Staff Psychologist (Primary Care Mental Health Integration - PCMHI)

Quick Facts

• Role: Staff Psychologist (PCMHI), co-located Collaborative Care behavioral health consultant in primary care
• Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Description

Work as a Staff Psychologist within the Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service (MH&BSS) supporting the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center and outpatient clinics through the Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Clinic. Provide brief, evidence-based, time-limited individual and group interventions and help implement stepped-care collaborative services using Measurement Based Care. Collaborate with PCPs and the interdisciplinary PACT to deliver coordinated, on-time, on-target care, including same-day warm handoffs and quality documentation.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with PCPs and the interdisciplinary PACT to support coordinated service delivery
• Maintain daily open access slots and encourage same-day warm handoffs
• Complete most appointments (about 75%) within 30 minutes
• Use Measurement Based Care (MBC) following nationally recommended PCMHI guidelines
• Conduct initial PCMHI functional assessments focused on reasons for referral
• Support stepped-care and collaborative care management for Veterans
• Refer Veterans with more severe or complex needs to appropriate general or specialty mental health programs
• Deliver brief (approximately 1–6 sessions) evidence-based interventions in the primary care setting
• Use intermittent visits and flexible patient contact strategies for brief but longitudinal PCMHI care
• Complete the national VA PCMHI Competency Training Program (or approved equivalent) and ongoing education modules
• Write clear, concise notes same day (or within required documentation timelines) optimized for PACT collaboration
• Document key elements for team collaboration (e.g., MBC, curbside consultation/team care discussions, liaison with specialty providers)
• Participate in PACT huddles and meetings and serve as a behavioral health subject matter expert
• Educate PACT on behavioral health/health behavior issues and strategies for effective patient communication and behavior change
• Provide same-day feedback to PCP and other PACT members after referrals
• Collaborate with PCMHI team members (e.g., health technicians, collaborative care managers, and prescribing providers) to deliver Veteran-centered care

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases
• Paid Time Off: 37–50 days annually (13–26 annual leave, 13 sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays)
• Parental Leave: up to 12 weeks paid parental leave after 12 months of employment
• Child Care Subsidy: after 60 days, eligible full-time employees may qualify for up to 25% childcare cost subsidy (income threshold applies)
• Retirement: federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% contributions by VA
• Insurance: federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care