Staff Psychologist - Primary Care Mental Health Integration - PCMHI

Veterans Health Administration • Danville, IL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

The incumbent serves as a full-time, fully licensed staff psychologist in the Psychology Section of the VA Illiana Health Care System’s Mental Health Service Line. The position is co-located within primary care and provides direct care to Veteran patients as part of multidisciplinary primary care teams. Services include brief, consultation-based care for Veterans, primary care providers, and Patient Alliance Care Team (PACT) members.

The psychologist provides diagnostic and evaluation services suited to primary care, including psychological evaluation of emotional and behavioral problems, chronic disease management, and suicide assessment. The role also provides psychological interventions consistent with the incumbent’s training and expertise, with emphasis on brief, evidence-based approaches effective in primary care, such as CBT, CBT for chronic pain, CBT for insomnia, motivational interviewing, and problem-solving training. The incumbent supports patient and family education, consults with primary care providers, conducts functional and brief assessments, provides same-day access, and triages or refers patients to specialty care when appropriate.

The incumbent documents clinical work accurately and promptly, participates in peer and clinical pertinence review, identifies patient problems requiring multidisciplinary consultation, and is accountable for patient visits, outcome measurement, and productivity standards. Licensed staff perform clinical functions independently and may guide or supervise others. An unlicensed appointee may practice only under close supervision by a licensed psychologist and must meet supervision standards for psychology licensure. The position is full-time, scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework is authorized, but this is not a virtual position. Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized, and the position may be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to program requirements and approval.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Doctoral degree in psychology from an APA-, PCSAS-, or CPA-accredited graduate program in a specialty consistent with the assignment; specified alternatives include qualifying respecialization training or certain doctoral degrees awarded between 1951 and 1978.
• Completion of a qualifying professional psychology internship, subject to the stated accreditation and alternative eligibility provisions.
• Full, current, unrestricted doctoral-level license to practice psychology in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; otherwise, eligible non-licensed applicants may be appointed temporarily as graduate psychologists and must practice under licensed supervision.
• For GS-12: at least one year of professional psychologist experience equivalent to GS-11 and demonstration of the stated knowledge and abilities in psychological treatments and assessment, treatment strategy design and implementation, and incorporation of new clinical procedures. Research-related competencies apply only to positions with specified research duties.
• For GS-13: at least two years of professional psychologist experience, including at least one year equivalent to GS-12, and demonstration of the stated knowledge and abilities in treatments across patient populations, professional consultation, and clinical research literature.
• Applicants must meet the education and licensure or appointment requirements applicable to their selected grade; applicants awaiting completion of education or licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but cannot be hired until requirements are met.
• Must complete required background/security investigation and onboarding, pass a pre-employment physical evaluation, and undergo pre-appointment drug testing if selected for a testing-designated position.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA health care personnel.
• Must meet application documentation requirements and, if using foreign education, provide the required foreign education equivalency documentation.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Responsibilities

• Provide diagnostic and evaluation services appropriate to primary care, including general psychological evaluation of emotional and behavioral problems, chronic disease management, and suicide assessment.
• Provide psychological interventions consistent with training and expertise, emphasizing brief evidence-based primary care interventions such as CBT, CBT for chronic pain, CBT for insomnia, motivational interviewing, and problem-solving training.
• Facilitate patient and family education appropriate to the primary care setting and presenting mental or behavioral health issues.
• Consult with primary care providers to support clinical decision-making, develop provider interventions, and improve provider-patient working relationships.
• Provide interventions that allow patients to remain with their primary care provider for their health care needs when clinically appropriate.
• Conduct functional and brief assessments, provide same-day access, and triage or refer patients to specialty care as appropriate.
• Document clinical work accurately and in a timely manner in accordance with service-line and facility expectations and policies.
• Participate in peer review and clinical pertinence review to support the quality of professional psychology services.
• Identify patient problems requiring consultation with other multidisciplinary medical center staff and make appropriate referrals.
• Enter patient visits, measure outcomes of interventions, and meet productivity standards.
• When licensed, perform clinical functions independently and provide guidance and/or supervision to others; when unlicensed, practice under close supervision by a licensed psychologist.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including annual leave, sick leave, and 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 the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility requirements.
• Traditional federal pension and federal 401(k), with VA contributions up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized for highly qualified candidates.
• The position may be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, with approved reimbursement of up to $200,000 subject to eligibility and program conditions.

What This Job Offers

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