Details
Posted: 06-Aug-22
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Salary: Open
Categories:
Psychology
Internal Number: 669567000
The incumbent serves as a Psychologist in the Mental Health Service. The incumbent has primary assignment in the support of behavioral health services in the outpatient Mental Health Clinic and serves as a key member of the Behavioral Health Integrated Program (BHIP) team. The outpatient Mental Health Clinic is one of the functional units providing psychological services to the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center/Eastern Colorado Health Care System. 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. 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 or 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. 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 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 Determinations: GS-11 (Entry Level): None beyond basic requirements GS-12 (Developmental level): 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. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of 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 (Full performance level): At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one-year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. 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. 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. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103 FEBRUARY 7, 2018 PART II APPENDIX G18 Physical Requirements: The work involves the physical activities typically associated with office-based mental health practice. No extreme physical demands are needed. The work does require a high degree of patience and emotional control, due to the intrinsic nature of mental health practice. ["This is an open continuous announcement. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. 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. Staff psychologist offer Evidence Based Treatments and serve as an integral member of the Behavioral Health Integrated Program (BHIP) team. They consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. The assessment and care provided accommodate to the cognitive, emotional, chronological maturation, and diversity needs of the person served. Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions with a strong emphasis on evidence-based models of care in the outpatient mental health setting. Conducts assessment appropriate to individual patient with attention to the implications of test results for a veteran's every-day, real-world function, and successful treatment/management of health problems with an emphasis on behavioral health factors associated with improved quality of life. Provides group, individual, and family psychotherapy and counseling to veterans and family members as indicated through assessment process. Provides psychoeducation to patients and family members to support healthcare adherence and relapse prevention. Works with assigned Behavioral Health Integrated Program (BHIP) team to support optimum clinical care. Consults and coordinates with community providers following HIPP A practices to support psychosocial recovery of the person served. May provide clinical supervision to pre-doctoral practicum students in clinical/counseling psychology, predoctoral interns in clinical psychology, post-doctoral fellows in clinical psychology, or unlicensed psychologists. Participates in improvement of clinical supervision skills with emphasis on Evidence Based Practice models. Provides training and guidance to other behavioral health staff. Takes on program development tasks as assigned. Participates in planning of measurement, gathering and analysis of outcome data to guide program evaluation and development. Implements program design and assists in clinical management of program staff as assigned. Assumes responsibility for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation. Maintains ongoing scholarly and self-education activities. Participates in psychology peer review. May serve as faculty at local or other system-wide education and training conferences Serves on committees as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday, 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.\nTelework: Part-time telework available for highly qualified individuals\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 54106O, 54107O, 54108O,\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized\nEDRP Authorized: Contact Jeffrey Young, the EDRP Coordinator, at Jeffrey.Young9@va.gov for questions/assistance.\nThis 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. Learn more\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]