Clarification from the agency

* All US Citizens * If you ARE A CURRENT Permanent federal employee, please apply to vacancy announcement CBSU-13112757 -27-AS which is open to current federal employees * NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this position.

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• Broad administrative and program management and development responsibilities for the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit (IPU), a 30-bed inpatient unit for treatment of Veterans with wide range of psychiatric and substance use disorders.
• Responsibilities include ensuring efficient daily operation of the organizational unit, professional management, and assisting in administrative responsibilities that are complex in scope and that constitute a significant portion of the Medical Center.
• Direct supervisory responsibility, and both technical and professional accountability, for the IPU Assistant Program Manager, staff physicians, and night shift APRNs and PAs.
• Responsibility for development of staff competencies and performance as well as promotion of working relationships and an effective treatment team environment.
• IPU leadership and staff, responsible for management of an effective therapeutic milieu. This includes development and implementation of therapeutic programming, management of the social dynamics of patient interactions, and direction of staff-patient interactions.
• Assists in oversight of effective interventions administered by the interdisciplinary treatment team at individual and systems levels.
• Assists in maintaining a healthy environment of care.
• Engages facility services, such as Bioengineering, Information Technology, Patient Safety, and Environmental Services, to correct deficiencies in the treatment and work environment.
• Maintains awareness of physical safety of staff and patients. Assists in the development and implementation of safety protocols to address a variety of emergency scenarios. Ensures that staff and patients are trained in safety protocols on a regular basis.
• Works to ensure that treatment programming, staff development, and the environment of care are managed at a level that meets or exceeds required accreditation standards by the Joint Commission. Additionally.
• Ensure that the IPU operations meet or exceed local facility and VA Central Office expectations for service delivery including OIG and MHEOC. Policies and procedures are developed that accurately reflect operational procedures.
• Policies and procedures are used for staff training and in support of required accreditation and service delivery standards.
• Maximize program performance and patient outcomes.
• Implements and maintains a system of measurement to assess patient progress and treatment outcomes. Treatment programming is modified over time to maximize outcomes.
• Takes a lead role in developing and implementing new programming or special projects that improve the efficacy and safety of residential treatment.
• Assesses the efficacy of new projects and programming toward a goal of maximizing desired outcomes.
• May perform psychological and substance abuse assessments of patients on IPU.
• May provide a full range of therapeutic interventions, including: individual, group, and marital therapy, psychoeducation, and care coordination.
• Provides psychological consultation to non-psychologist team members on a wide variety of patient care issues.
• Holds faculty appointments in appropriate academic departments of local universities.
• May provide full clinical oversight to Psychology Interns or other trainees completing training rotations in the IPU.
• Involved in the Psychology Training Program and serves as a member of the Training Committee.
• Involved in the training of medical students, medical and psychiatric residents, and nursing students. Research/Program Evaluation
• Oversees the establishment of program monitors and outcome measurements using data-driven quality assurance processes
• Assists in the timely completion of all program evaluations and documents required by the Medical Center, Health Care System, VISN, and VACO, ensuring compliance with appropriate accrediting bodies and monitoring entities.
• Plans and oversees the completion of research projects designed to provide information regarding program planning and relevant treatment approaches.
• May present outcome data and research results at VA and regional or national scientific or professional meetings.

Work Schedule: M-F 8:am -4:30pm.
Telework: Ad-Hoc- Maybe available based on services needs.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #:61574O
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
• 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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.
• 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. In 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

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.
• English Language Proficiency: LPMHCs must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.j.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to LPMHC positions in the GS-0183 series in VHA must hold a full, current, and unrestricted license to independently practice as a Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, which includes diagnosis and treatment.
• Education: Hold a master's or doctoral degree in: Clinical Mental Health Counseling; Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling; or a related field, from a program accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Examples of related mental health counseling fields include, but are not limited to Addiction Counseling; Community Counseling; Gerontology Counseling; Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling. CACREP defines the date when graduates are considered to have graduated from a CACREP accredited program. Additional information may be obtained from http://www.cacrep.org/directory/. NOTE: Traditional Rehabilitation counseling programs that are accredited by CACREP do not meet the LPMHC qualification standards as Traditional Rehabilitation counseling differs from Clinical Rehabilitation counseling.

Grade Determinations:
Supervisory Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor, GS-12.
Experience, Education, and Licensure: In addition to the basic requirements, candidates must have at least one year of progressively complex experience equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Experience must demonstrate possession of advanced practice skills, judgment, and competency.

• Assignments- GS-11: This is the full performance grade level for LPMHCs. At this level they are licensed to independently practice professional counseling and to provide mental health services within the knowledge, theory, and training foundations of professional counseling. LPMHCs may be assigned to any VHA area, consulting with peers and supervisors as appropriate. LPMHCs may be involved in program evaluation and/or research activities.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities-GS-11:
  • 1.Ability to make professional evaluations, decisions, and recommendation for treatment planning and implementation.
  • 2.Advanced knowledge and mastery of the fundamentals of the counseling process which includes defining patient/family problems and maintaining an effective counseling relationship.
  • 3.Ability to provide subject matter consultation to colleagues and trainees on the counseling process within various specialty areas, build on the foundation of competence through regular meetings and discussions to explain assignments, review progress of cases and confer about the counseling perspectives and orientation.
  • 4.Ability to provide complex crisis intervention and stabilization to patients who are in psychological distress. Requires independent judgment and skill.
  • 5.Ability to establish goals/treatment through a collaborative process with the patient utilizing advanced counseling skills, including evidenced- based practices, screening, and psychosocial assessment.
  • 6.Ability to use a wide variety of individual, group, or family counseling interventions.
  • 7.Ability to fully utilize the current DSM in making diagnoses and formulation of treatment goals and application of appropriate clinical intervention using professional counseling practices.
  • 8.Ability to develop and facilitate psychotherapy and psycho- education groups that include life skills, family support, and community integration. This may include evidence based psychotherapy.

GS-12 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to meeting the KSAs for the GS-11 grade level, the candidate must demonstrate all of the KSAs below:
1. Ability to administratively supervise other providers and conduct meetings.
2. Ability to maintain a professional environment by following organizational policies, guidelines and safety standards.
3. Ability to establish and clearly communicate guidelines and performance expectations for staff.

Preferred Experience: VA Mental Health care experience. Experience with a supervision and program management for inpatient psychiatric care.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer, engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Social Worker must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the social worker or others.This position also requires close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; extensive reading; and repetitive motions of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, resume, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.