Staff Psychologist - Substance Treatment and Recovery Program (STAR)

Summary

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.

Duties

VA Careers - Psychologist: https://youtube.com/embed/77qHlLw9Xck The STAR Psychologist will provide psychological services with attention to delivering Evidenced-Based Psychotherapy (EBP) to Veterans diagnosed with Substance Use Disorder and or other comorbid mental health diagnoses. Clinical Responsibilities (80% of time) Independently provides specialized psychological services at all levels of complexity for patients with primary or comorbid substance abuse disorders, with service delivery to include intake evaluation, diagnostic assessments, psychotherapy and patient education. Performs clinically indicated evaluations for outpatient and inpatient populations. Determine when clinician-administered psychometric testing is necessary and integrate the results of such testing into the report of the examination. Provides a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including the use of psychological testing for patients within VHFNC in areas of special interest/expertise. Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual therapy, group therapy, and psycho-education classes. Best practices, practice guidelines and Evidence ­Based Treatment (EBT) protocols are utilized to the extent feasible in all therapeutic interventions. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues to include patient's decision-making capacity regarding health care. Develops person-centered, culturally sensitive treatment plans to address mental health needs of patients. Conducts evaluations to aid in the differential diagnosis of complex cases. Complies with national and local performance measures, including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients. Administrative responsibilities: (5% of time) Attends and participates in administrative and informational meetings held by the Chief of Service, Chief of Staff and Director (or duly appointed designees). Attends monthly Psychological Service staff meetings and complies with Psychology Service peer review procedures. Completes assigned Performance Improvement activities at the program, service line, and medical center level. Attends regularly scheduled treatment team meetings to ensure efficiency and continuity of service delivery to specialized patient population. Case Management Responsibilities: (10% of time) Timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system, as appropriate. Respond to patients request for release of records; return telephone calls, linking of services, and appropriate referrals as needed in a timely fashion. With permission from patient, collateral consultation with significant others/ support systems to aid in the facilitation of patients' treatment. Additional Responsibilities: (5% of time) Attends annual training programs sponsored by the VISN, VAMC and other APA recognized training programs to enhance knowledge, skills, and abilities in area of specialization. Participates on selection panels for Staff Psychologist position vacancies or other positions as assigned by Chief BHSL. Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm, or 8:30am - 5:00pm 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 [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child. Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Position is eligible for Telework - Ad Hoc. May be authorized at Supervisory discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (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) V