Summary There are multiple opportunities for a Psychologist assigned in the Integrated Care program under Mental Health Service (MHS), reporting to the Program Manager, Integrated Care, MHS. Integrated Care providers may work in Primacy Care - Mental Health Integration and/or Specialty Medicine clinics, such as Sleep, Pain, Hematology/Oncology, Neurology, or other outpatient clinics, depending on medical center needs. Responsibilities Psychologist in both the Integrative Medicine (pain rehabilitation) and Integrated Care Program Serves as Team Member for an inter-professional clinical team, co-located with the Integrative Medicine (IM) and Primary Care/Specialty Medicine teams. As a clinical member of the IM Team (50%), provides a full range of diagnostic and evaluation services appropriate to the IM setting, especially pertaining to the evaluation and treatment of pain conditions. (e.g., CBT-CP, Biofeedback) As a clinical member of the Integrated Care Team (50%), provides a full range of diagnostic and evaluation services appropriate to the primary care or medical specialty setting, especially in the areas of general psychological evaluation of emotional and behavioral problems and focused cognitive assessments. Provides a full range of psychological interventions consistent with training and expertise, with special emphasis on pain and on brief and evidenced-based interventions found to be effective in primary care/specialty medicine settings. Facilitates patient and family education appropriate to the IM and primary care/specialty medicine settings and the specific presenting mental or behavioral health issues. Provides consultation services for IM and primary care providers (PCP)/specialty medicine to maximize the effectiveness of their interventions in reducing health-risk behaviors and enhancing health-promoting behaviors, with a significant emphasis on a prevention-oriented model of care. Supports IM provider and PCP/specialty medicine provider's decision-making, building on IM and medical interventions and improving IM/medical provider patient working relationships. Provides clinical care management when appropriate directly to an assigned cohort of patients. Provides the expertise and leadership so that the integrated care and collaborative practice model is fully implemented, allowing patients to remain with at the lowest level of care possible for the full range of their health care needs to the extent that this is clinically appropriate. Integrated Care (IC) Psychologist Maintains daily open access slots and encourages same day warm handoffs. Welcomes and encourages warm handoffs for all mental/behavioral health referral needs (i.e., inclusive of both general mental health and/or specific medical concerns) for completion of focused assessment and triage to the most appropriate level of care. Conducts initial assessments that are focused on the main reason(s) for referral with attention to functional impairment, and that are less extensive than traditional mental health intake evaluations (e.g., 30 minutes vs. 60 or 90 minutes for traditional evaluation). Completes most individual appointments (both initial and follow-up) within 30 minutes. Utilizes the Whole Health approach in clinical practice, including connecting with the Veteran's Mission/Aspiration/Purpose to inform, plan and deliver clinical services. Supports Stepped-Care principles to facilitate "on-time, on target" services to Veterans, matching the intensity of recommended services with the level of clinical need. Facilitates referrals for Veterans with more severe or complex needs to the appropriate general or specialty mental health program(s) or behavioral health specialist. Provides primarily time-limited (e.g., approximately 1-6 sessions), brief (e.g., 30 minutes), evidence-informed, individual and/or group interventions for a broad range of mental health and health behavior concerns. Provides a range of psychological interventions consistent with training and expertise with emphasis on brief and evidenced-based interventions effective in medical settings. Utilizes intermittent visits and flexible patient contact strategies to support brief but longitudinal care as part of medical teams. Uses Measurement Based Care (MBC) in accordance with nationally recommended guidelines. Supports a team-based approach to risk identification including assistance with coordination and/or completion of suicide risk assessment and intervention within the medical setting. Collaborates with medical members and others (e.g., General Mental Health, Primary Care, Whole Health) to support high-quality, effective, and coordinated service delivery at the patient, programmatic, and system levels. Supports medical provider decision-making, building on medical interventions and improving the medical provider-patient working relationship. Ensures quality of care by successfully completing national VA trainings and associated ongoing education modules as well as attending PCMHI and/or MHI Community of Practice calls. Seeks and creates opportunities to engage in education about the medical population being served. Other duties as assigned Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm or based on agency needs Telework: Ad-Hoc Functional Statement #: 91346 (GS-11); 91347 (GS-12); 91348 (GS-13); 93035 (GS-11); 93036 (GS-12); 93037 (GS-13) 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. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications 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. 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. 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 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: the re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and 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.] AND Internships 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. NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard.] 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 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: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience. None beyond basic 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 then at the GS-11 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. In addition tot he experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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 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. 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). 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. Education IMPORTANT: 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. 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. Program 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. Additional Information VA Healthcare System Serving Ohio, Indiana and Michigan (VISN 10) advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. 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. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. 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.