Clarification from the agency

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position. For more information, refer to Required Documents below. U.S Citizens

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This Staff Psychologist position is a full-time position with duties in Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) in Clayton, NC. It is noted that the Psychology practice of HBPC is part of the Behavioral Medicine Division in Mental Health and Behavioral Services (MBHS) within the Durham VA Health Care System (VAHCS). The incumbent's responsibilities are focused on conducting assessment and psychotherapy to patients, who are primarily older, who have highly complex medical, mental health, and psychosocial needs.

Primary (Clinical) Responsibilities
1. Provides a full range of specialized services at all levels of complexity for patients in HBPC, with service delivery to include screening assessments, psychological diagnostic evaluations, and psychotherapy.
2. Provides psychotherapy, with an emphasis on evidence-based practice in individual, group, family and couple modalities in a specialized patient population, including chronic, life-threatening, or terminal illness.
3. Provides screening for cognitive deficits or, to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological screening or dementia assessment is needed.
4. Performs capacity assessments when there are questions about a patient's ability to make medical decisions, perform other specific functions, or live independently.
5. Promotes communication and interactions between medical team members, residents, and their families to facilitate the medical treatment process.
6. Participates in interdisciplinary care team meetings and provides consultation within the HBPC interdisciplinary team to facilitate patients' psychological needs.
7. Provides behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain, disability, address sleep problems, facilitate weight loss, promote tobacco cessation, and enhance medical compliance.
8. Provides empirically supported screening, assessment, and interventions to the families of Veterans when such care is directly related to the treatment plan, making referral to other services where appropriate.
9. May provide clinical supervision to Psychology students, interns or fellows (or unlicensed Psychology staff, as requested).


Other Significant Responsibilities
1. With approval, they may serve on Medical Center, VISN, and/or National VA committees or task forces.
2. May represent Psychology / Mental Health programs in various workgroups and committees at the Medical Center.
3. May actively participate in leadership roles in local, state, and national professional organizations.
4. As assigned; may represent the Medical Center or Psychology / Mental Health at professional organizations / community group events or committees.


Work Schedule: 8-4:30pm, Monday - Friday
Telework: Ad-Hoc
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact Byron.Collins@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. § 7402. To qualify for appointment, all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following:
Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States.
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.
OR
(2) 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):
(a) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and,
NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the
completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA
internship.
[OR
(3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.]
AND
(4) 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.)
[OR
(e) 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.

NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard.]
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.
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.
Loss of Credential. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required licensure must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment.
Board Certification and Loss of Credential
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.
Loss of Credential. Once board certified, psychologist must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment.
Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
GRADE REQUIREMENTS
Creditable Experience
Current Professional Psychology Practice. To be creditable, psychological work experience can be obtained through paid or non-paid employment providing psychological work or through participating in a supervised postdoctoral psychology training program (i.e., fellowship or residency).
Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties to be performed. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to or exceeding professional psychology experience at the next lower level.
Part-time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full-time workweek.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

Preferred Experience: Gero-psychology or Home-Based Primary Care experience preferred.
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.

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.