Clarification from the agency

This position is ONLY open to current permanent employees of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) including permanent Veterans Canteen Service employees, current permanent full-time Hybrid Title 38 and permanent full-time Title 38 employees. Past/Current/Upcoming Graduates of VHA Health Trainee Programs (HPT) are eligible to apply (must send proof such as an SF-50 with application).

Videos

This Staff Psychologist Position in the Clinical Resource Hub services the Suicide Prevention 2.0 Program. The focus of the CRH is to provide access to high­ quality, evidence-based mental health services for Veterans living in more remote or under- resourced areas within and outside of VISN1. Services provided by the Staff Psychologist often focus on, but are not exclusive to the treatment of trauma/posttraumatic stress disorder, mood disorders, depression, suicidal behaviors, personality disorders, psychosis, anxiety disorders, adjustment disorders, chronic pain/chronic medical issues, sleep disorders, lifestyle change, complicated grief, suicidal behavior, caregiver stress, aging, and co­occurring conditions such as substance misuse or behavioral addictions. The position is full-time at 40-hours per week.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Within the scope of privileges granted, provides treatment for a full range of mental health disorders through a variety of modalities, including individual, couples, family, and group treatment formats.
• When appropriate uses newly proven or emerging therapeutic techniques. Presents informed reports or educates interdisciplinary mental health clinical team within CRH on the use of newly proven or evidence-based intervention techniques.
• Conducts initial screenings of referred patients, either in a primary care setting, a walk-in clinic, or a mental health clinic, to assess current symptoms and level of psychosocial functioning, develop a comprehensive treatment plan, and provide referrals based on VA guidelines, policies, and the Veteran's ability to benefit from various programs.
• Provides adjunctive interventions for the treatment of psychological disorders associated with medical problems as well as specialized interventions such as behavior management and health-related behavior change.
• Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees to help them understand the psychological characteristics of their patients that impact treatment adherence and medical outcomes.
• Represents the Medical Center or Healthcare System at professional/program community group/events and committees, as designated by the CRH Director, CRH Associate Director-­Mental Health, VACHS Chief-Psychology Service, and/or VACHS Hospital Director.
• Functions independently as a member of the VACHS Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, client care decisions, and documentation.
• Works as a key team member to promote, create, and maintain a psychotherapeutic and collaborative atmosphere among the staff. As appropriate, provides advice to other staff professionals to promote and preserve an evidence-based mental health approach to services within CRH.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Compressed/Flexible:Not Available
Virtual: This is a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: F08370
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.Contact Hannah Neilson hannah.neilson@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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 trial period.
• 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 examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Be a 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).
• 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.
• Education:To qualify for appointment, all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must possess one of the education credentials as described below.

(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 re-specialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the re-specialization 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
the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR
(3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

• Internship:In addition to meeting the education requirements, you must also meet the internship requirements to be found qualified for this position:

(1) 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,
(2) 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,
(3) 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,
(4) 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,
(5) 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
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.
• 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education.
  • 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.

May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist GS-13

• 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:
  • Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.
  • Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional 7 psychology and behavioral health.
  • Knowledge of clinical research literature.

Preferred Experience: Expertise in Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention is 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.

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, 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.