You could be part of an important initiative to provide mental health care for our nations Veterans! The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs mental health professionals who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who serve our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. America's Veterans need you!

Duties

PLEASE NOTE: Qualified clinical trainees, residents, fellows, interns, etc. are encouraged to apply; please follow the instructions in the How to Apply section. This position is eligible for the EDRP, a student loan reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirement, and submit your application within four months of appointment. The final award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) is determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services office. Recruitment/Relocation incentive may be authorized to a highly qualified candidate. Major duties and responsibilities include: This full time position consists of a psychologist that participates in a full range of psychotherapeutic diagnostic and training activities under the supervision of the Chief of Psychology. They are responsible for the provision of outpatient posttraumatic stress disorder services as part of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team (PCT) at the Louis A Johnson VAMC. This individual will perform assessment and evidence based individual and group psychotherapy for Veterans experiencing symptoms of PTSD. These services may include provision of therapy or assessment via telehealth equipment. The inclusion of family in the treatment process may occur when deemed appropriate. This individual will act as a specialist in the treatment of PTSD and will consult with peers in this area as needed. They will participate in collaborative treatment planning and program development and evaluation as part of the PCT. The incumbent will serve as a consultant to other disciplines in the area of behavioral and mental health and other areas of the facility as needed. They will participate in the professional activities of the Behavioral Health Service and the Medical Center at the direction of and approval of the Chief of Psychology and Associate Chief of Staff, Behavioral Health. These activities may include, but are not limited to: administrative committees of Behavioral Health and/or the Medical Center, continuing education, training, research, and treatment/program evaluation. They function as a member of the Louis A Johnson VAMC Medical Staff with full clinical privileges. The psychologist complies with all documentation and coding procedures, as well as national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. The psychologist should have a strong foundation in evidence based psychotherapy and diagnosis in the areas of PTSD and other mental health diagnosis. They should possess good time management skills, be self-directed, and have good communication and negotiation skills to balance workload demands. The psychologist should be familiar with and able to easily use a personal computer. Proficiency in writing psychological reports, chart notes, and develop treatment summaries in a timely manner is expected. They should be able to prioritize their work appropriately and should seek consultation as needed to deal with difficult cases. The psychologist should be able to demonstrate leadership abilities within an respectful interdisciplinary team format and should be self-motivating to seek out an complete work assignments. The psychologist should be familiar with VA and Behavioral Health Services policies and procedures as well as accrediting body standards such as Joint Commission and should be able to follow protocol while maintaining necessary flexibility to over come and barriers to providing service to Veterans. The psychologist should exhibit excellent customer service skills toward both patients and coworkers and remain professional even during times of high level stress. The psychologist should be able to work collegially with all other professions and should demonstrate tolerance of those with different opinions and/or attitudes. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00-4:30. ***Tour of duty may change based on the needs of the Medical Facility. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Telework: Ad-hoc may be available Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected] , the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Applicants tentatively selected are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior and will not be appointed if a verified positive drug test result is received. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/01/2023. 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 respecialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) the respecialization 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 candidate's doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicant's 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. Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following: GS-11 Level: no additional experience beyond the basic requirement GS-12 Level: at least 1 full year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the GS-11 level, and are able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities: 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. GS-13 Level: at least 2 addition years of experience, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level, as a professional psychologist that was obtained through employment as a psychologist or through participating in a supervised post-doctoral psychology training program that demonstrates 1) active professional practice that was paid/non-paid employment and/or 2) a full, current and unrestricted license. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics associated with current psychology practice: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to a 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. *Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed. Preferred Experience: In delivering first line evidence based psychotherapy for Veterans with PTSD. Training in EMDR a plus. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: This position requires the ability to read printed material and distinguish colors, such as reading computer screens and the ability to accurately perceive depth so as to move around the work space safely and to appropriately make contact with patients and staff. Some bending and stooping is required, and frequent walking will be required throughout the medical center. 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.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Louis A Johnson VA Medical Center 1 Medical Center Drive Clarksburg, WV 26301 US
• Name: Michelle Jackson
• Phone: 410-605-7000
• Email: [email protected]