This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/462889800. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
You could be part of an important initiative to provide mental health care for our nations Veterans!
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs mental health support staff who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who serve our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans.
Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your country's service.
If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans.
The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission. The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define "who we are," our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence ("I CARE").
America's Veterans need you!
To find out more, go to http://www.va.gov/jobs/.
Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., mental retardation (intellectual disabilities), severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more.
For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.
Learn more about this agency
02/01/2017 to 06/19/2017
$61,848 - $114,595 per year
GS 11 - 13
2 vacancies in the following location:
Not required
No
Permanent - Excepted Service Permanent
Full-time - Full Time
13
No
VHA-652-17-KW-1900539-OCA
462889800
The incumbent in this position has a primary responsibility for the provision of psychotherapy services through the outpatient Mental Health Clinic (MHC) in the Mental Health Service at McGuire VA Medical Center. The incumbent will be expected to provide psychological assessment services and evidence-based, evidence-informed, and promising psychotherapies consistent with provision of care guidelines for Veterans presenting with a broad spectrum of psychological problems and psychiatric symptoms. Additional duties may include providing telemental health services to Veterans at the Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, and/or Emporia CBOCs. The successful incumbent will have experience in provision of time-limited individual and group psychotherapies for female and male veterans presenting with mental health concerns, particularly those with histories of military and non-military trauma. Additional foci of treatment may include anger management, insomnia, couples therapy, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders, among others.
Duties:
· Provides a full range of psychodiagnostic services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care.
· Performs evaluations for veterans with a variety of neuropsychological, psychological, and neurological disorders including dementia, stroke, TBI, epilepsy, movement disorders, learning disability, ADHD, mood disorders, and personality disorders.
· Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including: individual, group, couples, and family psychotherapy, telemental health, caregiver stress support, neurocognitive rehabilitation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and interpersonal therapy within the outpatient setting.
· Provides evidence-based and evidence-informed individual and group treatment for military and non-military trauma, including child abuse, rape, accidents, natural disasters, and Military Sexual Trauma, among others.
· If unlicensed, the individual must be supervised by a licensed psychologist and the experience and supervision must meet the standards for psychology licensure.
· Provides a full range of psychodiagnostic services including assessment and using the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care. Provides direct patient contact including neuropsychological screens, psychological assessments, treatment planning, individual psychotherapy/assessment sessions, and family/caregiver stress therapy sessions.
· Performs evaluations for patients with a variety of neuropsychological, psychological, and neurological disorders including ADHD, mood disorders, and anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress, and personality disorders.
· Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including: individual, group, couples, and family psychotherapy, telemental health, caregiver stress support, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and interpersonal therapy within the outpatient Mental Health Clinic.
· Provides evidence-based and evidence-informed individual and group treatment military and non-military trauma, including child abuse, rape, accidents, natural disasters, and Military Sexual Trauma, among others.
· May provide individual and group telemental health services to the Fredericksburg, Charlottesville, and Emporia CBOCs, as well as in-home telemental health.
· Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues.
· Is responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate.
Functional Statement Title/#: Staff Psychologist - Outpatient Mental Health Clinic
Work Schedule: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Status: Exempt
Supervisory Position: No
Bargaining Unit Position: Yes
Recruitment / Relocation Incentives are not authorized.
Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary. All applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the duties of the position.
Veteran's Preference: When applying for Federal jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of DD-214(s) showing all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.). Additionally, veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more must also submit a copy of their official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying their service-connected disability and/or their receipt of compensation for service-connected disability. If the military member is within 120 days of separation and does not yet have a DD214, the member may instead submit any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed.
Veterans with service-connected disability of less than 10%, nonservice-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients, as-well-as those claiming derived preference for a spouse, widow or widower, or natural mother, should refer to and submit a completed SF 15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference," and required documentation with your application materials.
For more information on Veterans' Preference, go to http://www.opm.gov/veterans/html/vetsinfo.asp.
Basic Requirements:
The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by: Public Law 96-151 codified in Title 38, U.S.C. § 7402. To qualify for appointment, all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following:
Citizenship: 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 3g, this part.)
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. 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 respecialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the respecialization program) meeting both of the following conditions:
(a) the respecialization 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 respecialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship.
AND
(3) 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. (NOTE: Once board certified, the employee is required to maintain board certification.)
Grade: To be determined by the Professional Standards Board (PSB) commensurate with experience and education.
