Deputy Chief of Mental Health - Psychologist

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Learn more

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 Requirement - You must 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; OR, have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed a 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 you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are applying for; OR, have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• Internship Requirement - You must 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: Candidates must 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 GS-12 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.
• Board Certification: Applicants for this position who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education. (Once board certified, psychologist must maintain a full, valid and unrestricted board certification to remain qualified for employment. A psychologist who fails to maintain the required board certification must be removed from the occupation, which may result in termination of employment.)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).

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:
Senior Psychologist Program Manager, GS-15

(a) Experience. At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one
year equivalent to the GS-14 grade level.
(b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
1. Skill in managing and directing the work of large, complex organizational units and in applying effective management practices.
2. Skill in persuasion, negotiation, and motivation to negotiate multiple program policies.
3. Skill in interpersonal relationships in dealing with employees and other managers using advanced consultation and problem solving skills.
4. Skill in the application and analysis of measurement tools to systems issues.
5. Ability to balance responsibilities in a complex environment and to work with great autonomy; ability to set priorities and delegate tasks, meet multiple deadlines, analyze complex organizational problems; and ability to develop and implement effective solutions for those problems.
6. Ability to assess need for basic and complex services across multiple programmatic contexts.
7. Ability to coordinate the efforts of multiple program elements across a complex system.


References: VA Handbook 5005/103 Part II Appendix G18

The full performance level of this vacancy is 15.

Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the work are generally minor, as the position requires sitting, standing and walking. A high level of self-awareness is essential. Work, divided between office and clinical settings, is primarily sedentary. May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. Requires carrying light items, such as books, files, or laptop computer.

Responsibilities:

The Deputy Chief of Mental Health (Senior Psychologist Program Manager) manages administrative and clinical aspects with a broad responsibility for multiple mental health programs located across VA Western Colorado Health Care System (WCHCS).

Administrative Functions (80%)

• Provides broad program management responsibilities for a number of programs, including leadership in the development, implementation, evaluation, and oversight of complex programs responsible for comprehensive clinical care of Veterans.
• Leads a number of multidisciplinary teams, which include psychologists, physicians, social workers, nurses, and other health care professionals and trainees. The manager of this program oversees approximately 40 personnel.
• Responsible for the development, implementation, and oversight of operational policies and procedures for the programs, with the approval of the affiliated Service Line Leader.
• Conducts ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects that monitor the effectiveness of clinical operations within their respective program(s).
• Organizes and leads leadership team meetings to facilitate case disposition, care management, effective delivery of clinical interventions, and the adherence to administrative demands.
• Monitors and distributes provider-specific workload reports to team leaders and ensures provider adherence to workload standards.
• Plans work to be accomplished by team leaders and Program Managers, including establishing priorities, timelines for completion and necessary adjustments therein.
• Ensures timely access to care of patients assigned to each team, in accordance with local and national policies.
• Initiates and maintains liaisons with associated VA health care programs to effectively coordinate services.
• Monitors compliance of team leaders and members with VA performance measures and effectively shapes provider practice patterns to improve standing on performance measures.
• (Provides clinical supervision, as appropriate, to assigned team leaders and members regarding adherence to WCHCS clinical and legal standards and policies, documentation of CPRS procedures, and the clinical management of difficult, complex, and dangerous patients.
• Facilitates liaisons with other health care programs in order to effectively coordinate services
• Ensures optimal collaboration across program teams, to include effective communication, resource sharing, permeability, and transfer of patients across a continuum of services.
• Oversee survey readiness for all programs in their respective section, in collaboration with Mental Health Leadership and the QI Manager.
• Responsible for timely completion of all program evaluations and documents required by the Medical Center, VISN and VACO, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies such as JCAHO

Clinical Functions (20%)

• Psychological Assessment and Diagnosis: The practice of psychological assessment and diagnosis includes the selection of measures, administration and interpretation of clinical interviews and psychometric measures for the purpose of assessing symptoms of psychopathology, personality functioning, cognition, quality of life, and functional impairment. This includes neuropsychological screening instruments.
• Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy includes treatment delivered to individuals, groups, and couples/families using education, supportive therapy, behavioral interventions, and evidence based psychotherapies appropriate for presenting problems or clinical diagnoses.
• Promote mental health and wellness.
• Assess, stabilize, and determine disposition of patients with emergent mental health conditions consistent with medical staff policy regarding emergency and consultative call service.
• Conduct and document suicide and homicide risk evaluations and assessments and implement safety planning.
• Develop individualized mental health treatment plans for assigned patients. Reassess and modify treatment plans as necessary to achieve mental health goals.
• Administer and interpret standardized measures to assess patient outcomes and progress.
• Provide counseling and education to patients, families and caregivers on mental health.
• Provide ongoing consultation and education to staff nurses, medical team and student trainees.
• Provide mental health consultation to other disciplines/services and the medicine wards.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Compressed/Flexible:Available
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:53505-O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for qualified applicants
EDRP Authorized: May be authorized for qualified applicants. Contact Brandee O'Brien atBrandee.OBrien@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Salary : $0