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

The psychologist is assigned primarily to the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Outpatient Clinic and may also work in the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Residential Rehabilitation clinic at the Kansas City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The psychologist will provide therapeutic and diagnostic activities to patients with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders. The incumbent has responsibility for providing psychological services in the SUD residential and outpatient clinics. Clinic. Specific psychological services that are provided include (but are not limited to) the following: The psychologist will conduct assessments for mental health, substance use, psychosocial and any associated problems in the substance use disorders clinical settings. The incumbent will diagnose mental disorders and provide cognitive function screenings and psychological assessments. New patients may be referred for an initial psychological evaluation with follow-ups determined by their clinical needs. The psychologist will assess patients for suicidal, homicidal or violent behavior and offer appropriate treatment modalities. Services are designed to provide the full-range of clinically indicated psychological treatment and rehabilitation services for patients with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders with a focus on providing evidence-based intervention, including evidence-based psychotherapies. The psychologist will use appropriate treatment modalities including time-limited individual, group, couples, and family psychotherapy. The psychologist provides education (individual, family, and group) on substance use disorders, mental/emotional problems, preventive care, and the use of prescribed treatments. He/she will provide ongoing follow up for appropriate patients and will assist in monitoring the patients enrolled in the program and the outcome of various treatments provided by the program. S/he will maintain phone contact with patients' families, and community agencies as needed. The psychologist will participate in discharge planning and write discharge summaries. When clinically indicated, s/he will do a provider to provider hand off The psychologist serves as a member of the multidisciplinary team. The psychologist will complete consults, evaluating patients for the appropriateness of admission to various levels of SUD treatment and place consults for residential and outpatient levels of care for follow-up treatment for SUD and/or mental health disorders. S/he will serve as a consultant to others needing guidance and direction in the management of complex, difficult patient care cases, especially involving substance use and co- occurring disorders in residential and other settings. S/he will coordinate health care services with other departments within the VA facility as appropriate. Work Schedule: Monday -Friday- 8:00am- 4:30pm (Potential for on call tour) Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #:000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized - Recruitment and relocation incentives are available for highly qualified candidates. 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

Requirements

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. 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. 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. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology). 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; 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. AND 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 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. English Language Proficiency: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level) Experience: None beyond the basic requirements. 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate 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. 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 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: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the 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. References: VA Handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard dated February 7, 2018. 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: While performing the duties of this job, the incumbent is frequently required to stand, walk, and bend, climb stairs, and reach with hands and arms. The incumbent must have good manual dexterity and keyboarding skills. The incumbent must be able to communicate efficiently by expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word. In addition the incumbent must be able to utilize, view, and read information on computer screens; operate a pager; and operate the required phone equipment. The individual must be able to operate a motor vehicle.

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 Kansas City VA Medical Center 4801 Linwood Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64128 US
• Name: Fallon Bailey
• Phone: (410) 336-5277
• Email: [email protected]