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The Psychologist is a member of the Mental Health Clinic Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Team assigned to provide the full range of mental health services located at the St. Joseph VA Clinic in St. Joseph, MO. Clinical services include psychological assessments for the purposes of diagnosis and treatment planning. These evaluations employ a comprehensive diagnostic interview, review of available records, and collateral contact when available. Mental Health Suite (or other treatment planning tools) may be utilized to ensure compliance with standards of practice towards team collaboration, goal setting, and measurement-based care. The incumbent will also provide a range of psychotherapeutic interventions utilizing empirically supported modalities (e.g. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Motivational Interviewing, Problem Solving Therapy, Behavioral Family Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy). These are generally time limited episodes of care with an ongoing attention to updated treatment planning, goal setting, measurement-based outcomes, and patience centered care management. The incumbent is expected to have proficiency in multiple modalities of including face-to-face individual/group, telehealth/VA Video Connect, electronic (My HealtheVet) and telephonic care. Finally, consultation services will be provided to other professional personnel concerning mental health expertise and related patient care.

Clinical Responsibilities:
1. Provides a full range of psychological assessment services and diagnoses mental disorders, particularly for complex or unusually difficult patients
2. Provides education to patients, family members, and significant others
3. Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy
4. Provides consultation to professional staff within VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patients
5. Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for patients who require such treatment
6. Functions independently as a member of the Eastern Kansas Health Care System Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation

Administrative Responsibilities:
1. Assists the Chief of Psychology and BH SLM in the design, development, and implementation of clinical programs for a team of treatment providers
2. Adheres to operational policies and procedures established by the Chief of Psychology and Behavioral Health Service Line Manager (BHSLM)
3. Assists the Chief of Psychology and BHSLM in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program
4. Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services
5. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients
6. Complies with all CPRS documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes)
7. Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Chief of Psychology, BHSLM (or designee) and facility Director
8. Complies with and participates in peer review, Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluations (OPPE), Focused Professional Practice Evaluations (FPPE), and/or recommendations from the Professional Standards Board (PSB).
9. Attends regular Psychology Service staff meetings, Medical staff meetings, and Behavioral Health Service Line staff meetings

Work Schedule: Full time 10am to 8:30pm Monday through Thursday
Virtual: This is a remote position
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized for highly qualified applicants
EDRP Authorized: Contact Julie Steakley at julie.steakley@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Must pass pre-employment physical examination, if applicable.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS.

Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States
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. 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.

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 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.
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.
(1) 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.

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.
e. Grandfathering Provision. [All persons employed in VHA as a psychologist on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education (i.e., degree and internship requirements) and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.
Grade Determinations:
In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level)
Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.
(b) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychologicalor 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.

Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level)
Experience. At least one 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.(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of 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.
(c) Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychologicalor 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.

Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level)
Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of 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.
(c) 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 andsetting, 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.

Preferred Experience: Clinical experience in psychology.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103 PART II APPENDIX G18

The full performance level of this vacancy is 13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 11 to 13.
Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.