Clarification from the agency

Open to all U.S. Citizens. This position may be filled via other announcements: Marriage and Family Therapist, Vacancy ID 12610169; Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, Vacancy ID 12610170; or Social Worker, Vacancy ID 12610171. Please be sure to apply under the correct announcement, based on your education, licensure, and experience.

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Duties of the Supervisory Psychologist serving as the Richmond Vet Center Director and licensed professional with knowledge of and ability to apply advanced professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations include but are not limited to:

• Supervising a multidisciplinary staff composed of clinical and administrative team members, whose primary mission is to provide direct readjustment counseling to eligible individuals in the areas of suicide prevention, crisis intervention, short- and long-term treatment for symptoms associated with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and readjustment issues;
• Planning, developing, implementing, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating professional services rendered by subordinates;
• Setting guidelines and establishing intervention strategies/treatment priorities for individual, group, conjoint and families employing varying clinical and therapeutic modalities;
• Conducting Performance Based Interviews (PBI) and determining selection processes to ensure fair and equitable recruitment of qualified, high achieving, and well prepared applicants;
• Developing networks and working relationships external to the Richmond Vet Center and the Department of Veteran Affairs with Veteran service organizations, community based agencies, and mental health organizations to enhance service delivery and develop referrals of Veteran clients to appropriate care;
• Serving as a consultant and subject matter expert to programs and resources external to the Vet Center on matters of readjustment needs of Veterans;
• Creating, implementing, and measuring market penetration of Vet Center services through a comprehensive outreach plan for the primary service area;
• Ensuring fiscal/budget management, in compliance with applicable RCS and VHA policies and procedures as an approving official for time & attendance reports, leases/contracts management, staff local travel, Government Purchase Card (GPC) purchases, etc.; and
• Screening/assessing of Veteran clients, treatment planning and goal setting, referral to service providers, development of a resource file, Veteran advocacy, crisis intervention, education/health promotion, coordination of non-institutional and institutional services, and individual/group counseling.

Work Schedule: Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm; however, candidate may be subject to working evenings, weekends, and holidays
Compressed/Flexible:Available at Supervisory discretion
Telework: Not Available.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Title/Functional Statement #:Psychology Program Manager/PDFS34121A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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. 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.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• 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

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:
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.

• English Language Requirement: Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Education: Candidates must meet one of the following:
  • 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 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:
    • The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and
    • The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed, OR
  • Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internship: Candidates must meet one of the following:
  • 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 OR
  • 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: 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.

Grade Determinations:

GS-14 Experience and Education: At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.

In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

1. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines.
2. Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
3. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
5. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
6. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
7. Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, dated September 10, 2019.

Preferred Experience: Working with combat veterans in providing family counseling services; working with veterans who were sexually traumatized/harassed while in the military; conducting psycho-social assessments and the provision of processing psychotherapy for trauma related conditions; and implementing treatment plans for combat Veterans/and their families.

Physical Requirements: The work does not inherently include physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with a workplace accommodation.

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, resume, 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.