Job opening: Psychologist - Lead Suicide Prevention Coordinator
Salary: $108 354 - 140 858 per year
Published at: Nov 22 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
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
The Lead Suicide Prevention Coordinator (SPC) will serve to facilitate the implementation of suicide prevention strategies at a local facility level, which involves multiple sites. Responsibilities will include providing support for the identification of Veterans at high risk; coordinating advanced care when needed; and providing education to health care providers, Veterans, family members, and members of the local community on risk factors and warning signs for suicidal behaviors and treatment options.
The SPC functions as a coordinator for care of Veterans at suicide risk and an advisor to all facility leadership, program managers, and staff concerning suicide prevention strategies for individual patients' level, and for the facility and Veterans community as a whole. This is accomplished through:
Responsible for tracking and reporting all suicide attempts and completions at their facility.
Ensures that patients identified as being at high risk for suicide receive follow-up for any missed mental health appointments in accordance with policy and that this follow-up is documented in the electronic medical record.
Responsible for the delivery of S.A.V.E. training, or other approved "gatekeeper" training, to all nonclinical staff who have patient contact.
Responsible for the delivery of other training programs at the site by request of the facility.
Responsible for the delivery of the community version of S.A.V.E. training.
Responsible for delivering community outreach activities every month.
The SPC is a resource for both the VA facility and community related to Veteran suicide and suicide prevention issues.
Functions as a coordinator for care of veterans at suicide risk and an consultant to the MHSL, facility leadership, program managers, and staff concerning suicide prevention strategies for individual patients, for the facility and veteran community as a whole.
Services include assessing veterans for high risk for suicide, diagnosing mental health and high-risk factors related to suicide and suicide prevention, and providing treatment options.
Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
Telework: Ad-hoc only
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 0000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact
[email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.
Qualifications
Applicants pending the completion of education 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 respecialization program meeting both of the following conditions: a) the respecialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and b) 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.
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. 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 GS-12 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.
Experience: In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following:
GS-13 Level: At least 2 addition years of experience, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-12 level, as a professional psychologist that was obtained through employment as a psychologist or through participating in a supervised post-doctoral psychology training program that demonstrates 1) active professional practice that was paid/non-paid employment and/or 2) a full, current and unrestricted license. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics associated with current psychology practice:
Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to a 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.
*Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral degree experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties performed.
Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G0180 Psychologist Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office.
Physical Requirements: Light lifting, light carrying, use of fingers, hearing (aid permitted), operation of a motor vehicle may be required
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-13.
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 Robley Rex VA Medical Center
800 Zorn Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
US
- Name: Lisa Harris
- Email: [email protected]
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