Psychology Program Manager (Whole Health Clinical Director)

A RELOCATION INCENTIVE MAY BE AUTHORIZED

The Psychology Program Manager Whole Health Clinical Director is accountable to the Chief of Social Work and is responsible for broad program management of the Whole Health Program the Suicide Prevention Program and all assigned staff.

Clinical Responsibilities (51%):

• Conduct Complementary and Integrative Health (CIH) approaches to include biofeedback clinical hypnosis guided imagery and meditation within clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Provide whole health coaching to individuals or groups in outpatient and/or inpatient settings using motivational interviewing and coaching techniques to assist with SMART goal setting.
• Counsel Veterans to promote health and wellness in a variety of settings across the Alaska VA HCS.
• Serve as needed and as a backup for suicide prevention clinical duties.

Supervisory & Administrative (49%):
The Psychology Program Director has broad program management and supervisory responsibilities that include:

• Direct Supervisor of Whole Health and Suicide Prevention hired staff.
• Full responsibility to manage and supervise all phases of the Whole Health Program at the Alaska VA.
• Manage and supervise the Suicide Prevention Program at the Alaska VA.
• Establish and maintain a continuous and systematic process of curriculum development assessment review revision evaluation and implementation of the Whole Health and Suicide Prevention programs.
• Plan and develop policies procedures and goals and implement and educate staff on applicable Veterans Health Administration (VHA) directives handbooks or other policies.
• Measure progress toward goals and reports to the appropriate officials at a local Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) and National level.
• Serve as the professional and technical advisor in Whole Health for the facility; promote Whole Health principles to facility employees.
• Provide direct budgetary supervision of Whole Health programs and is accountable for resources used directly and indirectly.
• Ensure inventory procedures and logistical procedures for all Whole Health supplies.
• Coordinate the development and implementation of the patient-centered care concept throughout the organization. Use individual and aggregate needs assessments standards of professional practice and strategic plans in the process of program development.
• Chair the Whole Health committee(s).
• Use knowledge expertise principles or models and current research to plan implement and evaluate organizational progress towards accomplishing patient-centered care initiatives.
• Responsible for supporting the New Employee Orientation New Patient Orientation and will routinely communicate needs for resources as necessary.
• Have advanced knowledge and mastery of theories and modalities used in the specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness.
• Perform specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness.
• Incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Demonstrate the ability to determine priority for services and provide specialized treatment services.
• Have advanced expert skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual group and family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial case management interventions used in the treatment of all Veterans.
• Offer consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients treated in the specialty areas rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role model effective social work practice skills.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional

Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 8:00am to 4:30pm.
Relocation Incentive: MAY BE AUTHORIZED.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
Paid Time Off: 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).
Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth adoption or foster care placement of a child.
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement).
Telework: Ad-hoc.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Conditions of employment

• You 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 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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 determining if your employment advances the public interest we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification in writing that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS.
The basic requirements for employment as a VHA psychologist are prescribed by Public Law 96-151 codified in 38 U.S.C. 7402. To qualify for appointment all applicants for the position of psychologist in VHA must meet the following:

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. 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. Currently APA accredits doctoral programs in the specialty areas of clinical psychology counseling psychology school psychology or combinations of two or more of those areas. PCSAS accredits doctoral programs in psychological clinical science. CPA accredits doctoral programs in clinical psychology counseling psychology clinical neuropsychology and school psychology. There are no job assignments in VHA that require the skills of a school psychologist; therefore an applicant with a degree in the specialty area of school psychology is not eligible for appointment. Strictly for the purpose of determining eligibility for appointment as a psychologist in VHA there is no distinction between the specialty areas (with the exception of school psychology).
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. (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 candidates doctoral program. If the internship experience is not noted on the applicants 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.

• 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.

English Language Proficiency. Psychologists must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 Part II Chapter 3 section A paragraph 3j.

Grade Determinations. In addition to the basic requirements for employment the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates:

Psychology Program Manager GS-14.
(a) Experience. At least three years of experience as a professional psychologist with at least one year equivalent to the GS-13 grade level.

(b) Demonstrated Knowledge Skills and Abilities. In addition to the experience above the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
to organize work set priorities delegate tasks and meet multiple deadlines.
of and ability to utilize evidence based practices and clinical practice guidelines appropriately and ability to guide staff in using these tools.
3. Ability to deal effectively with individuals or groups.
4. Skill in managing and directing the work of others to accomplish program goals and objectives.
to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations.
to establish and monitor production and performance priorities and standards.
to analyze organizational and operational problems and to develop and implement solutions that result in sound operation of the program.

Preferred Experience: Program Development Whole Health practice experience supervisory experience.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard please visit full performance level of this vacancy is GS-14.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position require light lifting (under 15 pounds); moderate carrying (15-44 pounds); use of fingers; walking (up to 2 hours); standing (up to 2 hours); near vision correctable at 13 to 16 to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; both eyes required; hearing (aid may be permitted); and emotional and mental stability.

Environmental Factors: Work may be performed outside and inside; dry atmospheric conditions; prolonged sitting; and you must be able to work alone and closely with others.