This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Learn more

Duties

If you are NOT a current, permanent VA employee or Federal employee from another agency or a current/past/upcoming HPT Graduate, you should apply under CBST-12186763-24-KMS. This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2024 or until all positions are filled. The initial cut-off date for referral of eligible applications will be November 14, 2023, with subsequent cut-off dates of every two weeks until all positions are filled. This position serves as a psychologist associated with the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Clinical Team (PCT). The PCT is an outpatient specialty mental health program that provides care to Veterans and Active-Duty Service members who have been diagnosed with PTSD related to their military service. Services are rendered primarily on an outpatient basis but may also include treatment provided through a PTSD Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program. Clinical care within the PCT is provided within a recovery framework that emphasize a whole-health approach to treatment, built upon a foundation of evidence-based practice and trauma-informed care. Within this framework, the focus of treatment extends beyond mere symptom reduction to also include improved overall quality of life and wellness. Responsibilities include clinical assessment, differential diagnosis, utilization of measurement-based care, collaborative individualized treatment planning, as well as direct delivery of clinical services in individual, group, couples/family, and telehealth formats. The PCT Psychologist will provide all services in accordance with relevant policies and practice guidelines, with a strong emphasis on delivering evidence-based interventions for PTSD (e.g. Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, and/or Eye-Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing), augmenting with other supported interventions (e.g. ACT, DBT, Moral Injury, etc.) as appropriate. The PCT Psychologist is also expected to be actively involved in the CAVHS Psychology Community and its pre-doctoral and post-doctoral training programs. The PCT Psychologist is also responsible for assisting with program and policy development and implementation; implementation of program philosophy within the interdisciplinary team; staff education; maintaining high standards through the review and judicious application of evidence-based practices, practice guidelines, and best practice methodology; and maintaining compliance with internal/external performance standards. Primary supervision is provided by the Chief of the PCT (Program Manager). The duties of a Staff Psychologist - PTSD Clinic include but not limited to: Clinical Responsibilities: 1.Provides a full range of psychological assessment services and diagnoses mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients. 2. Provides the full range of comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions including, time-limited individual, long-term individual, family, group psychotherapy, and crisis management. 3. Provides consultation to professional staff within CAVHS and to community providers concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients. 4. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others. 5. Performs evaluations for an outpatient mental health clinic and inpatient psychiatric populations. 6. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of notes. 7. Functions independently as a member of the CAVHS Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation. 8. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. 9. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30 am to 4 pm or 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is a not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD0045F and PD00455F Relocation/Recruitment Incentive: Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Education: (1) 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. OR (2) 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. 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 (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internships:(a) 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 (b) 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 (c) 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 (d) 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 (e) 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. 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). Preferred Experience: Good communication skills Interdisciplinary team experience Treatment planning skills Experience providing trauma focused psychotherapy services Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience: None above 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience or education above, 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. 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II Appendix G18, Psychologist Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. 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. Physical Requirements: The work requires light lifting (under 15 pounds), light carrying (under 15 pounds), reaching above shoulder level, use of hands and fingers, ability for rapid mental/muscular coordination simultaneously, ability to distinguish basic colors, and hearing (aid permitted). Environmental factors include working closely with others. (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services).

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 John L McClellan Memorial Veterans' Hospital 4300 West Seventh Street Little Rock, AR 72205 US
• Name: Krista Smith
• Phone: 501-274-6635
• Email: [email protected]