Staff Psychologist RecruitmentRelocation EDRP Approved BHIP

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

This is an open continuous announcement until September 30 2026. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be February 9 2026. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or on an as-needed basis until positions are filled.

The Primary Purpose of the Position is to serve as a staff psychologist on an interdisciplinary outpatient mental health team (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Team (BHIP) in which the employee conducts a variety of outpatient services including provision of evidence-based psychotherapy (individual group and couples/family psychotherapy) and completion of psychological screenings and evaluations aimed at serving the needs of Veterans. The responsibilities also involve providing consultation to other disciplines.

Major duties include but are not limited to:

This is a direct patient care position which requires General Core Psychology privileges. The incumbent provides a full range of therapeutic interventions for a MH outpatient team including time-limited individual therapy couples/family therapy process and time-limited group therapy and psychoeducation in individual and group format. Cognitive and behavioral therapy approaches are used most frequently with an emphasis on time-limited evidence-based treatments. The incumbent is knowledgeable of current research literature and has received training in evidence-based treatments relevant to the position and engages in measurement-based care where clinically appropriate.

Administers and interprets a wide variety of psychological assessment tools. Psychological interviews testing and assessment skills are utilized for a variety of patient conditions. The psychologist is aware of complicating factors such as substance abuse/dependence medical/neurological conditions personality and other psychological functioning factors including the co-morbidity of substance abuse and psychiatric conditions.

Responds to patient crisis situations in a timely manner with the goal of assisting the patient to maintain a positive and effective relationship with the staff family and other patients. Patient and staff safety will take priority in any crisis. The incumbent provides suicide risk assessment and safety planning as needed.

Regularly consults with medical center staff regarding various patient care issues. As such it is necessary that the incumbent communicate and interact well with other disciplines and treatment providers.

The psychologist assumes responsibility for independent professional functioning and regularly works with a variety of complex cases within the assigned areas. The Psychologist is accountable for keeping the supervisor informed of administrative matters professional activities significant occurrences and identifying problem areas that should be brought to the attention of the incumbents direct supervisor and management.

Expected to engage in all team related activities including attendance of team/program meetings monthly Psychology staff meetings and main overall compliance with Psychology peer review procedures.

Assists with coverage of other mental health areas if deemed necessary by Service Leadership.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm
Recruitment/Relocating Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized for Highly Qualified Individual
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
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 #: 53780-F 53781-F 53782-F
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

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.
• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Holds a full and unrestricted license as psychologist in a US State or Territory
• Experience providing crisis intervention safety planning and case management service
• Training and clinical experience-based psychotherapy
• Experience providing mental health care in a virtual/telemental health modality
• Experience providing mental health care toa Veteran population
• Experience using psychological assessment instruments to assist with diagnosis assessments