Psychologist

Resume Requirement: Your resume must be detailed include the following information: Job title description of duties beginning and ending date (month/year) of employment; and average hours worked per week.

Clinical Responsibilities (90%-100% of time)
- Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care.
- Makes use of evidence-based treatments for a full range of patient populations and psychiatric conditions covered in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th Edition (DSM-V).
- Performs evaluations for specific patient populations.
- Provides assessment and treatment services in an outpatient clinic setting to include individual group couples/family therapy video telehealth telephonic and face-to-face care formats.
- Completes consults secure messages patient correspondence or other requests for care in a timely manner.
- Returns patient phone calls and provides guidance to patients on treatment options.
- Consults with and advises medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues.
- If unlicensed practice is under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist and must meet the standards of supervision required by the Department of Veterans Affairs and state psychology licensure.
- Accomplishes suicide risk screenings risk assessments safety plans behavior reports and other processes relevant to suicide prevention standards.
- Provides case management for identified populations as indicated.

Academic/Teaching/Training: (0%-5% of time)
- Provides training and guidance to pre-doctoral interns post-doctoral fellows psychology doctoral practicum students and other allied health trainees.
- Serves as a consultant to staff and trainees and assist in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients.
- Participate in training committee and related training functions.

Research/Program Evaluation (0% - 2.5% of time)
- Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation and/or research.
- Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system as appropriate.
- Continue program monitors and outcome measurements within programs assigned using a data-driven quality assurance process.
- Completes clinical reminders consults return to clinic orders open encounters and other clinical administrative requirements as relevant within the Mental Health Service.
- Serves on process improvement workgroups within the healthcare system as assigned.
- Assists in preparing RFPs and grant proposals as assigned.


Other Significant Responsibilities: (0% - 2.5% of time)
- Attends supervision activities as required by VHA and state psychology licensing requirements.
- Develops and implements groups as appropriate to meet the needs of Veterans.
- Serves on VALL VISN or National VA committees as assigned.
- Assists with administrative responsibilities in managing clinical team role.
- Attends team service facility or other meetings as required.
- Completes all training as assigned.
- Accomplishes all other duties as assigned.


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm (Subject to change based on the needs of the agency.)
Compressed/Flexible:Not Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

• 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.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• 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).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See Additional Information below for details.

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:

• Citizenship. Citizen of the United States.
• Licensure. Applicants 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.
• Education. Applicant 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 applicants are 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; 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. OR
  • Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

• Internships. Applicants 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 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.

• GS-11 Experience: None beyond the basic requirements listed above.

• GS-12 Experience: Applicants must have at least 1 year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). In addition the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  1. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations.
  2. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies.
  3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.
  4. Ability to conduct research activities such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).
  5. 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.
  Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders and may conduct research. They may be assigned to any program area.

• GS-13 Experience: Applicants must have at least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate 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.
  Assignment. This is the full performance level for staff psychologists. At this level psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting such as inpatient or outpatient medicine primary care surgery mental health neurology rehabilitation medicine geriatrics Compensation and Pension Vet Centers and the VHA National Center for Organization Development. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual family and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation teaching training and research activities.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-11 to GS-13.

References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G18- Psychologist Qualification Standard.

Physical Requirements: The work requires standing walking bending pushing and lifting (moderately heavy). Capable of prolonged standing/walking and be physically capable of pushing equipment wheelchairs and patient stretcher.