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
• English Language Proficiency Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - Section A - Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. - chapter 73 or 74 - to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English
• Education Requirement - You must 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 completed a 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 you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for
• OR - have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• Internship Requirement - You must 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)
• NOTE: 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: Candidates must 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
• 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): 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
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: a
• Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations
• b
• Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies
• c
• Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures
• d
• Ability to conduct research activities - such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties)
• e
• 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): Experience
• At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist - with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs a
• Knowledge of - and ability to apply - professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations
• b
• Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health
• c
• Knowledge of clinical research literature
• *Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed
• Post-Doctoral Degree Fellowships
• Postdoctoral fellowships or residencies are training programs in an advanced area of clinical practice
• Training as a fellow or resident is considered to be creditable experience on a year-for-year basis
• Preferred Experience: GS-12 Experience working on interdisciplinary teams or in a large medical center
• Experience working with veteran and diverse populations
• Experience/training in evidence-based psychotherapies GS-13 Experience working on interdisciplinary teams or in a large medical center
• Experience working with veteran and diverse populations
• Experience/training in evidence-based psychotherapies
• Completion of an APA-accredited postdoctoral fellowship
• Administrative or process improvement experience 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: Light lifting - under 15 pounds Light carrying - under 15 pounds Use of fingers Both hands required Hearing (aid may be permitted) Ability to perform privileges Ability to independently perform physical exam Emotional & Mental stability

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional GS-11 - Staff Psychologist (BHIP)Major Duties Conducts diagnostic interviews - psychological evaluations - and suicide risk assessments for Veterans Provides brief - evidence-based individual - group - and family interventions within BHIP Applies structured clinical methods to support diagnostic clarification and treatment planning Delivers consultation to interdisciplinary team members on behavioral health conditions and interventions Provides services via telehealth when clinically indicated Educates patients and families on conditions - treatments - and self-management Documents clinical care in accordance with VA standards Administrative / Program Role Participates in interdisciplinary team meetings - treatment planning - and care coordination Completes clinical documentation and workload capture per performance requirements Engages in training - supervision - and professional development Supports BHIP program operations and assigned initiatives GS-12 - Staff Psychologist (BHIP)Major Duties Independently conducts comprehensive psychological evaluations for diagnostic clarification and treatment planning Provides a full range of evidence-based psychotherapies - including individual - group - and family interventions Integrates assessment data - clinical interviews - and medical history into treatment recommendations Serves as a consultant on complex behavioral health presentations Delivers care via in-person and telehealth modalities Provides supervision and training to trainees and students - as assigned Develops and delivers education on behavioral health treatment and best practices Administrative / Program Role Supports program implementation - evaluation - and quality improvement initiatives Monitors outcomes and contributes to performance improvement efforts Coordinates care across disciplines and levels of care Participates in program development and service-level initiatives GS-13 - Staff Psychologist (BHIP)Major Duties Provides advanced evaluation and treatment of complex and high-risk behavioral health conditions Delivers a full spectrum of evidence-based psychotherapies across modalities Leads consultation across interdisciplinary teams as a behavioral health subject matter expert Provides supervision to psychologists - trainees - and multidisciplinary staff Develops - implements - and evaluates BHIP or related clinical programs Designs and delivers training and contributes to staff development Participates in and may lead research aligned with program goals Administrative / Program Role Leads program operations - including planning - implementation - and evaluation Oversees quality improvement and performance measures Coordinates across service lines to ensure continuity of care Represents Psychology Service in committees and workgroups Contributes to policy - clinical standards - and service improvements This position is located at the Balcones Heights VA Clinic - 4522 Fredricksburg Road - San Antonio - TX 78201-6521 Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8:00am to 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 VISN17EDRP2@va.gov - the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• When setting pay - a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade)
• 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
• 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: Available - ad-hoc only - as determined by the agency policy
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: PD51671 - PD51672 - and PD51673 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized