Staff Psychologist PTSD, EDRP & RecruitmentRelocation Incentive

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

This vacancy will remain open until filled. The first cut-off date is October 10 2025. Additional applications will be referred as needed. (NOTE: Applications expire after 90 days. Please update application thru USAJobs if you wish to be reconsidered.)

The incumbent serves as a full performance PTSD psychologist at the Amarillo VA Health Care System Behavioral Health Department which provides multidisciplinary team dynamic approach to patient care and treatment. The PTSD psychologist will be working with Veterans diagnosed with PTSD many of whom are combat war veterans. Duties include provision of culturally sensitive care ability to adapt treatments to meet needs of Veterans with TBI sensory changes and/or cognitive changes; knowledge of VA/DOD clinical practice guidelines for PTSD; familiarity with evidence-based treatments for PTSD and co-occurring disorders including depression substance use and insomnia; and knowledge of military culture.

• Provides specialized psychological services for PTSD at all levels of complexity and comorbid conditions to include intake evaluation diagnostic assessments psychotherapy and patient/family education.
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual therapy group therapy couples therapy and psycho-education classes.
• Regularly uses valid measurement instruments to monitor treatment progress and guide clinical decision making and guide treatment planning.
• Uses shared decision making to arrive at clinical decisions and develop treatment plans.
• Provides motivational enhancement activities to prepare Veterans to participate in clinically appropriate care and engage in treatment.
• Develops person-centered culturally sensitive treatment plans to address mental health needs of patients.
• Conducts evaluations to aid in the differential diagnosis of complex cases.
• Complies with national and local performance measures including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients.
• Ensures efficiency and continuity of service delivery to PTSD patients when enrolled in treatment and appropriately transitions patients out of specialty PTSD services when treatment has ended.
• Implements process and outcome measures to evaluate the impact of providing specialty mental health services on patients with PTSD.
• Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system as appropriate.

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.
• 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. 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
• Internships
  • 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.
• 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.
• Physical Requirements. Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination.
• 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.