Psychologist
United States Department of Veterans Affairs - Leesburg, VA
posted 4 months ago
About the position
The Psychologist position at the Leesburg Virginia Vet Center is a supervisory role that involves providing essential counseling services to eligible Veterans, active duty service members, and their families. The Vet Center is a community-based facility dedicated to offering readjustment counseling, community outreach, and care coordination with VA and community resources. The incumbent will be responsible for establishing therapeutic relationships with clients, conducting intake screenings and assessments, and developing individualized counseling service plans based on the clients' needs. This role requires the application of various therapeutic modalities, including individual, family, marriage, and group interventions, to facilitate the readjustment of clients to civilian life. In this position, the psychologist will perform intake screenings to assess risk for self-harm and psychosocial functioning, which will inform the development of a tailored readjustment counseling service plan. The psychologist will also be responsible for setting counseling goals in collaboration with clients and implementing the counseling plan through direct service provision. Risk assessment and crisis intervention are critical components of this role, requiring the psychologist to periodically evaluate clients' risk levels and develop safety plans for those identified as being at intermediate to high risk. The psychologist will also provide support to family members during crisis situations. The work schedule for this position is from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday, with occasional evening hours based on operational needs. This is a permanent, full-time position with a competitive salary range and various benefits, including paid time off, parental leave, and retirement options. The role does not allow for telework or virtual work, emphasizing the importance of in-person interactions with clients.
Responsibilities
- Provide readjustment counseling services to eligible Veterans, active duty service members, and their families.
- Conduct intake screenings and assessments to establish therapeutic relationships and evaluate risk for self-harm and psychosocial functioning.
- Develop and periodically update individualized readjustment counseling service plans based on initial assessments and client interactions.
- Implement individualized counseling plans through appropriate courses of individual, group, marriage, and family counseling.
- Maintain effective therapeutic relationships with clients, guided by professional ethics throughout the counseling process.
- Apply risk assessment procedures during initial assessments and throughout the counseling process, developing safety plans for high-risk individuals.
- Provide crisis intervention support to clients and their family members as needed.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Requirements
- Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
- Hold a doctoral degree in psychology from an accredited program recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) or equivalent.
- Possess a full, current, and unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a U.S. state or territory.
- Complete a professional psychology internship accredited by APA or CPA.
- Demonstrated knowledge of a wide range of professional psychological treatments and assessment methods.
- Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies and conduct research activities.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience working with Veterans or military families.
- Familiarity with community resources available for Veterans and their families.
- Knowledge of crisis intervention techniques and risk assessment procedures.
Benefits
- 37-50 days of annual paid time off per year (including annual leave, sick leave, and paid federal holidays).
- Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment.
- Childcare subsidy for eligible employees after 60 days of employment.
- Traditional federal pension and federal 401K with contributions by VA.
- Comprehensive health, vision, dental, and life insurance options.
