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Summary Serves in two main roles: 1) the lead clinical consultant to the medical center staff on health behavior coaching; and 2) program manager that develops processes to ensure health behavior support services are offered to Veterans via a systematic approach across the Durham VA Health Care System. Responsibilities Serves in two main roles: 1) the lead clinical consultant to the medical center staff on health behavior coaching; and 2) program manager that develops processes to ensure health behavior support services are offered to Veterans via a systematic approach across the Durham VA Health Care System. As the lead clinical consultant for health behavior coaching, the HBPM provides consultation on the evidence basis for health behavior interventions, to promote health and prevent disease, and effective coaching methods by medical center staff. Clinical Responsibilities In collaboration with the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Program Manager (HDPD-PM), plans, develops, adapts, implements and assesses efficacy of health behavior interventions for the promotion of general health and to address health risk behaviors as part of disease prevention and chronic disease management (e.g., weight loss and maintenance, tobacco use cessation, moderate alcohol consumption, promoting patient self-management interventions targeting issues such as increasing participation in regular exercise, healthy eating, sleep hygiene, stress management) in close collaboration with the Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Manager and others. Trains, guides, mentors, and supports healthcare team members who will provide evidence-based health behavior self-management support interventions that may be carried out via phone and may support patients using web, home messaging, or video teleconferencing technologies, including supporting others in co-managing group intervention at parent facilities and CBOCs. Communicates with a wide range of healthcare staff and facility leadership and community partners to integrate health promotion and disease prevention programs into clinical care and outreach events. Utilizes existing evidence-based behavioral health resource materials and develops new materials when needed. Supports and contributes to existing smoking and tobacco use treatment clinical initiatives in primary care and smoking cessation specialty programs or clinics, evaluates the need for possible expansion of services, and supports the lead clinician in tobacco use treatment programs. Contributes to behavioral health programs such as MOVE! weight management program. Up to 20% of time may be dedicated to encounter-generating clinical work. Academic/Teaching/Training: 1. Provides consultation and training to clinical staff in the enhancing, maintaining, and supporting health behavior program for the promotion of health and prevention of disease and enhance patient self-management of chronic disease (e.g., diabetes, hypertension, alcohol-related liver disease) to prevent secondary complications and improve long-term outcomes and enhance quality of life. 2. Utilizes educational programs developed by NCP and other national program offices for teaching and/or improving the clinical staff members' core behavioral health skills. 3. May provide in-service and/or invited grand rounds presentations to the medical center staff in areas directly related to the mission of the Behavioral Health and HPDP programs. Administrative/Program Evaluation/Outcome Measurement/Research 1. The Health Behavior/Health Psychologist will have a primary clinical consultant role in health behavior coaching. The incumbent will carry out appropriate consultation with discipline-specific leaders and will be accountable to the Preventive Medicine Physician in the Office of Public Health, Medicine Service. 2. Provides leadership and guidance in carrying out program planning, outcome evaluation, and staff development activities. 3. Oversees the establishment of population health-based programs to improve health behaviors, incorporating best practice guidelines and using a data-driven quality assurance process; and monitors outcomes of these programs. 4. Monitors and establishes procedures to contribute to the improvement of population preventive health outcomes for patients. 5. In collaboration with HPDP-PM, assumes responsibility for developing and implementing procedures so that the minimum structural and process requirements stipulated by VACO for the Health Promotion/Preventive Medicine programs are satisfied. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Ad Hoc EDRP Authorized: Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for EDRP, a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of your start date. Program approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Former participants are ineligible to apply for the EDRP incentive. Contact [email protected] for questions or assistance. Requirements 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications 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: Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3.g, this part.) 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. 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. NOTE: The applicant must provide an official transcript and/or certificate documenting the completion of the re-specialization program, which includes completion of an APA or CPA internship. [Psychologists who have successfully completed a re-specialization program as described above and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the educational requirements of these qualification standards.] [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 NOTE: Psychologists who meet the requirements of this revision and who were employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs prior to the implementation of this standard are considered to have fully met the requirements of this qualification standard.] 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. Board Certification and Loss of Credential (1) 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. 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 REQUIREMENTS Creditable Experience (1) Current Professional Psychology Practice. To be creditable, psychological work experience can be obtained through paid or non-paid employment providing psychological work or through participating in a supervised postdoctoral psychology training program (i.e., fellowship or residency). (2) Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is post-doctoral experience as a professional psychologist directly related to the duties to be performed. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to or exceeding professional psychology experience at the next lower level. (3) Part-time Experience. Part-time experience is creditable according to its relationship to a full- time workweek. For example, a psychologist employed 20 hours per week, or on a half time basis, would receive one full-time workweek of credit for each two weeks of service. (4) Post-Doctoral Degree Fellowships. Postdoctoral fellowships or residencies are training programs in an advanced area of clinical practice. Training as a fellow or resident is considered to be creditable experience. 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 Experience. 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. In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: 1. Ability to organize work, set priorities, delegate tasks, and meet multiple deadlines. 2. Knowledge 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. 5. Ability to translate management goals and objectives into well-coordinated and controlled work operations. Assignment. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety, and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Psychologist program managers have broad program management responsibilities for a specific program or programs that are designed to deliver specialized, complex, highly professional services that are important program components of the facility and that significantly impact the health care provided to Veterans. Programs include but are not limited to addiction, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental health intensive case management (MHICM), mental health compensation and pension examination (C&P) programs, Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Centers, inpatient mental health, residential rehabilitation, domiciliary, palliative care, neuropsychology, and internship and postdoctoral fellowship training programs; management of an off- campus site; psychology program oversight and coordination throughout the facility and its affiliated clinics as a psychology executive, typically at lower complexity facilities. Decisions made by the Program Manager affect staff and other resources associated with the programs managed and are made while exercising wide latitude and independent judgment. The type of program managed, and scope of responsibility are critical aspects of the assignment at this level. Education Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.