Staff Psychologist (BHIP) EDRPRecruitmentRelocation Approved

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

***This announcement has been extended to fill additional vacancies.***

**One vacancy is also being recruited for as a Senior Social Worker - see Job Announcement CAZM--26-KSB if you want to apply as a Senior Social Worker. **

This Staff Psychologist will be assigned to a Behavioral Health program within the Behavioral Health Service. Psychologists provide consultation to medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation teaching training and research addition to providing direct patient care this psychologist does have limited administrative/managerial duties.

CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES:
1. Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care.
2. Performs psychological evaluations for Veterans with a range of psychiatric diagnoses and varying levels of cognitive functioning.
3. Conducts psychological cognitive and neuropsychological assessments as needed.
4. Provides psychoeducation to Veterans family members and/or caregivers.
5. Provides comprehensive evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions including individual family and group psychotherapy.
6. Provides consultation to professional staff within the El Paso VAHCS and to community providers concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for Veterans seen in the Behavioral Health Clinic.
7. Develops implements and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of Veterans including prompt completion of clinical reminders case notes and psychological reports.
8. Functions independently as a member of the El Paso VAHCS Medical Staff with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings patient care decisions and clinical documentation.
9. Provides crisis-intervention support as needed for urgent mental health walk-ins.

Duties are continued in the Education Section of this announcement.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8 AM - 4:30 PM
Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized
Recruitment Incentives. Authorized
Recruitment Incentives. Recruitment incentives may be authorized to full-time part time or intermittent individuals in their first appointment as a Federal employee or to a newly appointed former Federal employee with at least a 90-day break in service
Relocation Incentives. Relocation incentives may be authorized to full-time Federal employees who must change worksites and physically relocate to a different geographic area when the approving official determines that without the incentive it would be difficult to fill the position with a high-quality candidate.
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: 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 existing pay 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: Ad/Hoc Telework may be authorized
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: Staff Psychologist (BHIP)
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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

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.
• English Language Proficiency Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005 Part II Chapter 3 Section A Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapter 73 or 74 to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
• Education Requirement - You must 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. OR have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and in addition successfully completed a 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 you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for; OR have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• 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). NOTE: 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.
• Licensure: Candidates must 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.
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

• Experience with crisis intervention and risk management
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams
• Experience with evidence based therapies
• Experience working with veteran population