Psychologist

Veterans Health Administration • North Chicago, IL

10d • Onsite

About The Position

The Psychologist works in the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Healthcare Center Outpatient Mental Health Clinic. Psychologists perform psychological evaluations to assess character and psychopathology and provide psychotherapy for mental health problems that may affect military mission readiness or a Veteran’s community reintegration. The role includes diagnosing and treating mental and substance use disorders, conducting psychological and neuropsychological assessments, and providing adjunctive interventions for medical disorders. Practice is under the close supervision of a licensed clinical psychologist when required. The position provides care to Veterans, civilians, and active-duty service members and may support the program manager in designing, developing, and implementing clinical programs for a team of treatment providers. The work is mainly sedentary in an office setting and involves computer equipment. The position may be suitable for telework at management’s discretion; it is not a virtual position.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• A doctoral degree in psychology from an APA-, PCSAS-, or CPA-accredited graduate program in a specialty consistent with the assignment; or an eligible doctoral degree combined with a qualifying re-specialization program; or a qualifying doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution with a primarily psychological dissertation.
• Successful completion of a qualifying professional psychology internship, subject to the listed exceptions for certain VHA internships, pre-1979 internships, board-certified applicants, or qualifying older doctoral degrees and supervised internship experience.
• A full, current, and unrestricted doctoral-level license to practice psychology in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia. Eligible non-licensed applicants may be appointed temporarily as graduate psychologists under licensed supervision for up to two years.
• For GS-12 consideration, at least one year of professional psychologist experience equivalent to GS-11 and demonstrated ability to apply a range of psychological treatments or assessment methods, design treatment strategies, incorporate clinical procedures, and perform relevant research activities and tasks as specified.
• For GS-13 consideration, at least two years of professional psychologist experience, including at least one year equivalent to GS-12, and demonstrated ability to provide psychological treatment across patient populations, advise and consult on psychology and behavioral health, and understand clinical research literature.
• Must meet applicable background and security investigation requirements and pass a pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Must participate in the VA seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must complete required onboarding and application documentation and serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must meet Selective Service registration requirements.
• Education used to qualify must be recognized by the U.S. Department of Education; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency and transcript.

Responsibilities

• Diagnose mental and substance use disorders.
• Conduct psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments and evaluations.
• Treat mental and substance use disorders using a variety of modalities.
• Provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders.
• Support the program manager, upon request, in designing, developing, and implementing clinical programs for a team of treatment providers.
• Provide psycho-diagnostic services and select appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques to deliver quality care.
• Perform evaluations for Veterans, civilians, and active-duty service members.
• Provide therapeutic interventions, including evidence-based brief individual outpatient approaches.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on qualifications or VA needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off, including annual leave, sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with birth, adoption, or foster care placement.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Education Debt Reduction Program student loan reimbursement, subject to eligibility and program approval, with awards up to $200,000.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service, subject to approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree