The Office of Mental Health (OMH) within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight to improve the quality, accessibility, and effectiveness of mental health care for over million Veterans nationwide.

Duties

Duties include but are not limited to: Provides leadership for the National BHIP Program, including FLOW, by planning, developing, and guiding policies, projects, and procedures. Acts as the designated representative for the National Director, Continuum of Care and General Mental Health, when required. Collaborates closely with the Director, Continuum of Care and General Mental Health, OMH, to provide national policy and operational support for BHIP Collaborative Chronic Care Model (BHIP-CCM) team-based care within outpatient General Mental Health (GMH) services. Oversees the provision of BHIP-CCM team-based care in outpatient GMH services, ensuring effective implementation and operation across the field. Develops national policy guidance to support the implementation and sustainment of BHIP across VHA facilities. Serves as a subject matter expert for field consultations, promoting team-based care concepts and supporting the full implementation of BHIP teams at all VA facilities. Collaborates with other National Directors in the Continuum of Care Section to develop and deliver operational guidance to the field for implementing team-based outpatient mental health services. Coordinates with and supports others providing implementation assistance (e.g., facilitation and technical assistance) for BHIP-CCM team-based care services. Serves as a National BHIP Program subject matter expert, offering leadership, guidance, and consultation to VACO staff, healthcare professionals, and stakeholders across all levels. Coordinates and supports various projects and special initiatives, including Congressional inquiries, briefing papers, and other necessary reports or responses. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday- 0800-1630 Compressed: May be available Telework: : Available (applicant is required on site 50% of work schedule per pay period) Virtual: : The employee may work at a VA facility or other VA-leased space other than the facility that is hiring the employee) and is authorized for telework up to 50%. Functional Statement #:51920-0 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. 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. 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. 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 Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.] AND Internships 3 (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) 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 (d) 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 (e) 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- 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. (1) 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. Board Certification. Persons hired to psychology positions in the VHA who completed an internship that was not accredited at the time the program was completed must be 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. The board certificate must be current and the applicant must abide by the certifying body's requirement for continuing education. 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: Senior Psychologist Program Manager, GS-15 Experience- At least four years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-14 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 communicate existing policies and regulations effectively. Knowledge of and ability to utilize resource materials and to develop new materials when needed. Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing with a diverse group of professional staff and management officials who are often at the highest management levels. Ability to develop and recommend new or revised policies that are consistent with organizational goals and objectives. Skill in leading senior management officials in policy development. Ability to influence high level officials in adoption of and conformance to performance measures, monitors, and other policy guidelines. Preferred Experience: 1. Experience in a leadership role for large scale strategic and programmatic implementation of regional or national mental health initiatives. 2. Experience managing at a facility, regional, or national level implementation of best practices regarding BHIP Collaborative Chronic Care Model, FLOW, and/or Measurement-Based Care. 3. Experience in Policy Development: Including policy guidance to support the implementation and sustainment of BHIP across VHA facilities. 4. Experience in Field Consultation: Including serving as a subject matter expert for field consultations, promoting team-based care concepts and supporting the full implementation of BHIP teams at VHA facilities. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-15. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-15. Physical Requirements: Most work is performed in an office setting involving everyday risks or discomforts, and the work is generally sedentary. The position will require some physical effort such as sitting, standing, walking, bending, typing, and carrying of light items such as papers, files, books, or reports that do not require special physical demands. The work requires typical safety precautions associated with working in mental health care settings, such as, patient physical or verbal interactions, working with office equipment, and avoiding real or potential accidents. The work may also require occasional travel to local area facilities and/or out of town/state for required/suggested training, conferences, or meetings. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VHA Central Office - Clinical Services 810 Vermont Avenue NW Washington, DC 20420 US
• Name: VHA National Recruitment Center
• Phone: (844)456-5208
• Email: [email protected]