Staff Psychologist-Trauma Recovery

This is an open continuous announcement to fill Staff Psychologist vacancies in the Mental Health Care Line at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available or until all vacancies are filled.

This position functions as a psychologist for the Trauma Recovery Division of the Mental Health Care Line (MHCL) at the Cincinnati VA Medical Center. This division located in Fort Thomas KY is a comprehensive multidisciplinary evidence-based program consisting of both outpatient and residential services directed towards assisting Veterans with trauma and stress-related conditions. This psychologist
provides a full range of psychological assessments therapeutic and psych-educational interventions and consultative services.

Duties and responsibilities included but not limited to:

• Provides psychological services in support of the Trauma Recovery Division of the Mental Health Care Line.
• Provides a provision of a full range of psychological services
• Consults with peers and supervisors as appropriate.
• Diagnoses mental disorders and conducts psychological or neuropsychological assessments
• Provides a wide range of psychological devices and is capable of supervising others in their use.
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including Cognitive Behavioral group and individual evidenced-based therapies for PTSD and other trauma/stressor related disorders as well as provides adjunctive interventions
  for treatment of associated medical disorders.
• Determines when reassessment is appropriate and adjusts treatment plans
  accordingly.
• Maintains a currency in therapeutic and assessment techniques by reviewing
  and/or participating in research.
• Provides advice to other staff in an attempt to
  promote and preserve a therapeutic environment for individual patients.
• Encourages or establishes a standard for general therapeutic techniques in
  dealing with all patients.
• Provides advice regarding appropriate staff responses toward a patient or specific environmental factors that will stimulate more self reliance reduce distress/symptoms or achieve more socially adaptable behavior patterns.
• Oversees other professionals or works as a key team member
  providing comprehensive psychological and medical care for a group of
  individuals.
• Promotes a psychotherapeutic atmosphere among the treatment staff.
• Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues

Duties and responsibilities may include but are not limited to:
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm.
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 92888-A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact Lacey Adkins the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
• 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.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• 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.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• US Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 section A paragraph 3.g this part.)
• 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

• 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

• 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:
• The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.

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 GS12 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.
Loss of Credential A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation which may result in termination of employment. At the discretion of the appointing official an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists.
Board Certification Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be board certified by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:

Staff Psychologist GS-11 (Entry Level) Nothing beyond the basic requirements.

Staff Psychologist 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.

Staff Psychologist 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: 1. Knowledge of and ability to apply professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. 2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. 3. Knowledge of clinical research literature.4. Knowledge of and ability to apply structured scientific paradigms to research involving existing protocols and established scientific methods including knowledge of research design and analysis as applied to their area of expertise that has resulted in recognition at the local and regional level and that is developing into national recognition (e.g. speaking at national conferences and/or publishing in nationally-distributed scientific journals). 5. Ability to perform essential research tasks of scholarship and research execution including research participant relations and management research documentation data acquisition and maintenance human subjects protection budget oversight supervision of project staff and collaboration.6. Ability to formulate results within a scientific framework and organize scientific reporting. 7. Knowledge of methods and ability to increase the basic research skills of others via research mentoring.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.