The Assistant Chief within Psychology Service is responsible for the supervision, administrative management, and direction of psychologists in the Behavioral Health Psychology Section of the Psychology Service within the Mental Health Service Line at the Aleda E. Lutz VAMC. The incumbent assures compliance with accrediting agencies and all associated regulatory requirements, monitors staff performance, and develops and implements programs based upon Veterans' needs and current research findings.

Duties

This is an open continuous announcement until January 8, 2024. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available. Duties include, but are not limited to: Full and direct administrative control over 8 FTEE in the Behavioral Health Psychology Section of the Psychology Service in the Mental Health Service Line, which includes full line and staff authority for resource allocations within the Behavioral Health Psychology Section, and ensures the efficient operation of the organizational unit. Full programmatic oversight responsibilities such as performance improvement and regulatory compliance of several specialty mental health programs (Health Behavior, Pain Psychology, Consult-Liaison Psychology, and Primary Care-Mental Health Integration), which also includes full administrative control over the Psychologists in these programs. Establishes guidelines and performance expectations for staff that are clearly communicated through the formal employee performance management system. Responsible for program development, implementation, evaluation, and outcomes related to the Behavioral Health Psychology Section. Provide leadership with objective, independent assessments and recommendations for policy, operational and administrative issues and initiatives requiring decision and action. Maintain interdepartmental relations with other services to accomplish medical center goals. Responsible for developing performance standards, position descriptions and functional statements. Provides comprehensive psychosocial assessments and treatment for Veterans with mental health issues; reviews all subjective and objective data; assesses high risk factors; provides a clinical assessment; determines a treatment plan for the Veteran based on acuity, need for and type of service(s) and/or psychotherapy(ies) recommended; provides a full range of therapeutic interventions including individual, couple/family, and group psychotherapies; psycho-educational groups; and case management. Consults with and serves as a resource for other Medical Center staff regarding the psychology programs, specific case conceptualization, treatment planning, and utilization of evidenced-based treatments and clinical practice guidelines. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm. Telework: Eligible - as determined by the agency policy. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 92056-0. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Required.

Requirements

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: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.g, this part.) 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. OR Have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully complete a 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. 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. 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. (NOTE: Once board certified, the employee is required to maintain board certification.) 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. 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. Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA as a psychologist on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education (i.e., degree and internship requirements) and licensure/certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j. GRADE REQUIREMENTS Psychologist, GS-14 (Assistant Chief) 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 the following KSAs: 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 provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meets multiple deadlines. Ability to supervise and manage subordinate employees effectively. Skill in interpersonal relationships, including conflict resolution. Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103 PART II APPENDIX G18. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14. Physical Requirements. Position requires performing activities including sitting, standing, walking, bending, carrying items such as books, papers, and files. Position may require traveling to various areas of the Medical Center.

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Aleda E Lutz Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 1500 Weiss Street Saginaw, MI 48602 US
• Name: Elizabeth Troiani
• Phone: 689-246-6971
• Email: [email protected]