Staff Psychologist

Veterans Health Administration•Northport, NY

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (1 to 5 years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. The Clinical Psychologist provides independent, developmentally appropriate psychological services to Veterans at the Northport VAMC and/or associated CBOCs. Duties include clinical assessment and treatment, consultation, education and training, program evaluation, research, administrative responsibilities, quality improvement, and ongoing professional development, consistent with VHA policies and professional standards.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
Subject to background/security investigation.
Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents).
Effective May 7, 2025, 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.
Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
Basic Requirements: United States 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 VA policy.
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.
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; 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: 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; OR, Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
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 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. 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.
Exception. Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" at the GS-11 or GS-12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 [(c)(2)(B)] for a period not to exceed two years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment.
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).
Staff Psychologist GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.
Staff Psychologist GS-12 (Developmental Level) Experience: At least one (1) 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.
Staff Psychologist GS-13 (Full Performance Level) Experience: At least two (2) years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one (1) year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level.

Nice To Haves

Providing evidence based psychotherapy, working with people presenting with a range of psychopathology, working with Veterans, working with people with complex trauma histories.

Responsibilities

Provide individual and group psychotherapy to inpatient and outpatient Veterans using evidence-based and other appropriate psychological interventions.
Diagnose mental and psychiatric disorders, including substance use and co-occurring medical or behavioral health conditions.
Conduct psychological, personality, and neuropsychological assessments; administer and interpret formal testing as appropriate.
Develop, implement, and maintain psychological treatment programs for inpatient and outpatient populations.
Present diagnostic impressions, personality descriptions, and treatment recommendations to multidisciplinary teams and medical center staff.
Coordinate treatment programs and participate in multidisciplinary treatment teams.
Prepare sound and valid clinical recommendations, conclusions, reports, and documentation.
Provide consultation regarding individual cases, behavioral concerns, disruptive behavior, mental health, and organizational issues.
Provide education, consultation, and training to Psychology trainees and non-Psychology staff, as appropriate to the position.
Participate in Psychology Service training programs, case discussions, and facility-wide educational activities.
Participate in program evaluation, outcome measurement, performance improvement, and quality improvement initiatives.
Assist with research activities, including project design, data collection and analysis, and preparation of reports or manuscripts, as assigned.
Perform administrative duties such as scheduling, responding to Veteran phone calls, report writing, and attending organizational meetings.
Participate in interdisciplinary meetings, task forces, committees, and service projects.
Maintain professional competence through continuing education, consultation, supervision, and review of current clinical literature and VHA requirements.
Participate in peer review, credentialing, and privileging processes.
Review clinical activities to promote quality care, evidence-based outcomes, workload efficiency, and responsible resource utilization.
Perform other duties as assigned.