Salary: Salary will be determined by the Professional Standards Board (PSB) commensurate with experience and education.
Grade Determinations:
GS-11
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.
GS-12
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, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
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
Licensure. Hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a State, Territory, Commonwealth of the United States (e.g., Puerto Rico), or the District of Columbia.
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. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities.
References: VA Handbook 5005/87, Part II, Appendix G18, Psychologist Qualification Standards
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Please Note: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education.
This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.
VA may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their job-related non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave.
This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
You may be required to serve a probationary period.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.
Your application, résumé and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.
Complete application packages will be reviewed to determine if the basic qualifications for this position have been met. A listing of candidates who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the hiring facility where the credentialing and privileging screening process is completed.
Note: 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. The Professional Standards Board (a peer-review group) will recommend the grade and salary for new appointments. For internal selectees being promoted, the board will determine grade and HR will determine step in accordance with policy.
Designated Drug-Testing Position: Applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.
All applicants are required to submit the following supporting document type(s):
·Other (VA Form 10-2850c - Application for Associated Health Occupations)
·Resume
·Transcript
Applicants may also submit the following supporting document type(s),which may not be required for all applicants:
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes:
1. (REQUIRED) Occupational Questionnaire (completed during online application process)
2. (REQUIRED) CV or Resume
3. (REQUIRED) VA Form 10- 2850c- Application For Associated Health Occupations - Available at http://www.va.gov/vaforms/medical/pdf/vha-10-2850c-fill.pdf
4. (REQUIRED) Proof of current certification, licensure or registration
5. (REQUIRED) Unofficial transcript(s) - official college transcript(s) will be required before being hired
6. (REQUIRED IF FEDERAL EMPLOYEE) Include a copy of your latest SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, not an awards SF-50
Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.
Faxing Applications or Supporting Documents: You are encouraged to apply online. Applying online will allow you to review and track the status of your application. If you are unable to apply online or unable to upload your supporting documents to your online application, follow the directions located at the following site: Fax Options. The Vacancy ID of the job opportunity announcement is 1900539.
Note: If you applied online and your application is complete, do not fax the paper application (1203-FX) as this will overwrite your prior online responses and may result in you being found ineligible.
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
All applicants are encouraged to apply online.
To apply for this position, you must complete the View Occupational Questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on Monday, June 19, 2017 to receive consideration.
1. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
2. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
Note: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. To verify your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the more information link for this position. The Details page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and any correspondence the agency has sent related to this application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
To return to an incomplete application, log into your USAJOBS account and click Update Application in the vacancy announcement. You must re-select your resume and/or other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application will be incomplete.
After we receive application packages (including all required documents) and the vacancy announcement closes, we will review applications to ensure qualification and eligibility requirements are met. During our review, if your résumé and application package do not support your questionnaire answers, we will adjust your rating accordingly. After the review is complete, a referral certificate(s) is issued and applicants will be notified of their status by email (if provided); otherwise, applicants will receive a notification letter via the U.S. Postal Service. Referred applicants will be notified as such and may be contacted directly by the hiring office for an interview. All referred applicants receive a final notification once a selection decision has been made.
You may check the status of your application at any time by logging into your USAJOBS account and clicking on "Application Status." For a more detailed update of your status, click on "more information." Information regarding applicant notification points can be found in the USAJobs Resource Center.
All applicants may receive consideration for 3 months from the date of application. If you wish to be considered after that period, and the announcement is still open to receive applications, you must re-apply to indicate your continued interest.
This is an open continuous announcement; the first cutoff will be on or around two weeks after the open date. All subsequent cutoffs will be done every two weeks until vacancies are filled.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/462889800. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
Vacancy Identification Number (VIN): 1900539
OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln's promise "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan" by serving and honoring the men and women who are America's Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?
***UPDATE - THIS JOA WILL CLOSE AT MIDNIGHT ON MONDAY, JUNE 19, 2017***
THIS IS AN OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT
THE FIRST CUTOFF WILL BE ON OR AROUND TWO WEEKS AFTER THE OPEN DATE
ALL SUBSEQUENT CUTOFFS WILL BE DONE EVERY TWO WEEKS
UNTIL VACANCIES ARE FILLED
Note: 1st Area of Consideration - current permanent employees of the Hunter Holmes McGuire VAMC or one of its CBOC locations; 2nd Area of Consideration - current permanent VA Nationwide employees; 3rd Area of Consideration - current permanent employees of other Federal Agencies; 4th Area of Consideration - U.S. Citizens.