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.

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:

• 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 3.g - this part.) Education: 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
• TRANSCRIPTS ARE REQUIRED TO VERIFY EDUCATION OR - b
• 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: 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
• c
• Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• AND 3
• Internship: 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 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.) OR - 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
• 4
• Licensure: Holds 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
• 5
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.6
• 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: 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
• For example - a psychologist employed 20 hours per week - or on a half time basis - would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service
• 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 creditable experience on a year-for-year basis
• GS-11 (Entry Level): Experience: None beyond the basic requirements
• 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 but with less intense supervision than at the GS-11 grade level
• AND 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 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 (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
• AND Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills and Abilities: 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
• 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).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
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

Duties

• VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Staff Psychologist is assigned to the PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) - within Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences at the VA NJ Healthcare System
• This role provides time-limited trauma-focused treatment to veterans of all eras who are diagnosed with PTSD related to both military and civilian trauma - where these concerns are the focus of treatment
• The Psychologist prioritizes the delivery of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies as appropriate - via individual and group psychotherapy - and may also provide skill-building training and psychoeducation to facilitate the ability to engage successfully in trauma-focused/informed work
• Screening/Assessment - Within the first three sessions - the Psychologist completes a psycho-social assessment
• This information gathering is intended for identifying problem areas and veteran goals for treatment and determining a diagnosis - so that the veteran may be referred to the appropriate treatment program
• Perform assessment of harm to self or others and the patient's ability to provide for self (shelter - food - emergent medical care - etc.) Provide psychotherapy for veterans who meet the criteria of diagnosis for PTSD and outpatient treatment or refer to another provider where warranted Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The Psychologist is responsible for developing a course of treatment or treatment plan and providing such
• Develop an individualized treatment plan in collaboration with the Veteran that reflects a course of therapeutic intervention to address the needs identified in the assessment Document and record progress notes on the course of treatment completed upon each significant contact with the client At minimum - annually review and update the treatment goals or as these goals are resolved or changed Crisis Intervention - The Psychologist is experienced in assessing whether a client is in danger of harm to self or others and will utilize the emergency services available at VA NJ Healthcare System when appropriate
• Psychotherapy - The Psychologist exercises a variety of individual and group counseling techniques - including evidence-based psychotherapies - in the treatment of PTSD
• This psychologist may also provide treatment for veterans with a history of Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
• Administrative Duties - The Psychologist complies with all regulations of the Veterans Health Administration
• Clinical documentation complies with VANJ policies and current standards of practice for psychologists
• Maintain effective working relationships with other professional and administrative personnel both within the Medical Center and in the community Meet with VA - community and professional organizations and individuals as needed to carry out assigned responsibilities Participate in committee assignments - discipline-specific meetings and initiatives - as deemed necessary by the service manager In addition to duties in the PCT - the psychologist may serve on Medical Center - Healthcare System - VISN - and/or National VA committees or task forces - as endorsed by supervisors Participate in Psychology privileging - educational and peer review activities - in accord with Psychology and medical center policies Participate as a non-voting member of the medical staff - in accordance with medical staff by-laws Participate in support of MHBS and Psychology administrative and performance improvement activities - e.g
• by taking on assigned projects and serving on committees The psychologist performs other discipline-specific duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm with limited evening hours each week EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact VISN2EDRPCoordinators@va.gov - 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: eligible for Ad Hoc telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 13452-F