PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM MANAGER (Training Director)

Summary

This position is located within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (HVAMC), under the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service Line (MHBS). This position is aligned with the Chief of Psychology and reports to the BHIP Program Manager/Director.

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Duties

The incumbent's primary duty is serving as the Director of our three Training Programs (Psychology Internship, Psychology Post-Doctoral, & Psychology Practicum Program) of the Hampton VA Medical Center Psychology Internship Program. Both our Internship and Post-Doctoral Program are accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA). This position is expected to function in an independent manner, to take full responsibility for the assigned functions, and to be held accountable for the obtained results. The incumbent will also administratively supervise our Marriage and Family Therapists and Psychology Technicians within the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP). The incumbent will also be engaged in clinical duties.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

Responsibilities

The incumbent is responsible for assisting in the management of the administrative and clinical aspects of the Psychology Training Programs at Hampton VA.

• The incumbent has broad program management responsibilities for the Psychology Internship Training Program, the Women & Trauma Post-Doctoral Training Program, and the Psychology Practicum Training Program all of which are large key training program within the medical center.
• The incumbent is responsible for ensuring standardization of processes within each key clinical training program, including the development of relevant SOPs and job aids.
• The incumbent has oversight of all administrative and programmatic resources of the Internship, Post-Doctoral, and Practicum programs.
• The incumbent organizes, directs, administers, and manages all aspects of the psychology training programs including comprehensive planning, developing, and implementing policies and procedures, determining needs of the program, overseeing the quality and quantity of training, and establishing program initiatives and direction within the limits of available staff and budget.
• This Psychology Program Manager (Training Director) also has full responsibility for the oversight of the practice of the Marriage and Family Therapists and the Psychology Technicians in BHIP/Outpatient to ensure the highest quality of service delivery provided to Veterans throughout the Hampton system of care. Supervisory responsibilities include ongoing evaluation of staffing needs and personnel assignments, periodic updating of position descriptions and functional statements, coordination of competency evaluations, completing performance appraisals, and professional and administrative supervision as appropriate and necessary.
• The incumbent is responsible for strategic planning to ensure the provision of high-quality services to meet the needs of the Veterans being served in the clinical programs detailed below.
• Independently provides psychological services at all levels of complexity and consults with peers and supervisors as appropriate.
• Conducts diagnostic evaluations by clinical interview, objective and/or projective testing, intellectual assessment, organicity screening, and behavioral observation. Interprets and integrates the findings with all other available patient data and writes these outcomes in comprehensive psychological evaluations.
• Plans and carries out individual, marital, and/or group psychotherapy with the most difficult cases. The psychologist functions in a way that promotes and maintains a psychotherapeutic milieu within the work area, and participates in the development of treatment programs for patients served in the MH&BS.
• Provides assessment, therapy, education, and support services for, and interacts with, patients from young adult to geriatric age levels on an inpatient and outpatient basis.
• Establishes and maintains appropriate patient treatment records in conformance with VA, medical center, service line, Joint Commission, CARF, and other applicable standards.
• The incumbent serves as a member of the Mental Health Executive Council. This committee is comprised of an interdisciplinary membership that assists in developing, implementing, and evaluating mental health policy and programs for the medical center.
• Plans, guides, instructs, evaluates, and supervises one or more psychology trainees, interns, or fellows.
• Serves as a consultant to other medical center staff and trainees and assists in their formulation of the psychological characteristics and appropriate treatment expectations regarding their patients.
• Oversees the implementation of program monitors and outcome measurements within the MH&BS Service Line using a data-driven quality assurance process.
  
  

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm

Telework: Ad-Hoc

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 000000

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Recruitment Incentives: Authorized (see next line)

EDRP Authorized: Contact veronica.richardson3@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.
  
  

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 (1) 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. 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.
  
  

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.
  
  

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.

Education

GS-14 Psychology Program Manager

Education:

• Doctoral degree in psychology from American Psychological Association accredited graduate program in an area of training consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed.
• Internship in professional psychology accredited by the American Psychological Association.
  
  

Experience:

At least 3 years of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-13). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meets multiple deadlines.
• Knowledge of, and ability to appropriately utilize, evidence-based practices and clinical practice guidelines and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
• Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
• Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives, and ability to devise ways to adapt work operations to new and changing programs, staffing, and budget requirements, etc.
• Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
• Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and
  
  

implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.



Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

Hampton VA Medical Center

100 Emancipation Drive

Hampton, VA 23667

US