Senior Psychologist Program Manger

Veterans Health Administration • Tuskegee, AL

1d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. The incumbent serves as the Program Manager for the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder clinical team (PCT), which provides specialized outpatient mental health programming and services for Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The role involves leadership, coordination, oversight, and integration to ensure effective service delivery. The incumbent has direct programmatic responsibility for the program, supervises staff on the day-to-day functioning of the PCT, and oversees the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) clinic and Doctoral Internship program. Additionally, the incumbent serves as the Lead Psychologist for the Mental Health Service Line (MHSL), supporting the delivery of mental health services across all care sites. Responsibilities include strategic planning, budget oversight, staff recruitment and management, quality assurance, reviewing psychologist credentials, and full supervisory duties. The role also involves assisting the pre-doctoral internship program, providing clinical and ethical consultation, overseeing professional practice standards, and maintaining clinical care approximately 25% of the time, including a clinical caseload.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement.
• Must complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• Must serve a 1 or 2-year trial period.
• 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.
• OR Doctoral degree in any area of psychology and 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 Doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally-accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• 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 & 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, & 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.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: 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 ineligible to apply for incentive.
• Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience.
• Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the Program Manager for the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder clinical team (PCT).
• Provides leadership, coordination, oversight, and integration to ensure the smooth and effective provision of services.
• Has direct programmatic responsibility for the program.
• Supervises staff on day-to-day functioning of the PCT.
• Has oversight of the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) clinic and Doctoral Internship program.
• Serves as the Lead Psychologist for Mental Health Service Line (MHSL) and has administrative supporting delivery of mental health services at all care sites throughout the organization.
• Responsible for strategic planning, budget oversight, staff recruitment and management, and quality assurance.
• Regularly reviewing Psychologists credentialing documents, functional statements, and performance appraisal forms to ensure they are up-to-date and accurate.
• Responsible for full supervisory duties such as promotions, selections, on the job training, awards, EEO complaints, labor relations, disciplinary actions, and career development.
• Approves the recruitment of new psychologists hired by the facility.
• Assists the pre-doctoral internship program managed by the Psychology Training Director (consults with training director and participates in APA accreditation process).
• Provides clinical and ethical consultation to psychologists on professional practice issues.
• Oversees adherence to professional practice standards for psychologists.
• Maintain all necessary credentials in his/her respective discipline in order to provide clinical care approximately 25% percent of the time.
• Maintain a clinical caseload including individual and/or group therapy withing the MHSL.
• Develops, implements, and documents the psychotherapeutic treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients, including prompt completion of clinical reminders.
• Functions independently as a member of the VA Medical Staff, with full clinical privileges.
• Assumes complete professional responsibility for his/her clinical assessment findings, patient care decisions, and documentation.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP)
• 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
• Comprehensive benefits package

What This Job Offers

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