Staff Psychologist - Addiction Treatment Center

Veterans Health Administration•Seattle, WA

21h•Onsite

About The Position

The psychologist serves as a staff psychologist for the Addiction Treatment Center / Mental Health Service at the Seattle Division(s) of the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. The psychologist's primary duties involve provision of comprehensive clinical care to Veterans with substance use disorders and diverse psychosocial concerns, including co-occurring mental health disorders. Duties may include, but are not limited to: Provides comprehensive psychological assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans within the Substance Use Disorder Outpatient Clinic, including services for patients with complex mental health and medical conditions requiring advanced psychological diagnostic skills. Demonstrates expertise in using and contemporary interview and psychometric assessment methods for mental and/or behavioral health conditions. Provides education to patients and family members regarding mental health conditions and evidence-based treatments. Provides evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions as indicated and appropriate for the specific job setting and duties of the psychologist, which may include individual, family, and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation as well as individual case management support. Provides consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients to ensure that care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the Medical Center. Provides care coordination services, including developing, implementing, monitoring, and documenting collaborative treatment plans for Veterans enrolled within the Opioid Treatment Program. Assists the Program Manager and/or Program Director in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of clinical programs.

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 medical evaluation.
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.
United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
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.
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: (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.
Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
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.
New VHA 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.
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.
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.
Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j.
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.
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

Knowledge of evidence based treatments for Opioid Use Disorders.
Work or internship experience in settings that provide treatment for Substance Use Disorders, including harm reduction interventions.

Responsibilities

Provides comprehensive psychological assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans within the Substance Use Disorder Outpatient Clinic, including services for patients with complex mental health and medical conditions requiring advanced psychological diagnostic skills.
Demonstrates expertise in using and contemporary interview and psychometric assessment methods for mental and/or behavioral health conditions.
Provides education to patients and family members regarding mental health conditions and evidence-based treatments.
Provides evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions as indicated and appropriate for the specific job setting and duties of the psychologist, which may include individual, family, and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation as well as individual case management support.
Provides consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients to ensure that care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the Medical Center.
Provides care coordination services, including developing, implementing, monitoring, and documenting collaborative treatment plans for Veterans enrolled within the Opioid Treatment Program.
Assists the Program Manager and/or Program Director in the execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of clinical programs.

Benefits

Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP)
Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus)
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance)
Competitive salary and regular salary increases
37-50 days of annual paid time offer 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 in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child care 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 (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)