Staff Psychologist

Veterans Health Administration • Newtown Square, PA

6d • Onsite

About The Position

The Staff Psychologist works in the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) within the Mental Health service line, providing comprehensive mental health care to Veterans in outpatient clinics. The role includes diagnosing mental disorders; conducting psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments; and treating mental disorders through a range of modalities, including individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy. The psychologist also provides adjunctive interventions for medical disorders and collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and medical center staff on patient-care issues.

The position includes reviewing and tracking outpatient BHIP Psychology consults, conducting behavioral assessments, planning treatment, making referrals, and providing crisis intervention. The psychologist may provide clinical supervision to staff and trainees, support the psychology internship through seminars or direct supervision, and contribute to program evaluation or research. The position is scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with three days at Delco Community Based Outpatient Clinic and two days at WNO CBOC. Telework and virtual work are not available. The full performance level is GS-13; selection may be at GS-11 through GS-13.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in psychology from an APA-, PCSAS-, or CPA-accredited graduate program, with a specialty consistent with the assignment; alternatively, qualifying doctoral degree and an accredited re-specialization program, or a qualifying 1951–1978 doctoral degree from a regionally accredited institution with a primarily psychological dissertation.
• Successful completion of a professional psychology internship meeting the stated accreditation or VHA alternatives, subject to the specified exception for qualifying board-certified applicants and certain historical doctoral programs.
• Full, current, unrestricted doctoral-level license to practice psychology in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; qualifying non-licensed applicants may be considered for a temporary supervised graduate psychologist appointment under the stated conditions.
• At GS-12, at least one year of professional psychologist experience equivalent to GS-11, plus the ability to apply a wide range of psychological treatments or assessment methods, design and implement treatment strategies, incorporate new clinical procedures, and perform basic research tasks within an established team.
• At GS-13, at least two years of professional psychologist experience, including at least one year equivalent to GS-12, plus ability to apply professional psychological treatments across patient populations, provide professional advice and consultation in psychology and behavioral health, and knowledge of clinical research literature.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA policy exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Meet applicable pre-employment screening and onboarding conditions, including background/security investigation, drug screening for testing-designated positions, physical evaluation, and seasonal influenza vaccination.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must meet Selective Service registration requirements.
• Complete the application requirements specified in the announcement.

Nice To Haves

• Experience providing individual, couples, family, and group therapy.
• Experience working on and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams.
• Experience in a recovery-oriented, evidence-based program using time-limited episodes of care.
• Experience providing evidence-based therapy.
• Psychology licensure is preferred, though unlicensed graduate psychologists are welcome to apply.

Responsibilities

• Diagnose mental disorders and conduct psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments.
• Provide psycho-diagnostic services and select appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques to deliver quality care.
• Conduct initial behavioral assessments, individual, group, couples, and family psychotherapy, treatment planning, consultation and referral, and crisis intervention for Veterans in the outpatient mental health clinic.
• Review outpatient BHIP Psychology consults, address Veteran-identified concerns and goals, and track consult data within prescribed time limits.
• When relevant, communicate with referring providers, receiving providers, and/or Veterans to support timely and thorough collaboration on mental health concerns.
• Provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to support comprehensive Veteran mental health care.
• Consult with medical center staff and trainees about patients’ psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations.
• Provide clinical supervision to staff, trainees, and individuals seeking licensure in psychology, as applicable.
• Provide leadership, guidance, and consultation to staff of assigned units.
• Support the psychology internship through participation in seminars and/or direct supervision of interns.
• Participate in program evaluation and/or research activities, as applicable.
• Perform research tasks within an established research team, including participant relations, research documentation, data acquisition, maintenance, and collaboration, as applicable.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) student loan payment reimbursement, subject to eligibility and program approval, with an award of up to $200,000 and an eligibility period of one to five years.
• Recruitment or relocation incentive may be authorized for eligible, highly qualified candidates.
• 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 per year, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Potential 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.
• Potential childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment for eligible full-time employees and children, subject to income and other limits.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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