Psychologist - Geropsychology

SummaryYou could be part of an important initiative to provide mental health care for our nations Veterans! The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs mental health professionals who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who serve our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. America's Veterans need you!ResponsibilitiesAs a Licensed Provider for the Department of Veterans Affairs, you will practice independently in the provision of psychological services, engage in professional and scientific work which relates to behavior, capacities, personality, interests, emotions and mental disorders, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. VA Northern Indiana Healthcare System employees will receive first consideration. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority PLEASE NOTE: Qualified clinical trainees, residents, fellows, interns, etc. are encouraged to apply; please follow the instructions in the How to Apply section. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (SOME FLEXIBILITY MAY BE REQUIRED TO ROTATE AN EXTENDED HOURS SHIFT SUCH AS ONE EVENING PER WEEK OR AN OCCASIONAL SATURDAY.) Major duties and responsibilities include: Applies knowledge and experience, relative to successful aging, medical complications in older adults, psychotherapeutic techniques, and the relationship between medical and psychological aspects of health and disease, in the assessment and treatment of patients in later life-span developmental stages to empower clients to partner with their interdisciplinary team and supports to increase adaptation and coping with aging issues, as well as stabilization of common mental health challenges. Possesses specialized knowledge of evidence-based treatments and psychotherapies, relaxation techniques, stress management, and/or other discipline appropriate techniques in the provision of individualized, Veteran-centered services to elderly and geriatric patients. Assessment and care services are adapted to the cognitive, emotional, chronological maturation, and diversity needs of the Person-Served. Applies knowledge of evidence-based treatment for areas of behavioral medicine (e. g., chronic pain, chronic disease management, opioid addiction, smoking cessation, weight management and insomnia). Provides consultation to CLC staffs and interdisciplinary treatment teams regarding behavioral and psychological interventions and to achieve goals Conducts inpatient and outpatient neurocognitive, psychological, and geropsychological assessments for clients at the later stages of life-span development, to include capacity evaluations, and assessment of depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and general emotional and cognitive functioning. Provides behavioral health consultation and educational services to Veterans and their support systems and health care teams to achieve bio-psychosocial goals and maintain treatment gains. Conducts assessments appropriate to individual patient functioning, sensitive to implications of test results for the Veteran's every day, real-world functioning and successful treatment and management of health challenges with an emphasis on behavioral health factors associated with aging Responsible for accurate, timely and complete documentation in the patient's electronic medical records. Provides concise documentation of care and recommendations in patient's medical record in no more than 24 hours after the patient is seen. Financial Disclosure Report: Not requiredRequirementsConditions of EmploymentQualificationsTo qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/08/2020.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 Requirement - Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. Education Requirement - You must 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 completed a specialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) the specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and b) the specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for. Internship Requirement - You must 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). NOTE: 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: Candidates 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. Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following: GS-12 Level: 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. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. 2. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. 3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. 4. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). 5. 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. GS-13 Level: At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. In 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 psychology and behavioral health. 3. Knowledge of clinical research literature. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics associated with current psychology practice: Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to a 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. Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18 Psychologist Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.EducationIMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.Additional InformationThis job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members. If you are unable to apply online view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.