Summary This position is located at VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System is assigned to the outpatient Substance Use Disorders (SUD) Clinic under the Mental Health Services. Responsibilities VA offers a Comprehensive Total Rewards package: Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional This position is located at VA Eastern Colorado Health Care | Veterans Affairs. The incumbent serves as a fully qualified psychologist in the Mental Health Service. The duties include but are not limited to the following: Provides a full range of psychological or diagnostic assessment services for those with potential substance use disorders and concurrent mental health disorders Provides SUD related education to patients, family members, and significant others Provides comprehensive, evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions (e.g., CPT, PE, MET, CBT-SUD, BCT) Provides consultation to professional staff within the ECHCS and to community providers, concerning clinical assessment findings and appropriate treatment plans for patient diagnosed with SUD and concurrent mental health disorders Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients diagnosed with co-occurring SUD and mental health disorders, including prompt completion of clinical reminders Consistently utilizes systematic treatment response monitoring (e.g., BAM, PCL) for purposes of continuously evaluating treatment effectiveness for patients Functions independently as a member of the ECHCS Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges. Assumes complete professional responsibility of their clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation May facilitate the design, development, and implementation of program evaluation for program development and quality improvement. Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services Complies with all national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings (e.g., EBP Steering Committee, Recovery Workgroup) Attends required program, service, and facility level staff meetings and complies with the MHS peer review procedures Contributes to performance improvement activities within the Substance Use Disorders Clinic Staff Member may engage in research activities with the approval of the ACOS-MH Provides clinical supervision and instruction for psychology interns, psychology practicum students, postdoctoral residents, and unlicensed staff psychologists May provide training to staff through didactic presentations including psychology, social work, psychiatry, and other disciplines Assures compliance w/ Joint Commission standards Complies w/ national & local performance measures Complies w/ all documentation procedures, including timeliness standards according to policies Performs complex Care Management and has Consultation responsibilities Participates in educational activities, completes unit based in-services, & mandatory educational activities in a self-directed manner by deadlines Demonstrates positive, effective communication skills & professional behavior that promote cooperation & teamwork Practices good customer service & demonstrates VA I-CARE values Participates in unit-based quality of care performance improvement activities, unit based performance improvement measures & results Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 7:30am to 4:00pm or similar 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 VHAELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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: Yes-as determined by agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 554054106-A, 554-54107-A, 554-54108-A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. BASIC REQUIREMENTS Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency. Must be proficient in spoken and written English. Education. 1) 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) 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. NOTE: Must provide an official transcript and/or certificate. OR 3) A doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND 4) Internship. a) 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: The employee is required to maintain board certification.) OR e) 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. c. 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. Exception. Non-licensed applicants who otherwise meet the eligibility requirements may be given a temporary appointment as a "graduate psychologist" at the GS-11 or GS- 12 grade under the authority of 38 U.S.C. § 7405 [(c)(2)(B)] for a period not to exceed two (2) years from the date of employment on the condition that such a psychologist provide care only under the supervision of a psychologist who is licensed. Failure to obtain licensure during that period is justification for termination of the temporary appointment. GRADE DETERMINATIONS GS-11 (Entry Level) a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. GS-12 (Developmental Level) a) Experience. At least one (1) 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. b) In addition, must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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. GS-13 (Full Performance, Level) a) Experience. At least two (2) years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. b) In addition, must demonstrate all of the following Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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. 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). Preferred Experience: It is preferred that the SUD therapist has experience providing a range of treatment services to patients with substance use and co-occurring disorders, including but not limited to individual, family, and group psychotherapy. Reference: 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: Physical demands of the work are generally minor, as the position requires sitting, standing, and walking. The emotional demands can be stressful in working with high-risk for suicide veteran population and their families. A high level of self-awareness is essential. Work, divided between office and clinical settings, is primarily sedentary. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
