Staff Psychologist - Pain Clinic

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Tacoma (WA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Parental leave

Federal retirement benefits

Telework: AdHoc only

Job summary

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs seeks a Staff Psychologist for the Pain Clinic at VA Puget Sound Health Care System. The role qualifies for Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP).

You will provide evidence-based treatments for chronic pain, conduct assessments, and collaborate with an interdisciplinary team. Telehealth may be used to reach Veterans. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree in psychology, be licensed to practice in the U.S., and meet VA specialty requirements.

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in psychology from APA/PCSAS/CPA accredited program.
• Full and current license to practice psychology in the United States.
• Internship and training alignment with APA/CPA standards or equivalent.
• Experience or ability to provide evidence-based treatments for chronic pain.

Responsibilities

• Provide direct clinical care to Veterans with chronic pain and co‑occurring conditions.
• Deliver evidence-based psychotherapies and conduct assessments as part of care planning.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to optimize patient outcomes.
• Support telehealth delivery and supervision for trainees as assigned.
• Develop and document treatment plans and safety/risk management.
• Contribute to program operations and compliance with VA policies.

Skills

Clinical psychology

Psychotherapy

Psychological assessment

Telehealth

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Supervision

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 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
• OR Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and - in addition - successfully complete a re- specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the re- specialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program
• and - The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed
• OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• AND Internships: 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
• OR 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
• 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
• 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 GS12 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
• Board Certification and Loss of Credential Board Certification
• Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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
• The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education
• Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist - GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Staff Psychologist - GS-12 (Developmental Level) Experience
• 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
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• 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
• 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: Knowledge of - and ability to apply - professional psychological treatments to the 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
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• 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
• There are no physical requirements for this occupation per OCHCO Communications email to VA Handbook 5019 - updated on 4/17/2026.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The psychologist serves as a staff psychologist for the Pain Clinic at the American Lake of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System - providing evidence-based treatments in a collaborative interdisciplinary setting
• The interdisciplinary team includes psychologists - medical clinicians - physical therapists - pharmacists - complementary and integrative practitioners and other clinicians who provide strategies for chronic pain management to help patients improve their overall functioning - well-being - and quality of life
• The psychologist's primary duties involve direct clinical care to Veterans for chronic pain and co-occurring mental-health and behavioral-health conditions - including evidence-based individual psychotherapies for chronic pain - pain-focused psychotherapy (e.g. - CBT-CP - ACT-CP - MI) - rehabilitation/functional restoration - neuromodulation assessment - opioid safety intervention - screening and psychological assessment - risk assessment and safety planning for suicide prevention - psychoeducation - interdisciplinary pain care - and collaborative care coordination
• The psychologist will deliver clinical services both in person and via telehealth
• Patients include Veterans with Chronic Pain Syndrome - often with co-occurring medical and psychiatric conditions - suicidality or self-directed violence - opioid-safety concerns - or complex functional barriers
• The psychologist supports Veterans' access to pain care across the Stepped Care Model for Pain Management (SCM-PM) and assists with any potential gaps that may currently be present within Pain Management Teams
• Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders - conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments - treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities - provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders - and may conduct research
• They may be assigned to any program area
• Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist
• Functions Provides psychological assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans with a broad range of psychopathology Demonstrates expertise in using and teaching others about contemporary interview and psychometric assessment methods for these disorders
• Provides education to both patients and family members Provides comprehensive - evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions - including individual - family - and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation
• Provides consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients Develops - implements - and documents the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients
• Complies with all Service Line documentation requirements Adheres to all Facility and Service Line policies and practices for delivering clinical care Achieves minimal clinical workload expectations as established by the Service Line
• Provides clinical supervision and instruction for psychology trainees (interns and/or postdoctoral fellows) assigned to the primary work setting Provides leadership guidance and consultation to unit staff in the area(s) assigned Other assigned duties Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (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: AdHoc Only Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized