This psychologist functions as a staff psychologist for the Mental Health and Behavioral Science Service Line within the VA Central Alabama Health Care System. The psychologist may diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders.
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: 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 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; (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 Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internship: (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. 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. 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). Grade Determinations: GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level) (a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-12 Staff Psychologist (Development Level) (a) 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. (b) 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 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) (a) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. (b) 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. All qualifying experience you possess must be clearly described in your application package. We will not make assumptions when reviewing applications. Failure to demonstrate your experience in your resume may result in disqualification. It is strongly recommended that you write to each KSA in your application package. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Refer to VA Handbook 5019.
Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provides screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders, as well as other Axis I conditions, with an emphasis on the application of evidence-based psychotherapy approaches proven effective for the condition of focus and the population to which assigned. Performs psychological assessment and interpretation of results to inform treatment planning, as appropriate to the needs of the mental health program to which assigned. Provides screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed. Provides individual and group psychotherapy using modalities appropriate to the target emotional or behavioral conditions, the treatment setting, and the target population. Provides clinical supervision to assigned psychology staff, students, trainees, and pre-doctoral interns, as part of CAVHCS APA Approved Psychology Internship Program. Consults with patients, their families, other medical professionals, attorneys, and other appropriate persons to interpret clinical findings. Leads, facilitates and coordinates treatment planning and assigns person responsible for following-up on established goals and objectives. Directs, coordinates and instructs other professional support staff, attendants, and trainees, in patient care and rehabilitation of patients. Participates as a member of a treatment team if applicable to the assigned mental health program or specialty area. Provides consultation services to other disciplines within Mental Health, across service lines and the VISN. Actively involved in all processes leading to achieve optimal levels of performance measures and performance improvement initiatives for the assigned program or clinic. Familiar with the Behavioral Health-Level of Care (BH-LOC) InterQual Criteria and other relevant Psychology Service, CAVHCs, Network, and VHA performance measures. Participates fully in peer review, assessing the quality of professional psychology standards provided in the organization. Responsible for identification of patient problems requiring consultation with other multi-disciplinary medical center staff and making appropriate referrals. Assures that appropriate referrals to specialty programs, including community resources, are accomplished. This may include ordering the consults such as the following: Mental Health Programs (i.e. Neuropsychological Assessment, Pain Management Program, Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, Residential / In-Patient Substance Use Treatment, Mental Health Intensive Care Management, Vocational Industries Programs (e.g. IT, Compensated Work Therapy, CWT/Transitional Residence, etc.), Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, Psychosocial Recovery Center, and other programs (internal and external) as appropriately indicated. Fully accountable for clinical practice, including entering encounters for patient visits, measuring outcomes to interventions, and meeting assigned productivity standards. Ensures clinical and administrative documentation is provided timely and consistent with the organization's local, VISN, VHA standards, as well as other external accrediting bodies. Promotes patient independence and achievement of optimal health through appropriate psychosocial education and community referrals. Participates fully in educational development through staff and section meetings. Providing and, where appropriate, referring patients, families and significant others for counseling in health maintenance and disease prevention. Assumes responsibility for professional development by attending relevant training and regularly reviewing the literature to improve clinical competencies Work Schedule: 8:300am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 619-58335F; 619-58333F; 619-58326F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for 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 your start date. 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. Former participants are ineligible to apply for the EDRP incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions or assistance. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized