Your steps to apply
Staff Psychologist – PCMHI
Veterans Health Administration · Chula Vista, California · Closes in 3 days
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1 Check you can apply You are here
Who can apply: The public.
Only U.S. citizens can apply. The job is open to the public.
Experience: For GS-11, no experience beyond the basic requirements is needed. For GS-12, you need at least 1 year of experience as a professional psychologist at the GS-11 level, plus specific skills in psychological treatment and treatment design. For GS-13, you need at least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least 1 year at the GS-12 level, plus skills in advising and consulting.
Education: You need a doctoral degree in psychology from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA), the Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS), or the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), in a specialty that matches the job. You also need a completed internship from an APA or CPA accredited program that matches the job. Other paths are allowed, such as a re-specialization program or a doctoral degree awarded from 1951 to 1978 with a mainly psychological dissertation.
Licenses and certifications:
- Full, current, unrestricted license to practice psychology at the doctoral level in a U.S. state, territory, or the District of Columbia.
- Non-licensed applicants may get a temporary 'graduate psychologist' appointment for up to 2 years at GS-11 or GS-12, but must work under a licensed psychologist's supervision.
Experience can be paid or unpaid, volunteer work included: if it matches the duties, it counts. The full rules are in the announcement.
2 Resume and documents
Write a federal resume for this job. For each job you held, give the month and year you started and ended, your hours per week and what you did, using the words of the experience the announcement asks for. Many announcements accept resumes of up to 2 pages: check this one.
3 Apply on USAJOBS
Closes in 3 days (November 6, until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time).
This job will close once 50 applications are received, which may be before the closing date.
You sign in to USAJOBS with a Login.gov account, answer the questionnaire and upload your documents, then you submit. Answer the questionnaire honestly: your resume must show what you claim.
How they rate you: You are rated on how well you meet the qualifications. Your experience, resume or CV and documents will be verified, and missing or unclear information may lower your rating or make you ineligible.
4 After you apply
In USAJOBS, under Applications, you can see where your application stands: received, reviewed, referred to the hiring manager or not, then selected or not. It can take a few weeks.
For the interview, prepare three examples with the STAR method: the Situation, the Task, what you did (Action) and the Result.
If they choose you: a tentative offer, then a background check, then the final offer with your start date.
Tips for this job:
- Use a long-form resume or CV that clearly lists your dates, hours and duties, since experience is verified.
- If you use education to qualify, attach transcripts from accredited programs only.
- Submit your full application package by 11:59 PM ET on 11/06/2026, including all required documents and the questionnaire.
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