Staff Psychologist - Behavioral Health Integrated Program (BHIP)

Staff Psychologist - Behavioral Health Integrated Program (BHIP)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Wilmington, Delaware

Salary Range: $121993 - $158593 Per Year

Job Summary: The Staff Psychologist is affiliated with the Behavioral Health Service (BHS), at the Wilmington Veteran Affairs Medical Center (WVAMC), is assigned to the Wilmington VAMC and functions as a key member of the Behavioral Health Integrated Program (BHIP Team) and diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological and/or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities; and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders.

Major Duties:

• VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Psychologist: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Psychology-Career-Flyer.pdf The Staff Psychologist consults hospital staff, including Primary Care, and Behavioral Health regarding patient needs, provides in-clinic, telephone, and Tele-mental Health consultation and provides a wide range of psychotherapeutic and psychodiagnostics interventions. A staff psychologist functions in accordance with the policies, principals, professional ethics, and techniques of accepted Psychology practice to include the American Psychological Association, professional licensing code, and state law. The incumbent reports to the Chief Psychologist, who in turn is under the direct supervision of the ACOS, Mental Health and Behavioral Science Service Line, who in turn is under the direct supervision of the Chief of Staff. Major duties include, but may not be limited to: Functions as part of a multidisciplinary general mental health team, diagnoses and treats mental disorders, and provides consultation to other providers. Provides general service delivery for a wide range of behavioral health needs, either alone or in the context of other mental health disorders typically treated within the BHIP setting. Conducts psychotherapy treatment sessions, both in-clinic and virtually. The BHIP Psychologist can expect to deliver both individual and group treatments and will coordinate with providers of various disciplines for completion of treatment plans with patients. Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services for individuals with mental health and medical disorders for purposes of diagnostic clarification and treatment planning recommendations. Provides a range of psychotherapeutic interventions with individuals with mental health or medical disorders, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based treatments for common disorders. May be asked to assist in the selection, training, and clinical supervision of staff within assigned program area, behavioral health, or WVAMC. May be asked to prepare and teach seminars/workshops for WVAMC trainees/staff on topics within interest/competency areas. May choose to conduct approved psychological research that supports the mission of WVAMC BHS alone or in collaboration with other WVAMC clinics or affiliated academic institutions. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Adheres to Psychology Service peer review procedures. Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Chief of Psychology Services. Complies with all Computer Patient Record System (CPRS) documentation procedures, including timeliness standards for documentation and proper patient check out procedures (e.g., entering diagnostic and procedure codes). Adheres to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, established by the Associate Chief of Staff for Behavioral Health Services. Responsible for supporting the mission, policies, and procedures of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the Veteran's Integrated Service Network (VISN), and Wilmington VA Medical Center. Additional duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Full-time, Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHAVISN04HREDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more 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: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: PD000000/Psychologist Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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: (a.) The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; (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 re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship. Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization 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; Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. 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; 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. 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. 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). Grade Determinations: Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (1) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. (2) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of 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. (3) 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. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities. Preferred Experience: Two or more years of clinical experience comparable to what one would get in a VA setting, either by post-doctoral employment or two years of employment as a psychologist. Post-doctoral degree fellowships are training programs in an advanced area of clinical practice. Training as a fellow may substitute for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 12/29/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12848554. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2025-12-29