Job opening: PCT Psychologist
Salary: $76 017 - 140 847 per year
Published at: Jan 25 2024
Employment Type: Full-time
The incumbent serves as Staff Psychologist assigned to the PCT to provide services to Veterans suffering from PTSD and other trauma related disorders. The incumbent completes evaluations for patients primarily referred by MH Gateway clinic and PCMHI providers, but patients may also be referred by general mental health providers.
Duties
Clinical Responsibilities: Provides a full range of integrated psychological care to Veterans with PTSD and other trauma related disorders , including psycho-diagnostic assessment, individual and group psychotherapies, collaborative care management, evidence-based integrated psychotherapies, motivational interviewing, and other services both in person and through tele-health technology when required. Produces Specific duties include:
Provides a full range of integrated psychological care to Veterans with PTSD and other trauma related disorders , including psycho-diagnostic assessment, individual and group psychotherapies, collaborative care management, evidence-based integrated psychotherapies, motivational interviewing, and other services both in person and through tele-health technology when required.
Provides evidence-based psychotherapies using evidence-based interventions, including CPT, PE Therapy or other recognized therapies to treat PTSD (e.g. EMDR) and supports others in training and implementation of these therapies.
Completed PTSD consults by providing diagnostic evaluations, treatment planning and functional evaluations for PTSD and other trauma related disorders.
Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate; Develops and helps provide training to staff throughout the VAMC on VHA best practices and clinical practice guidelines for the treatment and management of Veterans with mild-to- moderate mental health problems.
Consults with health care providers of all disciplines regarding care for patients on a wide variety of patient care issues.
Completes administrative activities in support of patient care, such as treatment planning and documentation of care.
Serves as a mentor to other Psychologists, particularly those at the entry level.
Provides clinical supervision for unlicensed psychologists and psychology interns once independently licensed.
Provides clinical support to patients in MH crisis needs.
Participates in special projects and initiatives and performs special assignments, to include hospital-wide committees and projects.
Work Schedule: 08:00 AM - 04:30 PM
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
RECRUITMENT/RELOCATION INCENTIVE IS AUTHORIZED
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.
Qualifications
Basic Requirements:
Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
Education:
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.
OR
Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a respecialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the respecialization program) meeting 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.
OR
Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
Internships
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;
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 candidate's 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.
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.
GRADE REQUIREMENTS
Creditable Experience: To be creditable, psychological work experience can be obtained through paid or non-paid employment providing psychological work or through participating in a supervised postdoctoral psychology training program (i.e., fellowship or residency). Psychological work experience must have occurred after the doctoral degree was obtained and must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional psychology practice.
Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties to be performed. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to or exceeding professional psychology experience at the next lower level.
Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following:
GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level): No additional experience beyond the basic requirement
GS-12 Staff Psychologist (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.
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 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.
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
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.
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: Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, light lifting under 15 pounds, light carrying, under 15 pounds. Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, Standing and/or sitting. A pre-employment physical examination is required for selected candidates.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. 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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