Staff Psychologist RecruitmentRelocation Incentive EDRP Approved

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information refer to Required Documents below.

This is an open continuous announcement until September 25 2026. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. The first cut-off date is 10/24/2025. Additional applications will be referred as needed.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized for a Highly Qualified Individual.

The Organizational Location of the Position is: Community Living Center Behavioral Health Team Mental Health Service VA North Texas Health Care System Bonham TX.

Duties may include the following:

This is a direct patient care position which requires General Core Psychology privileges and serves primarily an inpatient medical rehabilitation palliative care and hospice population with complex and chronic disabling disease. The employee treats a wide variety of medical and psychological conditions and demonstrates knowledge regarding the role and interaction of cognitive personality and other psychological functioning factors. The employee diagnoses psychological disorders through conducting a variety of assessment techniques including clinical interview psychological cognitive and capacity evaluations. Mental health treatment and prevention-oriented services will emphasize evidence-based and best practice approaches including individual group or couples/family therapy to patients and their families or caregivers alongside behavioral and/or environmental interventions. The individual will also provide evidence-based interventions to help CLC patients manage behavioral factors associated with behavioral medicine problems and to promote medical compliance. Consultation with other disciplines on the Community Living Center is a normal part of this practice. The employee may also be called upon to provide services to other areas of the hospital served by the Behavioral Health Team and/or assist with crisis management through Employee Assistance Program and the Critical Incident Team. The employee is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system as appropriate.

The incumbent works in the CLC hospice and palliative care units as indicated by the needs of the service.

The incumbent provides suicide risk assessment and safety planning as needed. This includes providing triage services for patients at elevated risk of harm to self or others.

The incumbent may be called upon to assist with temporary coverage of services to other teams/programs during crises or staffing shortages. The incumbent assists with coverage of other mental health areas if deemed necessary by Service Leadership.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May beAuthorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May be Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact 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 $144000 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

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the Required Documents section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

The Primary Purpose of the Position is: To serve as a staff psychologist on a multidisciplinary inpatient medical rehabilitation palliative care and hospice team in which the employee conducts a variety of brief cognitive/psychological assessments and brief problem focused treatment interventions including attending to various patient family caregivers and medical provider needs.

Basic Requirements:

HPTs who are on track to graduate/complete the requirements should respond as if they have met the requirements. Provide details in the narrative sections of the assessment.

United States Citizenship: You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.

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.

Education: To be qualified for a GS-0180 Psychologist you must possess 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 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:(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
• Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND
• Internship Requirement - You must 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 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
• 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 candidates doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicants 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.

• Successful completion of a 2 year neuropsychology postdoctoral residency and meets criteria for board eligibility in Neuropsychology by American Board of Professional Psychology.
• Full unrestricted license for the practice of Psychology from a US State or Territory.
• Experience working with a medically fragile / rehabilitation population including palliative care and hospice care.
• Experience working within an interdisciplinary team.
• Training in psychotherapy and behavioral management methods relevant to an aging population with complex medical psychological and cognitive disorders.
• Experience providing crisis intervention and case management services