The Suicide Prevention Coordinator at VA Long Beach serves Veterans at risk for suicide. They support important suicide prevention initiatives across VALBHS as part of VA's public health approach to prevention. Psychologist in the Mental Healthcare Group participate in a full range of psychotherapeutic, diagnostic and training activities under the supervision of the Program Manager and Chief of Psychology. VA Careers - Mental Health Professionals: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOMintJXa3Y 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: Citizenship. Citizen of the United States. Licensure. Applicants 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. Education. Applicant 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 applicants are 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; 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: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and The specialty in which the applicant is retrained must be consistent with the assignment for which the applicant is to be employed. OR Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internships. Applicants 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 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. Preferred Experience: Suicide Prevention Grade Determinations: GS-12 Experience: Applicants must have at least 1 year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Assignment. Staff psychologists at this level diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders, and may conduct research. They may be assigned to any program area. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). Ability to perform basic research tasks of scholarship and research execution within the context of an established research team, including research participant relations, research documentation, data acquisition, maintenance, and collaboration. GS-13 Experience: Applicants must have at least 2 years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs: Assignment. This is the full performance level for staff psychologists. At this level, psychologists are licensed to practice independently in the provision of psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. They may be assigned to any VHA program and setting, such as inpatient or outpatient medicine, primary care, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, geriatrics, Compensation and Pension, Vet Centers, and the VHA National Center for Organization Development. Psychologists diagnose mental disorders, conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments, treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities, and provide adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Among the modalities provided are individual, family, and group psychotherapies and other interventions such as behavioral health and community interventions. Psychologists consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. Knowledge of clinical research literature. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-12 to GS-13. References: VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G18- Psychologist Qualification Standard. Physical Requirements: Pre-employment physical will be conducted in accordance with VA Handbook 5019. ["VA Careers - Mental Health Professionals: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOMintJXa3Y A Careers - Clinical Psychologist: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77qHlLw9Xck Review a sample Total Rewards package for a VA Psychologist: www.vacareers.va.gov/Home/PdfViewer?issuu=psychology_-_total_reward_of_a_va_career_flyer_9- Duties of the position include but are not limited to: Providing care coordination and monitoring services for Veterans at high risk for suicide, including managing High Risk for Suicide Patient Record Flags and REACH Vet responsibilities. Supporting data-driven quality improvement projects related to suicide prevention procedures along with policy implementation for suicide prevention initiatives across VALBHS. Monitoring facility-wide adherence with suicide prevention standards for key performance measures. Analyzing data, preparing reports, and providing consultation on a range of suicide prevention topics. Supporting external facility surveys for quality and regulatory compliance related to suicide prevention standards. Participating in the Suicide Postvention Team to ensure a coordinated response for Veterans, families, and staff impacted by suicide deaths. Conducting community outreach, including providing educational presentations in the community, participating in community outreach events, and supporting community coalition efforts for suicide prevention. Providing a full range of psychological assessment and diagnostic services, including comprehensive suicide risk evaluations. Providing a full range of individual and/or group evidence-based psychotherapeutic services, including safety planning intervention, lethal means safety counseling, crisis response, and other interventions to support suicide prevention. Providing consultation to health care providers regarding suicide risk assessment and suicide risk mitigation strategies. Responding timely to Veterans Crisis Line referrals and other consults. Serving on Mental Health, facility, VISN, and VACO committees as requested. Providing training to staff and trainees within Mental Health HCG and across the facility, including formal presentations as part of internship, fellowship, continuing education programs, and community organizations as requested. Participating in the Psychology Training Program, including leading an education series when requested and providing clinical supervision to predoctoral and/or postdoctoral trainees. Work Schedule: Full Time, 40 Hours a week, Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Yes, may be available based on clinic needs. Telework: Potential for hybrid telework schedule upon achieving and maintaining performance and productivity standards Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required EDRP: Not approved"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.