This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.
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. 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 (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. License.- 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. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. 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. 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 13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 11 to 13. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work are generally minor. The work is primarily sedentary, although the stress involved in dealing continually with patients in emotional distress, who may be uncooperative and occasionally violent, makes this job notably more demanding than most sedentary jobs.
Duties include, but are not limited to: Clinical Practice Provides mental health prevention, assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation services. Determines patients' needs for psychological evaluation, specialized evaluation procedures, diagnostic procedures, individual and group psychotherapy, and specialized psychological techniques. Providing screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a range of mental health conditions including PTSD, substance use disorders, depressive and anxiety-related disorders, as well as other Axis I conditions for which outpatient treatment or treatment in the residential setting is appropriate. Assessing and providing treatments for problems and diagnoses that are often co-morbid including adjustment disorders, personality disorders, and excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs. Providing outreach and education regarding the clinic/program. Providing services to the families of Veterans served in the clinic/program, especially to help the Veteran improve functioning as a spouse/significant other and/or parent. Performing psychological testing and assessment to determine the presence and severity mental health/substance use disorder issues and other salient personality characteristics, writing reports, and making treatment recommendations based on the findings. Performing consultations to assess for appropriateness for treatment and to make recommendations to the referring provider. Providing individual and group interventions to promote resolution of trauma reactions and to improve social and occupational functioning. Developing and providing psychoeducational interventions to improve Veterans coping skills. Providing clinical supervision to students, interns, fellows, and residents within the privileges of the psychologist. Developing treatment plans, monitoring patients' progress toward goals, and modifying plans accordingly. Identifying patient problems requiring consultation with other multi-disciplinary medical center staff, specialty programs, or community resources (e.g. vocational rehabilitation, housing resources) and assuring appropriate referrals are accomplished or recommended. This will include initiating consultations consistent with medical center policy and alerting responsible professionals who may initiate other consultations that the psychologist deems to be in the best interest of the patient and recommends but that may not be initiated by the psychologist. Participating fully in peer review and quality improvement reviews of other psychologists at Battle Creek VAMC. Provides a full range of comprehensive, efficacious and evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy as well as interview based and psychological testing based assessments. Performs consultations to other areas at this medical center less than 50% of the time, as assigned by the service chief and within the Clinical Privileges of the incumbent. Integrates clinical work with that of other professional and administrative personnel who may comprise a multi-disciplinary treatment team, maintaining the goal to reciprocally enhance the applied skill of every participating member toward the best available treatment planning for each Veteran. Participates in the development, implementation and documentation of treatment for those patients admitted to the clinic/program, including prompt completion of any relevant clinical reminders. Timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others regarding relevant psychological material. Provides consultation to professional staff within VAMC and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. The incumbent also consults to and with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Administrative and Training Complete all workload entry in compliance with local and national VA requirements, attend Service staff meetings and Medical Staff meetings, complete required continuing education and mandatory training, and participate in program or treatment evaluation activities if asked to do so. May have limited medical center committee assignments or other limited administrative work within the Service at the request of the Service Chief. As licensure and privileges permit, the incumbent may provide clinical supervision to psychology students. Research May engage in psychological research if mutually agreed upon with the service chief and in compliance with VA policies and procedures for conducting research in a VA facility. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more