliver individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions.
• Consult with medical center staff on patient care issues.
• Engage in program evaluation, teaching, and research activities.

Skills

Professional psychology

Clinical assessment

Psychotherapy

Consultation

Education

Doctoral degree in psychology (APA/CPA/PCSAS)

Job description

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.

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 psychologyaccredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) - the Psychological ClinicalScience 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 doctoralprograms 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 - successfullycomplete a re- specialization program (including documentation of an approved internshipcompleted as part of the re- specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: (a) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accrediteddoctoral 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 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
• 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: Staff Psychologist - GS-13 (Full Performance - Level) (a) Experience
• At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level
• (b) 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
• (c) 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
• Preferred Experience: Mental health Experience preferred
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is 13
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 13 to 13
• Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor
• The work is primarily sedentaryin nature and usually occurs within climate controlled clinical and administrative settings
• Use of fingers may be required to operate computers
• There may be occasional light lifting/carrying (15 pounds or less) requirements to relocate boxed materials from onearea to another - equipment and room set-up - and ambulation related to physical inspections of the facilities.

Duties

• Duties are as follows: Knowledge of the full range of psychological services to include psychological assessment - diagnostic - and evidence-based treatment services
• Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health
• Ability to communicate with people from a wide variety of backgrounds and with varying levels of understanding
• Knowledge of most current clinical assessment and psychotherapy research literature as it pertains to areas of specialization and clinical privileges
• Implements and monitors infection control practices for disease prevention (i.e
• handwashing - universal precautions/isolation procedures - including TB requirement/precautions
• Implements and monitors OSHA goals for Life Safety Management - health - and theenvironment procedures
• The incumbent will annually complete Prevention and Management of DisruptiveBehavioral (PMDB) training as assigned
• Protects printed and electronic files containing sensitive data in accordance with theprovisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 and other applicable laws - Federal regulations - VAstatutes and policy - and VHA policy
• Consistently communicates and treats customers (veterans - their representatives - visitors - and all VAstaff) in a courteous - tactful - and respectful manner
• Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic and psychotherapy services and uses the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care
• Performs psychological evaluations for patients on units to which the psychologist is assigned to provide coverage
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions to units/programs in the Medical Center to which the psychologist is assigned and has clinical privileges to practice including individual psychotherapy and/or counseling - vocational counseling - group therapy - family therapy and/or counseling - crisis intervention - administration and interpretation of psychometric tests (objective) - administration and interpretation of psychometric tests (projective) - program evaluation - psychological research - and consultation
• VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30p Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact [e-mail] - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.