Clinical Psychologist

Description:

This Primary Care Mental Health Integration Psychologist position is administratively aligned with Psychology Service within the Mental Health Service Line and is assigned as a Co-located Collaborative Care behavioral health consultant in Primary Care. PCMHI is a component of the interdisciplinary Patient Aligned Care Team. The PCMHI CCC psychologist provides brief, evidence-based interventions, education, and consultation services to Veterans, Primary Care Providers, and allied PACT members.

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.

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. 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.
The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be
employed. 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:
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.
c. 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.
d. Board Certification
(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.
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. f. Physical Requirements. See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.
g. 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. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following
criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:
(1) Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level)
(a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.
(b) 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. They may be
assigned to any program area. Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the close
supervision of a licensed psychologist.

(2) Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level)
(a) 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 psychological
or 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.

(3) Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level)
(a) 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 and
setting, 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: Experience with health behavior interventions and brief, evidence-based psychotherapies.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103 FEBRUARY 7, 2018, 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.