Career Center

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.

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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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: 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 1 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: 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
• Assignment
• Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders - conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments - treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities - provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders - and may conduct research
• They may be assigned to any program area
• GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level) Experience
• At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate 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
• Assignment
• This is the full performance level for staff psychologists
• At this level - psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services - consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate
• They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting - such as inpatient or outpatient medicine - primary care - surgery - mental health - neurology - rehabilitation medicine - geriatrics - Compensation and Pension - Vet Centers - and the VHA National Center for Organization Development
• Psychologists diagnose mental disorders - conduct psychological 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 behavioral health and community interventions
• Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional This vacancy will remain open until filled
• The first cut-off date is October 10 - 2025
• Additional applications will be referred as needed
• (NOTE: Applications expire after 90 days
• Please update application thru USAJobs if you wish to be reconsidered.) The incumbent serves as a full performance PTSD psychologist at the Amarillo VA Health Care System Behavioral Health Department - which provides multidisciplinary team dynamic approach to patient care and treatment
• The PTSD psychologist will be working with Veterans diagnosed with PTSD - many of whom are combat war veterans
• Duties include provision of culturally sensitive care - ability to adapt treatments to meet needs of Veterans with TBI - sensory changes - and/or cognitive changes
• knowledge of VA/DOD clinical practice guidelines for PTSD
• familiarity with evidence-based treatments for PTSD and co-occurring disorders including depression - substance use - and insomnia
• and knowledge of military culture
• Provides specialized psychological services for PTSD at all levels of complexity and comorbid conditions to include intake evaluation - diagnostic assessments - psychotherapy - and patient/family education
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual therapy - group therapy - couples therapy - and psycho-education classes
• Regularly uses valid measurement instruments to monitor treatment progress and guide clinical decision making - and guide treatment planning
• Uses shared decision making to arrive at clinical decisions and develop treatment plans
• Provides motivational enhancement activities to prepare Veterans to participate in clinically appropriate care and engage in treatment
• Develops person-centered - culturally sensitive treatment plans to address mental health needs of patients
• Conducts evaluations to aid in the differential diagnosis of complex cases
• Complies with national and local performance measures - including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients
• Ensures efficiency and continuity of service delivery to PTSD patients when enrolled in treatment and appropriately transitions patients out of specialty PTSD services when treatment has ended
• Implements process and outcome measures to evaluate the impact of providing specialty mental health services on patients with PTSD
• Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system - as appropriate
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m
• - 4:30 p.m
• Recruitment/Relocation Incentive: May be authorized for a highly qualified candidate
• EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact vhaedrpprogramsupport@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 Available Virtual: This is not a virtual/remote position
• Functional Statement #: 54142-F Preferred Experience: 2 years of experience providing Evidence Based Practices for PTSD Competency-based training in Cognitive Processing Therapy or Prolonged Exposure 2 years of experience conducting psychological assessment of mental health conditions Knowledge of military culture