Clarification from the agency

Open to All US Citizens

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The incumbent of this position may perform the functions listed in any of the components of the Violence Prevention Program, including but not limited to Workplace Violence Prevention and Suicide Prevention. He/she also applies his or her subject matter expertise to provide consultation, training, supervision, and evaluation related to psychological health and behavioral interventions. Works proactively as a member of a treatment team composed of individuals from multiple disciplines, in assigned program or unit. Performs other duties.

Clinical
1. Provides screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders, as well as other Axis I conditions, with an emphasis on the application of evidence-based psychotherapy approaches proven effective for the condition of focus and the population to which assigned.
2. Performs psychological assessment and interpretation of results to inform treatment planning, as appropriate to the needs of the mental health program to which assigned.
3. Provides screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological
evaluation or dementia assessment is needed.
4. Provides individual and group psychotherapy using modalities appropriate to the target emotional or behavioral conditions, the treatment setting, and the target population.
5. Provides clinical supervision to assigned psychology staff, students, trainees, and pre-doctoral interns, as part of CAVHCS APA Approved Psychology Internship Program.
6. Consults with patients, their families, other medical professionals, attorneys, and other appropriate persons to interpret clinical findings.
7. Leads, facilitates and coordinates treatment planning and assigns person responsible for following-up on established goals and objectives.
8. Directs, coordinates and instructs other professional support staff, attendants, and trainees, in patient care and rehabilitation of patients.
9. Participates as a member of a treatment team if applicable to the assigned mental health program or specialty area.
10. Provides consultation services to other disciplines within Mental Health, across service lines and the VISN, and to community partners as appropriate.
11. Actively involved in all processes leading to achieve optimal levels of performance measures and performance improvement initiatives for the
assigned program or clinic.
12. Familiar with the Behavioral Health-Level of Care (BH-LOC) InterQual Criteria and other relevant Psychology Service, CAVHCs, Network, and VHA
performance measures.

Administration
1. Responsible for data maintenance, tracking and reporting as required by the assigned mental health program or specialty area.
2. Participates fully in peer review, assessing the quality of professional psychology standards provided in the organization.
3. Responsible for identification of patient problems requiring consultation with other multi-disciplinary medical center staff and making appropriate referrals.
4. Assures that appropriate referrals to specialty programs, including community resources, are accomplished. This may include ordering the consults such as the following: Mental Health Programs (i.e. Neuropsychological Assessment, Pain Management Program, Psychosocial Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, Residential / In-Patient Substance Use Treatment, Mental Health Intensive Care Management, Vocational Industries Programs (e.g. IT, Compensated Work Therapy, CWT/Transitional Residence, etc.), Domiciliary Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, Psychosocial Recovery Center, and other programs (internal and external) as appropriately indicated.
5. Fully accountable for clinical practice, including entering encounters for patient visits, measuring outcomes to interventions, and meeting assigned
productivity standards. Ensures clinical and administrative documentation is provided timely and consistent with the organization's local, VISN, VHA
standards, as well as other external accrediting bodies.

Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm Monday through Friday
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Title/Functional Statement #:Psychologist Workplace Violence Prevention/PD00000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP: Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• All 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.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to a background/security investigation
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Vaccination programs are requirements for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

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 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 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.

How you will be evaluated

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, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

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; religions; 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.