Career Center

Summary

This position is with the Fort Worth Outpatient Clinic. The Primary Purpose of the Position is to serve as a staff psychologist on an interdisciplinary outpatient mental health team - (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Team (BHIP) - in which the employee conducts a variety of outpatient services - including provision of evidence-based psychotherapy and completion of psychological screenings and evaluations aimed at serving the needs of Veterans.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship
• Be a citizen of the United States
• (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3.g - this part.) Education
• (1) Have a doctoral degree in psychology from a graduate program in psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association - the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System - or the Canadian Psychological Association 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 (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
• 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
• Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards
• OR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• AND 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 in a specialty area that is consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed
• 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
• NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard
• 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 4 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
• Loss of Credential
• A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation - which may result in termination of employment
• At the discretion of the appointing official - an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists
• 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
• (2) Loss of Credential
• Once board certified - psychologist must maintain a full - valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment
• A psychologist who fails to maintain the required board certification must be removed from the occupation - which may result in termination of employment
• At the discretion of the appointing official - an employee may be reassigned to another occupation if qualified and if a placement opportunity exists
• Physical Requirements
• See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• English Language Proficiency
• Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English 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)
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist - GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• 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
• Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist
• Continued in Additional Information
• .

Duties

• Duties include but are not limited to: This is a direct patient care position which requires General Core Psychology privileges
• The incumbent provides a full range of therapeutic interventions for a MH outpatient team including time-limited individual therapy - couples/family therapy - process and time-limited group therapy - and psychoeducation in individual and group format
• Cognitive and behavioral therapy approaches are used most frequently - with an emphasis on time-limited evidence-based treatments
• The incumbent is knowledgeable of current research literature and has received training in evidence-based treatments relevant to the position and engages in measurement-based care where clinically appropriate
• The incumbent administers and interprets a wide variety of psychological assessment tools
• Psychological interviews - testing - and assessment skills are utilized for a variety of patient conditions
• The psychologist is aware of complicating factors such as substance abuse/dependence - medical/neurological conditions - personality - and other psychological functioning factors - including the co-morbidity of substance abuse - and psychiatric conditions
• The Employee uses a variety of modalities to treat mental disorders and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders - including crisis management
• The incumbent responds to patient crisis situations in a timely manner with the goal of assisting the patient to maintain a positive and effective relationship with the staff - family and other patients
• Patient and staff safety will take priority in any crisis
• The incumbent provides suicide risk assessment and safety planning as needed
• This includes providing triage services for patients at elevated risk of harm to self or others
• There are no administrative responsibilities associated with this position
• However - the employee may directly supervise the work of unlicensed psychologists - practicum students - interns - and postdoctoral fellows
• The incumbent may provide education seminars for psychology interns and for postdoctoral fellows and may participate in applicant interviews and selection
• As with all staff psychologist positions within Mental Health Service - the employee is called upon to serve on ad hoc workgroups or committees within the service to address problems and concerns of the profession and service
• The incumbent actively participates in the Team's performance improvement project(s) aimed at evaluating inefficiencies within the clinic and developing strategies to remedy such issues
• The incumbent is expected to engage in all team related activities - including attendance of team/program meetings - monthly Psychology staff meetings - and main overall compliance with Psychology peer review procedures
• As with all Staff Psychologist positions in Mental Health - the incumbent may be called upon to serve on ad hoc workgroups or committees within the service to address problems and concerns of the service
• The psychologist assumes responsibility for independent professional functioning and regularly works with a variety of complex cases within the assigned areas
• The Psychologist is accountable for keeping the supervisor informed of administrative matters - professional activities - significant occurrences - and identifying problem areas that should be brought to the attention of the incumbent's direct supervisor and management
• Work will be reviewed by the supervisors through individual conferences - through random record audit and the peer review process
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am to 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VISN17EDRP2@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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• 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
• Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 53780-F - 53781-F - 53782-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized