Staff Psychologist, Suicide Prevention Coordinator

Veterans Health Administration • Las Vegas, NV

18h • Onsite

About The Position

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. The incumbent functions as a Psychologist, Suicide Prevention Coordinator within the Behavioral Health Service at VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System (VASNHS), located at the Veterans Recovery Center. They report to the Suicide Prevention Program Manager. They provide mental health services to Veterans and are responsible for the coordination of therapeutic programming for HRF Veterans, treating Veterans with more chronic mental health concerns. Duties include assessing suicide risk, tracking high-risk veterans, providing clinical referrals, responding to consults from the Veteran Crisis Line, and providing training to staff and community agencies regarding suicide prevention. The role also involves developing educational materials, reducing stigma, promoting collaboration, delivering interventions to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors, providing education on suicide risk assessments, and establishing an ongoing SAVE Training program. The incumbent plays an active role in the RCA (Root Cause Analysis) Suicide Team and may serve as a liaison to inpatient or residential treatment units, providing feedback on Suicide Prevention Safety Plans.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment.
• Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements.
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1 or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• 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 (1) 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 (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 (3) Have a doctoral degree awarded between 1951 and 1978 from a regionally accredited institution, with a dissertation primarily psychological in nature.
• AND (4) Internships(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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 the following KSAs: 1. Knowledge of, and ability to apply, professional psychological treatments to the full range of patient populations. 2. Ability to provide professional advice and consultation in areas related to professional psychology and behavioral health. 3. Knowledge of clinical research literature.

Nice To Haves

• SMI Experience
• Crisis Management
• Crisis Intervention
• Suicidality Management

Responsibilities

• Responsible for assessing the risk of suicide in individual patients in conjunction with the treating clinician and managing the Category I Patient Record Flag for patients at risk for suicide.
• Tracks high-risk veterans and monitors treatment to ensure that needed services are being received.
• Provide appropriate clinical referrals to Veterans affected by a suicide attempt or bereaved by suicide, including trauma treatment and care for complicated grief.
• Responds to consults from the Veteran Crisis Line within 24 business hours and coordinates the follow-up care for those Veterans and families to assure timely access to care and follow-up for patients in crisis.
• Provides training to clinical and non-clinical staff at the VA Medical Center, Primary Care Clinics, Pahrump CBOC, and community agencies regarding suicide risk factors, warning signs, treatment options, medical center memorandum and standard operating procedures, and resources and medical center.
• Develops and promotes educational materials about the warning signs for Veteran suicide and how to connect individuals in crisis with assistance and care.
• Works to reduce stigma associated with suicidal behavior and mental health and substance use disorders among Veterans.
• Promotes the understanding that recovery from mental health and substance use disorders is real and possible for all Veterans.
• Encourages collaboration between providers of mental health and substance use services and community-based programs, including peer support programs and Veterans Service Organizations (VSO).
• Delivers interventions to reduce suicidal thoughts and behaviors among Veterans with suicidal risks.
• Provides education about suicide risk assessments such as the Suicide Risk Identification Process including: PHQ2+I9, Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and Comprehensive Suicide Risk Evaluation (CSRE).
• Promotes the use of evidence-based interventions and strategies for suicide prevention.
• Establishes and maintains an ongoing SAVE Training program with non-clinical frontline staff to assure that they are aware of options for veterans whom they come in contact during crisis situations.
• Plays an active role in the RCA (Root Cause Analysis) Suicide Team by performing individual case reviews, assisting with preparation of yearly aggregate summaries, and facilitating the implementation of system improvement recommended by the Team.
• May serve as a liaison to inpatient acute unit and/or residential treatment unit. If serving as the liaison will work onsite and participate in daily treatment team meetings on the unit(s).
• May provide feedback and guidance on Suicide Prevention Safety Plans.

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

What This Job Offers

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