Job opening: Clinical Psychologist
Salary: $128 823 - 167 467 per year
Published at: Oct 23 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
In this position, the individual has a primary responsibility for the provision of psychotherapy services through a Specialty Mental Health Clinic (MHC) at the Fredericksburg Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in the Central VA Health Care System, which may include the Southpoint, Massaponax, or Mary Washington locations.
Duties
General Duties:
The incumbent will be expected to provide psychological assessment services and evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising psychotherapies consistent with provision of care guidelines for Veterans presenting with a broad spectrum of psychological problems and psychiatric symptoms. The successful incumbent will have experience in provision of time-limited individual and group psychotherapies for female and male veterans presenting with mental health concerns, particularly those with histories of military and non-military trauma. Additional foci of treatment may include anger management, insomnia, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders, among others.
Clinical Responsibilities (80% of the time)
Diagnoses mental disorders and conducts psychological and/or cognitive function assessments and neuropsychological screenings and assessments.
Incumbent provides a full range of comprehensive psychotherapeutic interventions, including crisis intervention and outpatient individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapies for PTSD, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and co-morbid conditions and diagnoses, including substance misuse, with an emphasis on time-limited evidence-based and evidence informed approaches.
Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care.
Leads a minimum of three evidence-based or evidence-informed psychotherapy groups
Develops specialized behavior plans as appropriate and consults with staff on how to implement them
Consults with medical center and CBOC staff on wide variety of patient care issues.
May provide services to the families of Veterans with PTSD and Complex PTSD, including such services as psychoeducation, couples therapy, and family therapy, to help the Veteran improve his/her functioning within their family system.
Develops safety plans for patients with suicidal and/or homicidal ideation and intent
Non-Clinical Duties (20% of the time)
May provide clinical supervision, including trainees seeking licensure in psychology
May be involved in Psychology Training Program and Training Committee
Involved in program evaluation activities
May present outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings.
May plan and implement personal research programs designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches
Administrative Activities (10% of the time)
Member of CBOC Mental Health Treatment Team, assessing and diagnosing patients, developing treatment plans, and making recommendations regarding treatment plans to other members of the treatment team.
Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team to which the incumbent is assigned
Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings
May serve on the Healthcare System, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces
Facilitates liaisons with other mental health and health care programs to effectively coordinate services.
Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm; Monday - Friday
Telework: Ad Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized for highly qualified applicants
EDRP Authorized: Contact
[email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
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: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
Education:
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; (b) The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship, OR...
Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
Internship:
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 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: 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.
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)
Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.
Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, and other assigned duties.
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
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
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
GS-13 Staff Psychologist (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.
Assignment. At this level, psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate.
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).
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 5005/103 Part II Appendix G18The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-13
Physical Requirements: Work is performed in a clinical setting. Walking, standing, light lifting, typing, carrying, and bending may be required.
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 Central Virginia VA Health Care System
1201 Broad Rock Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23249
US
- Name: Krista Schaidt
- Phone: 8049246112
- Email: [email protected]
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