Job opening: Pain Psychologist
Salary: $108 346 - 140 847 per year
Published at: Nov 21 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
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.
Duties
Clinical Responsibilities:
1. Provides a full range of psychological assessment services and diagnoses mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients with co-morbid mental and physical health problems.
2. Provides evidence-based interventions (i.e. CBT-CP) to Veteran presenting with chronic pain conditions.
3. Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy.
4. Provides consultation to professional staff within Hershel "Woody" Williams VAMC and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients.
5. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for patients involved with the Interdisciplinary Pain Team who require such treatment.
6. Functions independently as a member of the within Hershel "Woody" Williams VAMC Medical Staff with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation.
7. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others.
8. Provides clinical supervision to various disciplines and levels of training, including trainees seeking licensure in psychology including entry level psychologists, doctoral level interns, and graduate psychology students
9. Provides leadership guidance and consultation to staff of teams to which assigned.
Work Schedule: 08:00 AM - 04:30 PM
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT IS AUTHROIZED FOR THIS POSITION
Qualifications
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 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 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.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
Grade Determinations:
GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level): Experience. At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level. In 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.
*Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed. Post-Doctoral Degree Fellowships. Postdoctoral fellowships or residencies are training programs in an advanced area of clinical practice. Training as a fellow or resident is considered to be creditable experience on a year-for-year basis.
References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, 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 GS-13.
Physical Requirements: Light Lifting/Carrying (under 15 pounds); use of fingers; Operation of a motor vehicle; have sight and depth perception; mental and emotional stability.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Failure to provide transcript may result in non-referral of your application if your education cannot be verified.
The doctoral degree must be fully accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA)
https://accreditation.apa.org/accredited-programs, the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS)
https://www.pcsas.org/, or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
https://cpa.ca/accreditation/cpaaccreditedprograms/ at the time the program was completed.
NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.
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 Huntington VA Medical Center
1540 Spring Valley Drive
Huntington, WV 25704
US
- Name: Jeremy Williams
- Phone: 858-642-3038
- Email: [email protected]
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