Summary

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

Qualifications

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
• 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
• Currently, APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology, school psychology, or combinations of two or more of those areas
• PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science
• CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology, counseling 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
• Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA, there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology)
• 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: (a) 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 (b) 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 (c) 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 (d) 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 (e) 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
• 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
• English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English
• 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: Psychology Program Manager, GS-14: Experience: At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines
• Knowledge of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately 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
• 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
• Reference: VA Handbook 5005/103, Part II Appendix G18, Psychologist Qualification Standard GS-180 Veterans Health Administration dated February 7, 2018
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14
• The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-14
• Physical Requirements: Hearing (aid permitted) required.

Duties

• The Mental Health (MH) Clinical Operations Manager (COM) is located in the Mental Health Service under the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Program Manager at VA Northern California Health Care System
• The COM works in close collaboration with the MH Management Team to facilitate the logistical and operational needs across MH programs at their site
• The Redding COM directly supervises a workforce of approximately 8 employees
• The COM helps to ensure that the BHIP Team meets the overall performance standards, measures, and mission of the VA and the BHIP Program
• Duties for the position may include but are not limited to: Ensures efficient delivery of services related to BHIP program, involving both day-to-day operations and long-term planning and growth
• Provides oversight to BHIP team operations in order to assure comprehensive provision of collaborative care
• Provides local operational oversight around utilization, bookability, and performance metrics, assures grid accuracy and maintains DSS mapping to meet programmatic expectations
• Supervises approximately 8 BHIP multidisciplinary staff, which may include psychiatrists, psychologists, advanced practice nurses, social workers, peer specialists, and program support assistants
• Hires and trains all BHIP staff at a given site
• Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff, which are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system
• Provides feedback and periodically evaluates employee performance throughout the year
• Resolves informal complaints and grievances
• develops work improvement plans, recommending personnel actions as necessary
• Effects disciplinary measures as appropriate to the authority delegated in this area
• Reviews and approves or disapproves leave requests
• Establishes and monitors clinic profiles in terms of availability, utilization and scheduling, and staff productivity
• Attends site management meetings and serves as a liaison with delegated authority as needed to address site specific operational concerns
• Works with the facility management to maintain a clear understanding of policy and up to date procedures concerning local safety issues, disaster planning, and related preparedness concerns
• Communicates with other MH Managers and MH Administrative Officer regarding any space needs or issues at a given site
• This includes acting as the MH POC and MH liaison, directing issues to and reporting back from the appropriate authority
• Coordinates with and serves as MH liaison to Telehealth, BDMS, Clinical Informatics, IT and other services as needed in order to facilitate efficient clinical operations and address local problems across programs
• Completes assigned Performance Improvement activities at the program, service line and medical center level
• Coordinates with facility management to assure that engineering and physical plant concerns are addressed in a timely manner
• Provides public relations and community outreach and education regarding VA care to various social agencies, medical/primary care, legal, housing, and welfare organizations
• Participates in root cause analysis and addresses action plan items related to patient safety and patient care issues
• Provides specialized psychological services at all levels of complexity for patients, with service delivery to include intake evaluation, diagnostic assessments, psychotherapy and patient education
• Assesses and diagnoses mental disorders and conducts specialized psychological and/or cognitive function assessments and neuropsychological screenings
• Treats mental disorders through a variety of modalities (and especially EBPs), and provides adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders
• Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual and group psychotherapy, family therapy, consultation, rehabilitation and psychoeducation
• May participate in the Psychology Training Program/Training Committee, providing supervision to psychology interns and other trainees as appropriate
• Participates on selection panels for Staff Psychologist position vacancies or other positions as assigned by Chief MHPL
• Other related duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday
• 8:00 a.m
• - 4:30 p.m.
• Tour of duty subject to change to meet the needs of the Agency Telework: Telework if approved would be on a regularly scheduled basis, but this is not a remote or virtual position
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive
• Contact V21CCOEEDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
• Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized A recruitment/relocation incentive may be authorized for highly qualified applicants.