Staff Psychologist - Behavioral Health Integrated Program (BHIP)

Summary

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. Program 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

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This Psychologist is actively involved in providing behavioral health interventions and psychological assessment services through the outpatient Mental Health Clinic known as the Behavioral Health Integrated Program (BHIP) level of care.

Major duties include but are not limited to the following :

• Provides focused clinical interviews and psycho-diagnostic assessments, including symptom report measures and neurocognitive screening instruments, to assist in developing appropriate treatment plans for implementation of evidence-based behavioral health interventions in providing quality care to Veterans with a range of mental health and neurocognitive issues.
• Provides a full range of evidence-based therapeutic interventions including individual and couple interventions for patients with a wide range of behavioral health concerns commonly encountered in the outpatient Mental Health Clinic setting, including but not limited to : Depression and other Mood disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Trauma related disorders, etc.
• Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services for Veterans with a range of mental disorders, including assessment and use of the most appropriate evidence-based psychotherapeutic modalities in providing quality care. Provides clinical, psycho-diagnostic interviews and neurocognitive screening assessments for Veterans in various settings as requested.
• As assigned, provides clinical supervision and oversight to either Graduate Psychologists seeking licensure / privileging OR Psychology Interns, following the local and national directives with oversight of clinical supervision of unlicensed staff.
• Facilitates Veterans' timely referral to specialty mental health or substance abuse treatment as appropriate.
• Provides informal and formal consultative services with fellow providers to address questions about how to approach Veterans with mental health concerns and how to direct their care to appropriate specialty services as appropriate.
• Is involved in program evaluation and quality assurance activities; monitors information from and participates as much as possible in monthly national conference calls on subjects relevant to the integration of mental health into primary care settings.
• Provides supervision and oversight of predoctoral Psychology interns as well as practicum / extern students, as required.
• Provides administrative duties in support of clinical service provision including :

Prompt, professional communication, either directly or through the medical record with primary care providers who refer patients to the primary care Psychologist.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule : Monday-Friday 8 : 00am-4 : 30pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus) : Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance) : Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized : Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact vhavisn23edrp@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions / assistance. Learn more

Pay : Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

Paid Time Off : 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).

Parental Leave : After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy : After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66 .

Retirement : Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance : Federal health / vision / dental / term life / long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework : Ad-hoc

Virtual : This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement # : 000000

SLRP : This occupational series may be eligible for the Student Loan Repayment Program (SLRP). Repayment is limited to $10,000 annually, up to $60,000 in lifetime awards. Participants must sign a service agreement and maintain an acceptable level of performance to remain eligible for this program.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS) : Not authorized

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider :

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements :

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

The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and

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.

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

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.

Grade Determinations : GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level) :

GS-12 Staff Psychologist (Developmental Level) :

Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations.

GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level) :

Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.

Reference : For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https : / / www.va.gov / ohrm / QualificationStandards / .

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 : You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination.

Education

IMPORTANT : A transcript must be submitted with 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 : https : / / sites.ed.gov / international / recognition-of-foreign-qualifications / .

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave : Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration / Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA / OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.