| The Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) mission is to provide comprehensive, interdisciplinary, primary care in the homes of veterans with complex medical, social, and behavioral conditions for whom routine clinic-based care is not effective. The primary responsibility for this position will be to provide a full range of psychological services to HBPC patients, including screening; psychological, cognitive, and capacity assessments; psychotherapy; and prevention-oriented services. The HBPC Psychologist functions as the primary mental health provider of the HBPC team, providing mental health prevention, assessment, treatment, management, and professional consultation services. Clinical Responsibilities include but are not limited to: o Providing screening, assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of depressive and anxiety-related disorders, as well as other mental health conditions, with an emphasis on the application of time-limited, evidence-based, Whole Health approaches. o Assessing and providing treatments for subclinical symptoms of dysphoria and anxiety, adjustment difficulties, & excessive use or misuse of alcohol or other drugs (for which the patient may have a lower than normal tolerance due to their medical conditions and the potential for negative interactions with prescribed medication). o Providing services to the families/caregivers of Veterans with Neurocognitive Disorders being served by HBPC, when such care is directly related to the overall treatment plan for the Veteran and will allow better care for the Veteran and allow the family to sustain the Veteran in the home environment. o Providing clinical services in person and through the use of telemental health/telehome technology. o Providing screening for cognitive deficits to address specific functional questions or to determine if a referral for a complete neuropsychological evaluation is needed. o Performing capacity/competency assessments when there are questions about a patient's ability to make medical decisions, perform other specific functions, or live independently. o Assessing patients' understanding of advanced directives and other forms of consent and assisting staff in determining how to present treatment options and other such material to patients in a format they can understand. o Providing individual/group interventions to support patients that are coping with feelings of grief and loss associated with disability and other life transitions. o Providing psychoeducational and supportive interventions, in conjunction with the Veteran, for spouses, family members/caregivers, and others that are crucial to supporting Veteran success in the home. o Providing effective interventions with couples or families, when appropriate, to address relationship difficulties, provide support to caregivers of Veterans with Neurocognitive Disorders or other significant frailty, and/or promote collaboration with the HBPC team, for the benefit of the Veteran. o Providing behavioral medicine interventions to manage pain, disability, address sleep problems, facilitate weight loss, promote smoking cessation, and enhance medical compliance. o Promoting communication/interactions between medical team members, patients, and their families/caregivers to facilitate the medical treatment process and Veteran centric goals. o Supporting transition and adjustment to new living situations (e.g., nursing home, assisted living facility) and providing seamless intervention services, as appropriate. o Staff psychologists may be involved in program evaluation, teaching, training, and research activities o Other duties as assigned by MHCL Special Services Division Director Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. |
