The Psychologist position is assigned to the Psychology Service which is part of the Mental Health Interdisciplinary Care Community (ICC) of the Syracuse VA Medical Center. The Incumbent will be assigned 50% of the time in support of the SCI/Rehab Service (inpatient and outpatient) and 50% within the Community Living Center (CLC). The Incumbent has specialized knowledge and expertise in the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of a variety of general mental health disorders/conditions.
As a member of the SCI/Rehab team, the Incumbent is expected to spend most of the day in direct patient contact; work as an integral part of the Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment Teams by providing the full range of diagnostic and psychological assessments, including formal diagnostic, personality, and cognitive testing, as well as semi\-structured and structured clinical interviews; participate in Inpatient and Outpatient Treatment Team meetings and consult with the interdisciplinary team on treatment planning, care coordination, and discharge planning.
The Psychologist will also provide the full range of therapeutic interventions in the Inpatient and Outpatient milieu including individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy. The Inpatient Psychologist selects and provides the most appropriate psychotherapeutic interventions in providing quality care, including evidence\-based psychotherapies for psychotic disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse disorders. The Incumbent will consult with mental health staff and other medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues and provide assistance in their conceptualizations of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their adult patients with severe mental illnesses.
Lists the major duties and responsibilities of the position:
- Performs evaluations for patient conditions that include depression, anxiety, substance abuse and general emotional and cognitive functioning.
- The assessment and care provided are matched to the cognitive, emotional, chronological maturation, and diverse needs of the person served.
- Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions with a strong emphasis on evidence\-based models of care in the management of mental illness and behavioral management.
- Provides suicide screening and crisis management services to patients using evidence based tools and VA approved templates.
- Conducts assessments appropriate to individual patients with attention to the implications of test results for a veteran's every day, real\-world function and successful treatment/management of health problems, with an emphasis on behavioral health factors associated with their illness and aspects of aging.
- Provides group, individual, and family psychotherapy to veterans and family members.
- Provides psychoeducation to patients and family members to support healthcare adherence and the aging process.
- Works with Interdisciplinary clinical teams and participates in regular meetings.
- United States Citizenship: Non\-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
- 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.
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Tuition reimbursement
- Vision insurance
Work Schedule: Monday \- Friday 8:00am \- 4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible:Not Authorized
Recruitment Incentive (Sign\-on Bonus): Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN2EDRPCoordinators@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases, when setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).
Paid Time Off: 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)
Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior \[work experience] or military service experience.
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416\.66.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long\-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Telework: Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement \#:00000
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized
Basic Requirements:
* 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. The specialty area of the degree must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. 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: (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 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.
* 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.
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).
Grade Determinations:
Staff Psychologist
GS\-11(Entry Level): Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.
Staff Psychologist GS\-12 (Developmental Level):
Experience: At least one 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. AND,
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate MUST demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
Staff Psychologist \-GS\-13 (Full Performance, Level)
ExperienceAt least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS\-12 grade level.
Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and AbilitiesIn addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
1\. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations.
2\. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional 7 psychology and behavioral health.
3\. Knowledge of clinical research literature
Preferred Experience: Preferred candidates will have clinical experience caring for individuals with spinal cord injuries and familiarity with managing complex medical needs on inpatient Community Living Center (CLC) floors. Candidates with a demonstrated ability to work with interdisciplinary teams and navigate the unique challenges of this population are especially valued.
Reference: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II Appendix G18\.The full performance level of this vacancy is GS\-13\. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS\-11 to GS\-13\. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS\-13\. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS\-11 to GS\-13\.
Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items.
Note: This position may be filled by a Psychologist, Social Worker or Licensed Mental Health Professional (LPMHC). These three positions are advertised separately on USAJobs. If you are a Social Worker and are interested in applying, please apply here vacancy 12945474\. If you are a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor and are interested in applying, please apply here vacancy 12945745\.
Pay: $74,678\.00 \- $138,370\.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person