Staff Psychologist (Residential Care)

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) BHCL is seeking a clinically skilled Psychologist to function as a program developer, trainer, and psychotherapist across three Residential Units on campus.

Veterans in care require residential-level support for psychological and substance use issues and are transitioning toward independence and community engagement. Qualified applicants will have a doctoral degree in psychology from an APA/CPA-accredited program (or equivalent), be licensed, and meet

Qualifications

• Doctoral degree in psychology from an APA/CPA-accredited program (or PCSAS).
• Specialty area must align with the assignment.
• Licensure: full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology in the US.
• Internship/board-certification options described in VA standards.

Responsibilities

• Provides a variety of psychodiagnostics leading to sound diagnosis and treatment recommendations.
• Offers psychotherapeutic interventions for substance-use and mood disorders within residential settings.
• Performs individual and group therapy in a residential treatment setting.
• Participates in program development, training, and supervision as appropriate.

Skills

Clinical Psychology

Psychotherapy

Program development

Training

Education

Doctoral degree in psychology

Job description

Summary

The BHCL is seeking an enthusiastic and clinically skilled Psychologist to join an exceptional team and to function as a program developer - trainer and psychotherapist within and across three Residential Units on campus. Veterans in the Residential Care section require a residential level of care for their psychological and substance use issues and are often in transition from homelessness and unemployment to independent community living and employment/meaningful community engagement.

Summary

The BHCL is seeking an enthusiastic and clinically skilled Psychologist to join an exceptional team and to function as a program developer - trainer and psychotherapist within and across three Residential Units on campus. Veterans in the Residential Care section require a residential level of care for their psychological and substance use issues and are often in transition from homelessness and unemployment to independent community living and employment/meaningful community engagement.

Qualifications

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 (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 re-specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed 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 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
• OR - (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• AND - 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 (pre1979) 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
• 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 GS-12 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
• Loss of Credential
• A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation - which may result in termination of employment
• At the discretion of the appointing official - an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists
• English Language Proficiency
• Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j
• 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-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.

Duties

• Duties include - but are not limited to: Provides a variety of psychodiagnostics services including appropriate selection of assessment instruments and methods leading to sound diagnosis and treatment recommendations
• Provides services based on the results of psychodiagnostics assessment such as intervention development and treatment planning
• Performs evaluations for Veterans with a variety of psychological disorders including substance abuse - mood disorders - psychotic disorders - trauma disorders and personality disorders
• Provides a variety of psychotherapeutic interventions including evidence-based therapies for: substance-use disorders - mood disorders - personality disorders - serious mental illness - health behavior disorders - and trauma-related disorders
• Performs individual and group therapy within a residential treatment setting
• Modifies evidence-based psychotherapies as needed to Veterans' needs
• If licensed - provision of clinical supervision to trainees seeking licensure in psychology
• Practicum Students Doctoral Interns Postdoctoral Residents Provides administrative duties including: Scheduling of veterans and related issues Medical record documentation as required - and in a timely manner Returning Veterans' phone calls Report writing Attending organizational meetings Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m
• to 4:00 p.m./Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m
• to 4:30 p.m. - but work schedule may be adjusted to meet the needs of the service
• Compressed/Flexible: May Be Authorized Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized 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: May Be Authorized Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized