Psychologist

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Duties

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Duties
Summary
The incumbent serves as a Readjustment Counselor at a Vet Center in the Readjustment Counseling Service (RCS) providing direct counseling services, outreach, referral, and follow-up care coordination to eligible individuals. In this capacity, the incumbent functions as a member of a small multi-disciplinary team of 4 or more members, inclusive of Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselors, other mental health professionals, outreach workers and office managers.
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Responsibilities
This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS announcement - Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. The first list of eligible applicants will be made as a vacancy becomes available, but no earlier than 10 days after the opening of the announcement.
The incumbent will be responsible for providing services to eligible individuals who are experiencing a variety of military related psychological and psychosocial problems. Incumbents must possess the knowledge and experience to independently employ therapeutic modalities of individual, family, couples, and group intervention to enhance the readjustment of Veterans, active duty Service members, and their families. Functions and responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Intake screening and assessment: Complete all readjustment counseling intake procedures, including an assessment of risk for self-harm, military history and military related psychosocial stressors, and assess family readjustment stressors and document identified behaviors or symptoms.
Readjustment counseling goal setting and service planning: Develop and periodically update an individualized readjustment counseling service plan that reflects a course of therapeutic and psychosocial interventions, including identification of achievable goals and measurable outcomes.
Direct readjustment counseling service provision: Incorporate complex multiple causation in differential psychosocial assessment and direct service delivery to eligible Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnostic inferences within the clinical scope of practice.
Risk assessment and crisis intervention: Conduct timely assessment of Veterans in crisis to identify immediate needs, evaluate risk, and initiate safety planning as appropriate.
Care coordination: Links the Veteran with other community services, resources, and opportunities to maximize the Veteran's independence, health, and well-being.
Coordinating readjustment counseling and outreach: Maintain active coordination with Vet Center outreach workers to ensure seamless referral to Vet Center services for those individuals engaged in the community at outreach events that may require follow-up readjustment counseling.
Team cohesion and coordination: Actively participate in staff meetings designed to promote team building and staff development.
Documentation/administrative responsibilities/consultation: Document all clinical interactions with eligible individuals and episodes of care coordination on their behalf as required by policy.
Other duties as assigned

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Some evenings and weekends required
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
NOTE: Readjustment Counselors are multi-disciplinary and can be filled by: Social Worker, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, Marriage & Family Therapist, and Psychologist.
Travel Required
25% or less - You may be expected to travel for this position.
Supervisory status
No
Promotion Potential
None
Job family (Series)

0180 Psychology
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Requirements

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Requirements
Conditions of Employment
You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
You may be required to serve a probationary period
Subject to a background/security investigation
Must be proficient in written and spoken English
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Qualifications
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: Candidates must meet one of the following:
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 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, OR
Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.

Internships: Candidates must meet one of the following:
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 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.

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.

Grade Determinations:
GS-13 Experience. In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.
In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (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.

References: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II, Appendix G18, dated February 7, 2018.
Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting 15-44 lbs, walking and standing up to 4 hours, kneeling 1-2 hours, Operation of motor vehicle, both eyes required, depth perception, ability to distinguish colors, hearing (aid permitted), glasses and prosthesis allowed, able to hear whispered voices, and emotional and mental stability; Environmental factors: outside and inside, electrical energy, working closely with others, protracted or irregular hours of work, and repetitive computer use.
Education
IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.
Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit:http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html .