Staff Psychologist-Clinical Resource Hub, Primary Care Mental Health Integration

This Staff Psychologist-Clinical Resource Hub, Primary Care Mental Health Integration position is with Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs) in Phoenix, AZ. 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. Program 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. Key duties: • Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Role and Service Model Provide integrated mental health services via telehealth to multiple Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 5 facilities using the Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) model, as part of an interprofessional telehealth primary care team with patient-site care team members. Deliver brief (20-30 minute), limited-number (1-6) visits in primary care, supporting medical providers across a broad scope of behavioral health concerns so patients view the visit as a routine primary care service. Clinical Care Complete psychosocial and functional assessments and treatment plans, and conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments when clinically indicated. Provide individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy; brief evidence-based interventions for depression, anxiety, stress, sleep hygiene, and other behavioral health concerns; supportive counseling; and crisis intervention, including stabilization, referral for inpatient psychiatric care, and follow-up. Use systematic symptom monitoring, decision support, and patient education and activation, and address emergent problems such as non-adherence or medication side effects. Apply knowledge of mental health and substance abuse diagnoses and treatment, human development, and grief and loss related to disability and terminal illness. Care Coordination and Consultation Collaborate with Veterans, families, Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) members, and interdisciplinary team members (psychology, social work, psychiatry, nursing, pharmacy, and peer support) to develop and implement treatment plans. Facilitate discharge planning, including triage to a higher level of mental health care or return to primary care, and provide case management and community resource and benefits referral. Consult with and educate PACT members, Veterans, and families on psychosocial needs, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefits, specialty programs, and advance directives. Quality and Professional Development Document in the Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS) and Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) system. Maintain productivity and quality consistent with Joint Commission, professional, and facility standards, and support VA and Veterans Health Administration policies. Serve on committees, precept trainees, and pursue continuing education. Work Schedule: 8:00AM-430P Mon-Friday Compressed/Flexible: Negotiable Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized. Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized. EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Telework: PLEASE NOTE: THIS POSITION IS CURRENTLY ON A MID-TERM EXTENSTION FROM RETURN TO OFFICE REQUIREMENTS. MID-TERM EXTENSION POSITIONS ARE REVIEWED REGULARLY AND DO NOT CONFER PERMANENT REMOTE WORK STATUS; the selected individual may be required to work on site if space is available, or may need to return to a VA office if required. Any selected candidate must live within 50 miles of a VA Medical Center. Applicants within the VISN 5 catchment area are given priority. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. 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: (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. 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. OR (2) 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. OR (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.] AND (4) 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. 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. 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. (1) 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 GS12 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 and Loss of Credential (1) Board Certification. Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA 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. Grade Determinations: (1) Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level) (a) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. (2) Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level) (a) Experience. At least one year of experience as a professional psychologist equivalent to the next lower grade level (GS-11). Psychologists who are not licensed must practice under the supervision of a licensed psychologist but with less intense supervision than at the GS-11 grade level. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of and ability to apply a wide range of professional psychological treatments or assessment methods to a variety of patient populations. 2. Ability to design and implement effective treatment strategies. 3. Ability to incorporate new clinical procedures. 4. Ability to conduct research activities, such as designing and implementing clinical research projects (staff psychologists with specified research job duties). 5. 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. (3) Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level) (a) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. (b) Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. 2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. 3. Knowledge of clinical research literature. 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: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. Preferred Experience: Extensive evidence-based psychotherapy training and experience. Preferred experience with Federal EHR (Oracle Health/Cerner), and telehealth modalities. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 13. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of 11 to 13. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.