Staff Psychologist

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.

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:
  • (1) 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. OR
  • (2) 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
  • (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.] AND
  • (4) Internships:
    • (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. 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.
• 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.
  • (1) 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 GS12 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.
• Board Certification and Loss of Credential
  • (1) Board Certification. Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education.

Grade Determinations:

• (1) Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level)
  • (a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.
• (2) Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental 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.
• (3) Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (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.

Preferred Experience: APA approved internship and APA doctoral program in Clinical Counseling Psychology.

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: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation and would generally not require a pre-placement examination. Exceptions: A pre-placement examination is required for any occupation or assignment that requires the operation of a government-owned or -leased motor vehicle in order to properly carry out assigned duties. Examinations may also be required for any occupation or assignment that requires a pre-placement examination by virtue of another policy, regulation, or statute

Responsibilities:

The duties of this position include but are not limited to the following:
The psychologist serves as a staff psychologist for the Substance Addiction Treatment Program (SATP) in the Mental Health Division (MHD) of the VA Portland Health Care System (VAPORHCS). The psychologist will be an integral member of a multidisciplinary team (e.g., psychiatrists, social workers, counselors, nurses) focused on providing primary treatment (consultation, evaluation, psychotherapy) for substance use disorders across a full continuum of care in an outpatient mental health clinic setting.

The psychologist may work in one or more Mental Health programs located in the Portland metropolitan area or in other urban or rural areas in Oregon. Some mental health programs are co-located in VA primary care clinics. Additionally, Telemedicine approaches may be used to provide clinical care. There will be an expectation that the psychologist will have strong communication and/or team-building skills. The MHD utilizes an interdisciplinary team model of patient care to deliver biopsychosocial treatment for Veterans, with MHD psychologists functioning as core members of these treatment teams.

Staff psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies, and other interventions such as biofeedback, psychological hypnosis, and environmental interventions; specialty interventions require special privileging. They consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities.

Provides functional assessments and diagnostic services for Veterans with Substance Use Disorder who are receiving care within VAPORHCS.

Demonstrates expertise in using contemporary interview and psychometric assessment methods for mental disorders and/or behavioral health conditions.

Provides education to patients and family members regarding Substance Use Disorders and best practice approaches to treatment.

Provides evidenced-based psychotherapeutic interventions as indicated and appropriate for the specific job setting and duties of the psychologist, which may include individual, family, and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation.

Provides consultation to health care providers throughout the Medical Center about assessment findings and treatment plans for patients to ensure that care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within VAPORHCS.

Develops, implements, and documents the mental health treatment plan for patients Veterans seen by the SATP as indicated and appropriate for the specific job setting and duties of the psychologist. Adheres to all Facility and Service Line policies and practices for delivering clinical care, including but not limited to risk assessment and reduction practices for potentially dangerous behavior (suicide and violence), timeliness of care and access standard, professional conduct requirements, and CPRS documentation conventions.

Achieves minimal clinical workload expectations as established by the Service Line.

Provides supervision of trainees conducting direct clinical care.

Provides clinical supervision and instruction for psychology trainees (interns and/or postdoctoral fellows) assigned to the primary work setting.

Serves on a Psychology Service committee concerned with oversight of the training program (Training Committee, MDC).

Holds a faculty appointment at Oregon Health & Science University or other affiliated university that requires accomplishments in clinical supervision, training, and education (clinical or clinician-teacher faculty appointment).

Provides clinical supervision and/or training for medical residents, medical students, social work interns, or other trainees not enrolled in a psychology training program.

Provides leadership guidance and consultation to unit staff in the area(s) assigned.

Other teaching, training, or educational responsibilities.

VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 08:00am-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 V20CompensationTeam@va.gov, for questions/assistance. Learn more
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized

Salary : $88,235 - $200,000