Psychologist Program Manager - Mental Health Recovery Programming and Transformation

Veterans Health Administration • Kansas City, MO

2d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply.

Program Manager responsible for leading recovery-oriented mental health program development, implementation, and transformation across KCVAMC. Serves as consultant to all Mental Health programs, oversees policies, training, and recovery outcomes, and functions as Community Mental Health Integration Lead, advancing Veteran-centered, community-integrated care. Duties include but are not limited to:

Program Management & Leadership
Serves as the Psychologist Program Manager for Mental Health Recovery Programming and Transformation, providing broad program management across all KCVAMC facilities to ensure mental health services deliver specialized, complex, highly professional recovery-oriented care. Develops and implements mental health programs, policies, and procedures that support VHA's transition to a recovery-oriented system of care. Consults with all mental health programs and drives the development of new recovery-based programs, business cases, care plan templates, and service-wide training on recovery principles.
- Serves as an active member of the Mental Health Executive Committee, reviewing and revising policies and providing subject matter expertise on psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery initiatives. Exercises wide latitude and independent judgment in determining administrative, training, and programmatic needs, including resource allocation for staff, patient education, peer support, and training materials.

Recovery-Oriented Service Oversight
Monitors recovery outcomes using a data-driven quality assurance process and ensures alignment with VHA Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery requirements. Ensures the availability of a full range of recovery-oriented services such as crisis intervention, case management, rehabilitation, enrichment, rights protection, self-help, and wellness/prevention programming. Oversees clinical programming in the Mental Health inpatient unit and ensures compliance with recovery-oriented programming standards and checklists. Provides expert consultation to staff across disciplines on psychiatric rehabilitative practices and complex cases involving Veterans with Serious Mental Illness (SMI). Develops and leads facility-wide strategic plans for staged implementation, evaluation, and sustainment of recovery-oriented services.

Community Integration & Outreach (CMH Lead)
Functions as the Community Mental Health Integration Lead (CMH Lead), coordinating outreach services and ensuring community integration efforts support Veterans and their families. Actively collaborates with community partners, councils, and task forces to promote awareness of VA mental health resources and ensure warm handoffs during transitions between systems of care. Builds and enhances community partnerships to support Veteran and Military Families, hosts annual Mental Health Summits, and strengthens relationships between VA and community health providers. Serves as liaison to the Veterans' Mental Health Council, representing council concerns and integrating feedback into the improvement of mental health services.

Training, Teaching, and Mentorship
Provides local, regional, and national training on recovery-oriented practices and serves as a mentor to LRCs across VISN 15 and nationally through the LRC mentoring program. Delivers clinical consultation and supervision to trainees and professionals from multiple disciplines and participates in psychology training and committees. Develops facility-wide recovery education plans for Veterans, families, and providers, including large-scale training efforts and resource materials.

Accreditation, Compliance & Reporting
Ensures compliance with all mental health-related VHA directives, including the Uniform Mental Health Services Handbook (1160.01), accreditation standards (CARF, JCAHO), and performance measures (SAIL). Prepares reports for SMITREC, OMHO, VACO, and other entities; completes program evaluations; and contributes to Issue Briefs and Congressional inquiries as needed. Coordinates budget, program development, and program oversight, managing data to evaluate program functioning.

Clinical Responsibilities
Provides comprehensive psychosocial assessments and treatment for Veterans with Serious Mental Illness, particularly complex or difficult cases. Coordinates outreach to Veterans with SMI who have disengaged from care, supporting reengagement consistent with VA Directive 2012-002. Delivers a full range of therapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy; psychoeducational groups; and case management.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Must complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• Must serve a 1 or 2-year trial period.
• 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 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: The re-specialization program must be completed in an APA or a CPA accredited doctoral program; and 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.
• 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 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist, with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines.
• 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 deal effectively with individuals or groups representing widely divergent backgrounds, interests, and points of view.
• Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
• Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
• Ability to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
• Ability to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

Nice To Haves

• Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply for incentive.

Responsibilities

• Lead recovery-oriented mental health program development, implementation, and transformation.
• Serve as a consultant to all Mental Health programs.
• Oversee policies, training, and recovery outcomes.
• Function as Community Mental Health Integration Lead, advancing Veteran-centered, community-integrated care.
• Develop and implement mental health programs, policies, and procedures that support VHA's transition to a recovery-oriented system of care.
• Consult with all mental health programs and drive the development of new recovery-based programs, business cases, care plan templates, and service-wide training on recovery principles.
• Serve as an active member of the Mental Health Executive Committee, reviewing and revising policies and providing subject matter expertise on psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery initiatives.
• Exercise wide latitude and independent judgment in determining administrative, training, and programmatic needs, including resource allocation for staff, patient education, peer support, and training materials.
• Monitor recovery outcomes using a data-driven quality assurance process and ensure alignment with VHA Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery requirements.
• Ensure the availability of a full range of recovery-oriented services such as crisis intervention, case management, rehabilitation, enrichment, rights protection, self-help, and wellness/prevention programming.
• Oversee clinical programming in the Mental Health inpatient unit and ensure compliance with recovery-oriented programming standards and checklists.
• Provide expert consultation to staff across disciplines on psychiatric rehabilitative practices and complex cases involving Veterans with Serious Mental Illness (SMI).
• Develop and lead facility-wide strategic plans for staged implementation, evaluation, and sustainment of recovery-oriented services.
• Coordinate outreach services and ensure community integration efforts support Veterans and their families.
• Collaborate with community partners, councils, and task forces to promote awareness of VA mental health resources and ensure warm handoffs during transitions between systems of care.
• Build and enhance community partnerships to support Veteran and Military Families, host annual Mental Health Summits, and strengthen relationships between VA and community health providers.
• Serve as liaison to the Veterans' Mental Health Council, representing council concerns and integrating feedback into the improvement of mental health services.
• Provide local, regional, and national training on recovery-oriented practices and serve as a mentor to LRCs across VISN 15 and nationally through the LRC mentoring program.
• Deliver clinical consultation and supervision to trainees and professionals from multiple disciplines and participate in psychology training and committees.
• Develop facility-wide recovery education plans for Veterans, families, and providers, including large-scale training efforts and resource materials.
• Ensure compliance with all mental health-related VHA directives, including the Uniform Mental Health Services Handbook (1160.01), accreditation standards (CARF, JCAHO), and performance measures (SAIL).
• Prepare reports for SMITREC, OMHO, VACO, and other entities; complete program evaluations; and contribute to Issue Briefs and Congressional inquiries as needed.
• Coordinate budget, program development, and program oversight, managing data to evaluate program functioning.
• Provide comprehensive psychosocial assessments and treatment for Veterans with Serious Mental Illness, particularly complex or difficult cases.
• Coordinate outreach to Veterans with SMI who have disengaged from care, supporting reengagement consistent with VA Directive 2012-002.
• Deliver a full range of therapeutic interventions, including individual, family, and group psychotherapy; psychoeducational groups; and case management.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• 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)
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Child Care Subsidy
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting)
• Federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care insurance

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree