Summary

The Mental Health Integration (MHI) Sleep Psychology position is administratively aligned with the Mental Health Service and is assigned as a collocated - collaborative - and integrated mental health care provider in Sleep Medicine.

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:

• 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 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 you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for
• OR - have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution - with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature
• 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
• 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
• Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019
• 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: Training in CBT-I and other sleep disorder interventions
• Grade Determinations: GS-11 Staff Psychologist (Entry Level): Experience
• None beyond the basic requirements
• GS-12 Staff Psychologist (Developmental Level): Experience
• At least 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
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate 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 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
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate 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.*Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed
• Post-Doctoral Degree Fellowships
• Postdoctoral fellowships or residencies are training programs in an advanced area of clinical practice
• Training as a fellow or resident is considered to be creditable experience on a year-for-year basis
• Reference can be found at the VA Qualification Repository - VA Qualifications Standards - Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) GS-0180 Psychologist Qualification Standard dated February 7 - 2018
• 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: Light lifting (under 15 pounds)
• Light Carrying (under 15 pounds)
• Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously
• Ability to distinguish basic colors
• Hearing (aid permitted)
• Cognitive stability
• Mental/emotional stability.

Duties

• This is a full-time clinical position
• The MHI Sleep Psychologist provides focused assessment - brief evidence-informed interventions - education - and consultation services to Veterans - and education and consultation for Specialty Medical Providers and allied team members
• Clinical Responsibilities : Maintains daily open access slots and encourages same day warm handoffs within the Specialty Medical Clinic
• Welcomes and encourages warm handoffs for all mental/behavioral health referral needs (i.e. - inclusive of both general mental health and/or specialty-clinic medically specific 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 the Specialty Medical Team
• 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 Specialty Medical Setting
• Collaborates with Specialty Medical Team members and others (e.g. - Primary Care Mental Health Integration - General Mental Health - Primary Care) to support high-quality - effective - and coordinated service delivery at the patient - programmatic - and system levels
• Supports Specialty Medical Provider decision-making - building on medical interventions and improving the Specialty Medical Provider-Patient working relationship
• Ensures quality of care by successfully completing national VA trainings and associated ongoing education modules as well as attending MHI Community of Practice calls
• Seeks and creates opportunities to engage in education about the medical population being served within the specialty medical clinic
• Engages in Specialty Medical Team huddles and meetings to cultivate collaborative team functioning and serves as subject matter expert for behavioral health considerations
• Remote Position: Yes - This position is eligible for remote work and is currently operating under an extension of the Return-to-Office (RTO) mandate
• Please note that remote work eligibility is reviewed on an ongoing basis and does not imply a permanent remote work status until an approved exemption is approved
• Employees in this role may be required to comply with future RTO requirements as determined by agency policy
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday - 8 AM - 4:30 PM Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Recruitment Incentives
• Authorized Recruitment Incentives
• Recruitment incentives may be authorized to full-time - part time[ -] or intermittent individuals in their first appointment as a Federal employee or to a newly appointed former Federal employee with at least a 90-day break in service Relocation Incentives
• Relocation incentives may be authorized to full-time Federal employees who must change worksite[s] and physically relocate to a different geographic area when the approving official determines that without the incentive - it would be difficult to fill the position with a high-quality candidate
• Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Functional Statement #: Staff Psychologist (BHIP)