Psychologist Social Worker

We're Looking for a skilled Psychologist Social Worker in the Veterans Health Administration based in Greenville, North Carolina. Read through the job description to see if it matches your current experience.

The Successful Applicant

BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by Public Law 96151 codified in 38 U.S.C. 7402. To qualify for appointment all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following: a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Noncitizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3 section A paragraph 3.g this part.) b. 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. OR (2) Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and in addition successfully complete a respecialization program (including documentation of an approved internship completed as part of the respecialization program) meeting both of the following conditions: (a) The respecialization 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: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the respecialization program which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship. Psychologists who have successfully completed a respecialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards. OR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionallyaccredited 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 fulltime oneyear predoctoral internships prior to PL 96151 (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 oneyear supervised internship experience in a site specifically acceptable to the candidates doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicants official transcript the applicant must provide a statement from the doctoral program verifying that the equivalent of a oneyear 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. 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. Board Certification and Loss of Credential (1) Board Certification. Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying bodys requirement for continuing education. (2) Loss of Credential. Once board certified psychologist must maintain a full valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required board certification must be removed from the occupation which may result in termination of employment. Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Staff Psychologist GS13 (Full Performance Level) (a) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist with at least one year equivalent to the GS12 grade level. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. 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. (c) Assignment. This is the full performance level for staff psychologists. At this level psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting such as inpatient or outpatient medicine primary care surgery mental health neurology rehabilitation medicine geriatrics Compensation and Pension Vet Centers and the VHA National Center for Organization Development. Preferred Experience: Conducting Psychosocial Assessments Making Psychosocial Diagnoses Effective Treatment Planning Treatment Implementation Treatment and Program Evaluation Clinical Supervision Graduate Student Field Instructor/Preceptor Coaching and Mentoring References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103PART II APPENDIX G18 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS 13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS 13 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. 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.

What’s on Offer

The role offers excellent opportunities for top performers to further develop their competencies as a social worker and improving the lives of people.