Summary

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. Program 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.

Duties

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Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

The Primary Care Mental Health Integration Clinical Psychologist provides brief individual and group therapy, behavioral health assessments, and consultation within Primary Care. The incumbent will work closely with PACT teams to address mood and medical-related conditions and will contribute to program development to support integrated, patient-centered care.

Major Duties:

A. Clinical Responsibilities

• Conducts comprehensive diagnostic and evaluation services, including suicide assessments and psychological testing (with supervision if not licensed).
• Performs psychological evaluations for diagnostic clarification and treatment planning using interviews, records review, collateral contacts, and testing (with supervision if not licensed).
• Provides a full range of psychological interventions, emphasizing brief, evidence-based methods suitable for primary care.
• Offers consultation to Primary Care Providers (PCPs) to support decision-making and enhance PCP-patient relationships.
• Facilitates patient and family education tailored to primary care needs and presenting issues.
• Delivers interventions focused on keeping patients within primary care when clinically appropriate.
• May assist with selecting, training, and supervising lower-grade staff.

B. Academic / Teaching / Research Responsibilities

• Provides consultation and training to Primary Care staff on identifying and managing common mental and behavioral health conditions.
• May serve as a clinical supervisor for psychology trainees (under supervision if not licensed).
• May prepare and teach seminars or workshops within areas of expertise.
• May serve on the Psychology Training Committee if licensed.
• May conduct approved research independently or collaboratively within STVHCS or academic affiliates.
• May apply for faculty appointment at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.

C. Administrative / Program Evaluation / Outcome Measurement Responsibilities

• May assist with management and operation of psychology or mental health programs; may supervise lower-grade staff.
• Helps design, develop, and implement clinical programs for provider teams.
• Follows operational policies and procedures established by PCSL management.
• Assists with program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement efforts.
• Coordinates services with other STVHCS healthcare programs.
• May oversee administrative and program resources for complex clinical programs.
• May coordinate activities across mental health programs and discipline supervisors.
• Ensures program work is assigned systematically and meets VA standards.
• Complies with performance measures, screenings, and clinical reminders.
• May represent Psychology Service on various committees or work groups.
• Follows CPRS documentation standards and required processes.
• Attends mandatory administrative and informational meetings.

D. Other Significant Responsibilities

• May serve on Medical Center committees or task forces related to diagnosis, assessment, or treatment in Integrated Primary Care and Mental Health programs.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [redacted], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year). Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA

Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework: Ad-hoc only, as determined by the agency policy.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 54079-F; 54080-F; 54081-F

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Requirements

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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.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• 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.

Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

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.
• English Language Proficiency Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English.
• Education Requirement - You must 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 completed a 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 b) the specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for; OR, have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internship Requirement - You must 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. (NOTE: Once board certified, the employee is required to maintain board certification).
  
  • NOTE: 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: Candidates must 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 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.

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:

GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level):

• Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

GS-12 Staff Psychologist (Developmental Level):

• Experience. At least 1 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.
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:
  
  • Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations.
  • Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies.
  • Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures.
  • Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties).
  • 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.

GS-13 Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level):

• Experience. At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level.
• In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate 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 psychology and behavioral health.
  • Knowledge of clinical research literature.