Staff Psychologist -Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC)

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The San Francisco VA Medical Center has an immediate opening for a staff psychologist in the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) clinic.

PRRC is an intensive outpatient program for Veterans with serious mental illness, and the mission is to empower Veterans to build meaningful lives in their communities of choice.

The goal of the PRRC is to support Veterans with community inclusion goals by learning skills, strengthening resilience, and utilizing a combination of groups and individual recovery coaching.

The PRRC employs a team-based, collaborative approach to the recovery model - a person-centered framework for mental health that views recovery as a personal, ongoing journey toward hope, with an emphasis on an individual's lived experience, strengths, and aspirations, integrating symptom management with personal growth and social participation.

The PRRC Psychologist provides clinical care, assessment, and consultation to Veterans with serious mental illness, while also serving in a training and leadership capacity for the Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) training program.

This role combines direct clinical service with responsibility for supervising psychology trainees and contributing to program-level clinical leadership. Independently conducts comprehensive psychological and psychosocial assessments to understand the needs of Veterans, their families, and caregivers.

Provides individual therapy and facilitates psychoeducational and therapy groups for Veterans with serious mental illness, independently managing an expected caseload. Actively participates in interdisciplinary treatment planning, ensuring Veterans' and families' psychological and psychosocial needs are integrated into care.

Accompanies PRRC participants and staff on community integration activities as clinically appropriate. Provides consultation and education to Veterans and families on community resources, advance directives, and VA benefits as they relate to psychological care and recovery.

Applies in-depth knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures - including acute, chronic, and traumatic conditions - along with an understanding of common psychiatric medications and their effects and side effects.

Demonstrates strong interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills in working with Veterans, families, and community agencies. Provides clinical supervision, training, and mentorship to psychology trainees, ensuring adherence to ethical and professional standards.

Provides leadership, orientation, coaching, in-service training, and continuing education for assigned clinical staff. Serves as a clinical consultant to interdisciplinary team members, offering guidance on psychological principles and best clinical practices.

Provides consultation and education to medical residents on psychological practice and VA policy and procedure. Serves as a liaison between VA and community resources, including representing the program in outreach and public engagement efforts as needed.

Maintains data and statistical reports to ensure compliance with Joint Commission (JCAHO), VA, and Medical Center policies and procedures. Serves on committees, workgroups, and/or task forces at the facility, VISN, or national level, or within the community, as assigned.

Preferred experience: History of work with individuals with Serious Mental Illness (SMI); Experience facilitating groups; Experience working with Veteran population.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am- 4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.

Learn more Telework: Available, Adhoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 662-0740F/662-0741F/ 662-0742F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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: 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).

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.

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 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; 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 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.

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.

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 GS12 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. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level): Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. 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 than at the GS-11 grade level. 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 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. Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level): Experience.

At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. 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.

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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.