Psychologist Program Manager - Mental Health Recovery Programming and Transformation

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.

Duties

Program Manager responsible for leading recovery-oriented mental health program development, implementation, and transformation across KCVAMC. Serves as consultant to all Mental Health programs, oversees policies, training, and recovery outcomes, and functions as Community Mental Health Integration Lead, advancing Veteran-centered, community-integrated care. Duties include but are not limited to: Program Management & Leadership Serves as the Psychologist Program Manager for Mental Health Recovery Programming and Transformation, providing broad program management across all KCVAMC facilities to ensure mental health services deliver specialized, complex, highly professional recovery-oriented care. Develops and implements mental health programs, policies, and procedures that support VHA's transition to a recovery-oriented system of care. Consults with all mental health programs and drives the development of new recovery-based programs, business cases, care plan templates, and service-wide training on recovery principles.- Serves as an active member of the Mental Health Executive Committee, reviewing and revising policies and providing subject matter expertise on psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery initiatives. Exercises wide latitude and independent judgment in determining administrative, training, and programmatic needs, including resource allocation for staff, patient education, peer support, and training materials. Recovery-Oriented Service Oversight Monitors recovery outcomes using a data-driven quality assurance process and ensures alignment with VHA Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery requirements. Ensures the availability of a full range of recovery-oriented services such as crisis intervention, case management, rehabilitation, enrichment, rights protection, self-help, and wellness/prevention programming. Oversees clinical programming in the Mental Health inpatient unit and ensures compliance with recovery-oriented programming standards and checklists. Provides expert consultation to staff across disciplines on psychiatric rehabilitative practices and complex cases involving Veterans with Serious Mental Illness (SMI). Develops and leads facility-wide strategic plans for staged implementation, evaluation, and sustainment of recovery-oriented services. Community Integration & Outreach (CMH Lead) Functions as the Community Mental Health Integration Lead (CMH Lead), coordinating outreach services and ensuring community integration efforts support Veterans and their families. Actively collaborates with community partners, councils, and task forces to promote awareness of VA mental health resources and ensure warm handoffs during transitions between systems of care. Builds and enhances community partnerships to support Veteran and Military Families, hosts annual Mental Health Summits, and strengthens relationships between VA and community health providers. Serves as liaison to the Veterans' Mental Health Council, representing council concerns and integrating feedback into the improvement of mental health services. Training, Teaching, and Mentorship Provides local, regional, and national training on recovery-oriented practices and serves as a mentor to LRCs across VISN 15 and nationally through the LRC mentoring program. Delivers clinical consultation and supervision to trainees and professionals from multiple disciplines and participates in psychology training and committees. Develops facility-wide recovery education plans for Veterans, families, and providers, including large-scale training efforts and resource materials. Accreditation, Compliance & Reporting Ensures compliance with all mental health-related VHA directives, including the Uniform Mental Health Services Handbook (1160.01), accreditation standards (CARF, JCAHO), and performance measures (SAIL). Prepares reports for SMITREC, OMHO, VACO, and other entities; completes program evaluations; and contributes to Issue Briefs and Congressional inquiries as needed. Coordinates budget, program development, and program oversight, managing data to evaluate program functioning. Clinical Responsibilities Provides comprehensive psychosocial assessments and treatment for Veterans with Serious Mental Illness, particularly complex or difficult cases. Coordinates outreach to Veterans with SMI who have disengaged from care, supporting reengagement consistent with VA Directive 2012-002. Delivers a full range of therapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy; psychoeducational groups; and case management. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Telework: Ad-hoc Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. English Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in both spoken and written English. Education: Must possess one of the following: 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 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 Have succes