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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Psychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf

Major duties include but not limited to:

Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program

GS-13 Staff Psychologist:

Clinical Assessment and Treatment

• Conducts comprehensive psychological and diagnostic assessments for Veterans with complex mental health, substance use, and cooccurring medical conditions.
• Provides individual and group psychotherapy utilizing evidence-based treatments (e.g., CBT, MI, relapse prevention, trauma-informed care, skills-based interventions).
• Develops, implements, and updates individualized treatment and rehabilitation plans in collaboration with Veterans and the interdisciplinary team.
• Provides psychoeducation and skill-building interventions to support recovery, emotional regulation, functional improvement.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Program Integration

• Participates actively in interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, case conferences, and care coordination activities.
• Collaborates with psychiatry, nursing, social work, peer specialists, rehabilitation staff, and other disciplines integrating Veteran-centered care.
• Provides consultation to team members regarding psychological factors, treatment approaches, and behavioral management strategies.

Risk Assessment and Crisis Management

• Independently conduct suicide risk assessments, violence risk evaluations, and safety planning.
• Responds to acute clinical situations and provides crisis intervention in a residential care environment.

Program Development and Quality Improvement

• Contributes to program development, implementation, and evaluation of MH RRTP services, including structured and flexible programming models.

Teaching, Training, and Supervision

• Provides clinical supervision, consultation, or training to psychology trainees, staff, or interdisciplinary team members as assigned.
• Supports staff development in evidence-based practices, recovery-oriented care, and behavioral health interventions.

Documentation and Compliance

• Completes timely, accurate clinical documentation in accordance with VA, Joint Commission, and CARF standards.
• Ensures adherence to ethical standards, professional guidelines, and regulatory requirements.

GS-12:

Clinical Assessment and Treatment

• Conducts psychological assessments and diagnostic evaluations for Veterans with complex clinical presentations, with appropriate supervisory consultation as needed.
• Provides individual and group psychotherapy utilizing evidence-based treatments.
• Develops, implements, and updates individualized treatment and rehabilitation plans in collaboration with Veterans and the interdisciplinary team.
• Provides psychoeducation and skill-building interventions to support recovery and functional improvement.

GS-11:

Clinical Assessment and Treatment

-Conducts psychological assessments and diagnostic evaluations with supervisory guidance.

-Provides individual and group psychotherapy using evidence-based and recovery-oriented approaches.

-Assists in developing, implementing, and updating individualized treatment and rehabilitation plans.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Program Integration

-Participates in interdisciplinary team meetings, case conferences, and care coordination activities.

-Collaborates with psychiatry, nursing, social work, peer specialists, and rehabilitation staff to support integrated care.

Risk Assessment and Crisis Management

-Perform suicide risk assessments, safety planning, and crisis interventions under

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. Can be changed based on agency need.

Recruitment / Relocation Incentive: Authorized to highly qualified candidates.

Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized.

EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact 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)

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: Not Available.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 61905F, 61906F, 61907F

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.
• 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 identification 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.

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 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. 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. 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.

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,(b) the specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.

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. [Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.

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. 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.

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 GS12 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.

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:

Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level):

(a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements.

(b) Assignment. See Assignment under Education.

Staff Psychologist, GS-1