The Staff Psychologist for the Substance Use Disorders Program - Intensive Outpatient Program (SUDP IOP) at Newington Connecticut is located in the Mental Health Service Line for the purpose of delivering substance use disorder treatments to Veterans.

Duties

The VACHS Psychology Service is committed to attracting and retaining staff as diverse as the Veteran population we serve. We value providing culturally responsive care and seek candidates with innovative ideas on minimizing health disparities and promoting social justice at individual and systemic levels. Individuals historically underrepresented in the field of psychology, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); Veterans; individuals with disabilities; and LGBTQIA+ and gender diverse individuals, are especially encouraged to apply. 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. 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 include but are not limited to: Clinical Responsibilities: Provides treatment for a full range of addiction and mental health disorders through a variety of modalities, including individual, couples/family, and group treatment formats. Within the scope of privileges granted, provide adjunctive interventions for the treatment of psychological disorders associated with medical problems. Conducts initial screenings of referred patients, either in a primary care setting, a walk-in clinic, or a mental health clinic, to assess current symptoms and level of psychosocial functioning, and make referrals based on VA guidelines, policies, and the patient's ability to benefit from various programs. Consults with medical center staff on a wide variety of patient care issues. Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the VHA. When appropriate, consults with and educates other professional staff about how mental health issues may be impacting a patient's medical condition(s) and treatment adherence. Functions independently as a member of the VACHS Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges. Administrative Responsibilities: Provides leadership in and assumes responsibility for the design, development, implementation, of the Substance Use Disorders Intensive Outpatient Program for multiple teams of treatment providers. Responsible for environment of care in the SUD IOP. Responsible for ensuring compliance with JCAHO regulations. Develops and oversees development of clinical protocols, manuals, and documentation templates relevant to the complex of treatment provided in the clinics, and in adherence to VACHS and JCAHO standards. Organizes and runs team meetings in order to facilitate case disposition, care management, and effective service delivery interventions. Conducts ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects that monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program that she leads. Distributes workload to providers, monitors provider adherence to workload standards, and plans work to be accomplished by team members (sets and adjusts priorities, prepares schedules for completion of work). Ensures compliance of team members with national and local performance measures. Provides formal and informal staff training in state-of-the art and newly emerging clinical and professional topics relevant to the treatment programs to ensure updated and evidenced-based treatments, and high clinical skills for staff. Oversees and complies with Psychology Service peer review procedures (Clinical Accuracy Review) Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: Available - as determined by the agency policy Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Hannah Neilson, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not 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: 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 Requirement: Per VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Chapter 3, Section A, Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C., chapter 73 or 74, to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English. Education Requirement: You 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 applicant is to be employed. OR, have a doctoral degree in any area of psychology and, in addition, successfully completed 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; and the specialty in which you were retrained is consistent with the assignment you are am applying for; OR, have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature. AND Internship Requirement: You 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. (NOTE: Once board certified, the employee is required to maintain board certification). NOTE: 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. Licensure: Candidates 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. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates: Staff Psychologist, GS-11 (Entry Level) Experience. None beyond the basic requirements. Staff Psychologist, GS-12 (Developmental Level) 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. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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. Staff Psychologist, GS-13 (Full Performance, Level) Experience. At least two years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 grade level. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 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 GS-11, GS-12 or GS-13. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/103 PART II APPENDIX G18 Physical Requirements: The incumbent must be able to exercise a high degree of emotional and mental discipline at all times in order to continue to carry out duties effectively. This is especially necessary during time periods when the incumbent encounters significant or extreme duress as a result of interactions with patients.

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 West Haven VA Medical Center 950 Campbell Avenue West Haven, CT 06516 US
• Name: Joyce Jarrett
• Phone: 413-584-4040 X6703
• Email: [email protected]