Staff Psychologist-Home Based Primary Care

Veterans Health Administration • Salt Lake City, UT

18h • Onsite

About The Position

The Staff Psychologist practices independently in providing psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. The role includes diagnosing mental disorders; conducting psychological or neuropsychological assessments; treating mental disorders through a variety of modalities; providing adjunctive interventions for medical disorders; consulting with medical center staff on patient care; and potentially participating in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research.

The psychologist serves in the VA Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) program, which provides comprehensive interdisciplinary primary care in the homes of Veterans with complex, chronic, and disabling diseases. HBPC also provides palliative care, rehabilitation, disease management, and care coordination, with a focus on Veterans in advanced stages of chronic disease who are at high risk of recurrent hospitalization or nursing home placement.

The position delivers screening, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention services for mental health concerns, with an emphasis on time-limited, evidence-based care. Services include individual, family, and group interventions; cognitive screening and capacity assessments; telemental health; behavioral medicine interventions; and support for Veterans and their families or caregivers. The psychologist also supports care transitions, communication among patients, families, and medical teams, clinical training and supervision, performance monitoring, documentation, and program-wide outcome evaluation.

The position requires local community travel to provide home-based care. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. This is a permanent position. EDRP may be available to eligible applicants; program approval, award amount, and eligibility period are determined after application review.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in psychology from an APA-, PCSAS-, or CPA-accredited graduate program, with a specialty consistent with the assignment; or an eligible alternative doctoral education or re-specialization pathway described in the announcement.
• Successful completion of an eligible professional psychology internship consistent with the assignment, subject to the stated exceptions and alternatives.
• Full, current, unrestricted doctoral-level license to practice psychology in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia; eligible non-licensed applicants may be appointed temporarily as graduate psychologists under supervision for up to two years.
• Valid state driver’s license, as the position requires local travel to provide community-based care.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed only when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• For GS-12: at least one year of professional psychologist experience equivalent to GS-11 and demonstrated knowledge and abilities in psychological treatments and assessment, treatment strategy design and implementation, incorporating clinical procedures, and research activities as applicable to the stated duties.
• For GS-13: at least two years of professional psychologist experience, including at least one year equivalent to GS-12, and demonstrated ability to apply treatments across patient populations, provide professional advice and consultation in psychology and behavioral health, and knowledge of clinical research literature.
• Meet VA employment conditions, including background/security investigation, pre-employment physical examination, required onboarding and identification documentation, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the stated evaluation and certification conditions.
• Meet the physical requirements, including ability to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasional moderate physical demands, travel in the community, and perform close-visual-acuity and repetitive hand or wrist activities.

Nice To Haves

• Recent experience with home-based geriatric or aging populations within the past five years.
• Recent neuropsychological testing experience within the past five years.

Responsibilities

• Practice independently in providing psychological services, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate.
• Diagnose mental disorders; conduct psychological or neuropsychological assessments; treat mental disorders through a variety of modalities; and provide adjunctive interventions for medical disorders.
• Consult with medical center staff on patient care issues and participate, as applicable, in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities.
• Provide screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment for depressive and anxiety-related disorders and other Axis I conditions, emphasizing time-limited, evidence-based approaches.
• Assess and treat sub-clinical dysphoria and anxiety, adjustment difficulties, and excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs, considering medical conditions and potential medication interactions.
• Provide psychological prevention services to patients at significant risk for psychological problems.
• Provide services to families of Veterans with dementia when directly related to the Veteran’s treatment plan, including training family members to manage behavioral problems.
• Provide clinical services using telemental health and telehome technology.
• Screen for cognitive deficits to address functional questions or determine whether referral for neuropsychological evaluation or dementia assessment is needed.
• Conduct capacity and competency assessments concerning medical decisions, specific functions, or independent living.
• Assess patients’ understanding of advance directives and consent forms, and assist staff in presenting treatment options and related information in an understandable format.
• Provide individual and group interventions for patients coping with grief and loss related to disability and life transitions.
• Provide psychoeducational and supportive interventions for spouses, family members, caregivers, and others supporting the Veteran at home.
• Facilitate transitions and adjustment to new living situations, such as nursing homes or assisted living facilities, and provide seamless intervention services as appropriate.
• Provide behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain and disability, address sleep problems, facilitate weight loss, promote smoking cessation, and enhance medical compliance.
• Promote communication among medical team members, patients, and families to facilitate treatment.
• Provide clinical supervision to Psychology Postdoctoral Fellows, interns, and practicum students training in the HBPC clinic.
• Participate in the Psychology Training Program and serve as a member of the Training Committee.
• Train medical students, psychiatric residents, and nursing students in the HBPC clinic.
• Participate in monitoring performance measures related to Outpatient Mental Health Services, HBPC, and Med Psych Services.
• Complete clinical charting and documentation required by Mental Health Services and VASLCHCS in a timely manner.
• Participate in program-wide outcome evaluation studies.
• Travel locally in the community to provide home-based care and meet with representatives and stakeholders supporting Veterans.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) may reimburse eligible student loans, with an award of up to $200,000 and an eligibility period of one to five years, subject to program approval and eligibility requirements.
• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific benefits depend on position type and should be confirmed with the hiring agency.

What This Job Offers

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