Psychologist – Readjustment Counseling Services

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/15/2024. Time-in-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet Time-in-Grade requirements, by the closing date of this announcement. If you have not held a GS grade at any time in the past 52 weeks, this requirement does not apply to you. Basic Requirements Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR) Degree: Applicants must have fulfilled all of the requirements for a major or equivalent in Psychology for all specializations, except Clinical Psychology and Counseling Psychology. These two specializations have additional educational requirements, as stated below: Clinical Psychology: For positions at grades GS-11 and above, satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the Doctoral Degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in Clinical Psychology is required. Counseling Psychology: For positions at grades GS-9 and above, satisfactory completion of 2 full academic years of graduate study directly related to professional work in Counseling Psychology, or satisfactory completion in an accredited educational institution of all the requirements for a Master’s Degree directly related to counseling Psychology is required. Licensure: Applicants must 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. GS-13 Specialized Experience: For this position, you must have two (2) years of post-Doctoral Degree experience as a professional Psychologist directly related to the duties to be performed (VA or Non-VA), with at least one (1) year equivalent the next lower grade, GS-12, in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. NOTE: In addition to the basic requirements, a Doctoral Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy or comparable degree in mental health that meets the current VA qualification standard of that profession (License Professional Mental Health Counselor, Social Work, Psychiatric Nursing, Psychology, and Psychiatry) may be substituted for the required one (1) year of marriage and family therapy experience in a clinical setting. Specialized experience includes, but is not limited to: Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions for a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses / injuries, common medications and their effects / side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals Ability to provide consultation services to new Social Workers, Social Work Graduate Students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g. professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management’s website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18, Psychologist Qualification Standard dated February 7, 2018.
The incumbent serves as Psychologist on the multidisciplinary team that is located in a community-based Vet Center that provides Veterans, service members, and their family members with community outreach, counseling, therapy, treatment, direct services, and referral to VA and community resources and community education in the effort to address problems, needs, and to make the transition from military to civilian life successful.