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This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only 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: (1) 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. For the purpose of meeting this requirement, the term "specialty area" refers to the specific specialty areas recognized by the accrediting body and not to specific job duties that might require special skills. Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, clinical neuropsychology, and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore, an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology). OR (2) 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 (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND (4) Internships (a) 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 (b) 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 (c) 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 (d) 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 (e) 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. Grade Determinations: GS-13: Staff Psychologist (Full Performance Level) Experience. At least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: 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. Preferred Experience: A minimum of 1 year experience working in geriatrics or home based primary care. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. Physical Requirements: Day-to-day work involves sitting for long periods of time, walking, standing and carrying light objects. The work requires the use of a computer and office productivity software. The work is performed with adequate lighting and heat. The lifting of light objects is required, no more than 15 pounds, such as books, reports and binders. ["The psychologist provides a variety of general and specialized psychological and assessment services through the Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) program and the Behavioral Health Service. This work may include providing professional clinical services, conducting research, carrying out education and training activities, clinical consultation, supervision, and administration. The incumbent serves as an active member of a multidisciplinary treatment team in Behavioral Health Services which develops, implements, evaluates, and updates client specific individualized diagnosis, treatment, and discharge plans for all Veterans seeking care through various BHS outpatient services. This individual will provide a full range of psychological services to HBPC patients, including screening; psychological, cognitive and capacity assessments; psychotherapy; and prevention- oriented services. The psychologist will function as a member of the HBPC team and provide ongoing team consultation services to other HBPC and primary care team members. The incumbent is required to exercise judgment in the selection of or adaptation of standard and accepted psychological theories, techniques, and practices in treating patients or developing new techniques and programs for the treatment of specialized problems or clinical populations. Functions, roles, and responsibilities include: Provide screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive and anxiety-related disorders as well as other Axis 1 conditions, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evident-based approaches. Assess and provide treatments for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety, adjustment difficulties and excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs (for which the patient may have a lower than normal tolerance due to their medical conditions and the potential for negative interactions with prescribed medication). Provide psychological prevention services to patients at significant risk for psychological problems. Provide services to the families of Veterans with dementia being served by HBPC, when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan and will allow better care for the Veteran and allow the family to sustain the Veteran in the home environment (family members may be trained to better manage behavioral problems associated with dementia; such training may allow the HBPC team to reduce use of psychoactive medication as a means of controlling behavioral problems). Provide clinical services using tele-mental health and tele-home technology. Provide screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed. Perform capacity/competency assessments when there are questions about a patient's ability to make medical decisions, perform other specific functions, or live independently with limited direction. Assess patient understanding of advanced directives and other forms of consent and assist staff in determining how to present treatment options and other such material to patients in a format they can understand. Provide individual and group interventions to support patients that are coping with feelings of grief and loss associated with disability and other life transitions. Provide effective interventions with couples or families, when appropriate, to relieve relationship difficulties, provide support to caregivers or Veterans with dementia or other significant frailty and/or promote collaboration with the HBPC team, for the benefit of the Veteran. At all times, the necessity for and benefit of the intervention for the Veteran should be documented and included as part of the Veteran's treatment plan. Facilitate transition and adjustment to new living situations (e.g., nursing home, assisted living facility), and provide seamless intervention services as appropriate. Provide behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain, disability, address sleep problems, facilitate weight loss, promote smoking cessation, and enhance medical compliance and be able to incorporate new clinical procedures. Promote communication/interactions between medical team members, patients, and their families to facilitate medical treatment. Provide clinical supervision to students, interns, fellows, and residents. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 0800 - 1630 Telework: Not Available (This is a remote position) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Please contact the EDRP Coordinator, Stacy Hermann @ V20CompensationTeam@va.gov. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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