Staff Psychologist (PCMHI) - EDRP Approved, Rec/Relo Incentive may be offered.

Veterans Health Administration•McAllen, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. The PCMHI Psychologist functions within fast-paced primary care teams and can expect to consult with 8-10 patients per day with the primary goals of assisting PACT members with identification, treatment, and management of mental health and behavioral medicine conditions in the enrolled population. Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the close supervision of a licensed psychologist. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities. The PCMHI Psychologist may have limited responsibilities for and oversight of the administrative and programmatic resources of various clinical programs within the VATVCBHCS. May assist in coordinating programming within the various mental health programs with psychology Program Managers as well as with discipline supervisors of affected staff assigned to these programs. Duties are continued in the Education Section.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen.
Proficient in written and spoken English.
Subject to background/security investigation.
Must complete an online onboarding process.
Acceptable forms of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
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 effective May 7, 2025.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
Must complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
Must serve a 1 or 2-year trial period.
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, OR 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 a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
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). 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.
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.
For GS-12: At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11).
For GS-13: At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.
GS-12 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 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.

Nice To Haves

Licensed within discipline
Experience providing individual and group psychotherapy for a wide array of Diagnoses
Experience as a therapist in the VA
Experience in PCMHI and/or primary care setting

Responsibilities

Functions within fast-paced primary care teams and consults with 8-10 patients per day with the primary goals of assisting PACT members with identification, treatment, and management of mental health and behavioral medicine conditions in the enrolled population.
Diagnoses mental disorders, conducts psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treats mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provides adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders.
Provides individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions.
Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues.
May be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities.
May have limited responsibilities for and oversight of the administrative and programmatic resources of various clinical programs within the VATVCBHCS.
May assist in coordinating programming within the various mental health programs with psychology Program Managers as well as with discipline supervisors of affected staff assigned to these programs.
May serve as the representative for Psychology Service on various Psychology Service, Mental Health Service Line, System, or VISN administrative committees or work groups.
Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including the use of psychological testing for patients within VATVCBHCS in areas of specific interest/expertise, including specialized health psychology assessments such as pre-bariatric surgery and transplant psychological assessment/intervention.
Performs psychological evaluations for individuals with mental health and medical disorders for purposes of diagnostic clarification and treatment planning recommendations.
Provides a range of psychological therapeutic interventions, including group and individual formats, with individuals with mental health and medical disorders utilizing empirically supported modalities when indicated.
Consults with and serves as resource for other professional personnel concerning the needs for, evaluation of, and development of psychological services in VATVCBHCS.
Deals effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
May be asked to assist in the selection, training, and supervision of staff at lower grades within assigned program area, Psychology Service, or VATVCBHCS.
May be asked to serve as a clinical supervisor for psychology pre-doctoral interns, and doctoral level graduate practicum students in psychology and other related disciplines.
May be asked to prepare and teach seminars/workshops for VATVCBHCS trainees/staff on topics within interest/competency areas.
May be asked to serve as a member of various VATVCBHCS Mental Health, VATVCBHCS, and/or VISN committees.
May choose to conduct approved psychological research that supports the mission of VATVCBHCS alone in collaboration with other professionals in VATVCBHCS or affiliated academic institutions.

Benefits

Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP)
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus)
Competitive salary and regular salary increases
37-50 days of annual paid time off per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year)
Credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work experience or military service experience
Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave
Childcare subsidy
Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting)
Federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care insurance
Ad/Hoc Telework is available