VA Mental Health Provider Venting / Problem-solving / Peer Support Thread

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Sanman said:
In today's game of "How can this job get any worse", the folks back in offices that are not on site need to turn on their cameras every morning and show they are in the office.

Now that they are taking attendance again, when are they reinstating the pledge of allegiance? I am personally working getting Saturday detention.
Click to expand...

I'm confused. They do this for in-office staff but NOT the ones kept remote? Seems backwards....
 
Members don't see this ad :)
I want to leave VA but these contracted fee for service techbro type companies pay sooooo low. I really need to build out a PP or find a local group practice where the fee split isn't terrible.
 
psy.d. 2021 said:
I want to leave VA but these contracted fee for service techbro type companies pay sooooo low. I really need to build out a PP or find a local group practice where the fee split isn't terrible.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I would recommend any of those unless you are looking for short term cash. Not sure which ones you are looking at in particular, but they all want a large chunk of your money for not doing the work.
 
The credentialing companies like Alma and Headway are decent in a lot of areas. They're either at or just below the going rate for an average psychologist in my area. They're being kept afloat by venture capitalists, so I would use it as a springboard to get cash flowing and word of mouth going before fleeing.
 
Shiori said:
The credentialing companies like Alma and Headway are decent in a lot of areas. They're either at or just below the going rate for an average psychologist in my area. They're being kept afloat by venture capitalists, so I would use it as a springboard to get cash flowing and word of mouth going before fleeing.
Click to expand...
Yeah I just put in for informational meetings. I can maybe start there with a few clients and go from there as a possible springboard to leave in the future.
 
Like I said, my former professor has given me a standing offer to join their private practice so that's my backup plan. It would take some time to get added to insurance panels though.

We've all actually been joking about opening a private practice right in the empty office building next to our VA clinic if we get RIFed. Lol
 
Sanman said:
Well, technically we are all supposed to be back in office...eventually.
Click to expand...
Sorry. I cant keep up. But my point was "checking up" (visually) on "in-office" providers vs not for the remote providers doesn't make intuitive sense if you are trying to micromanage and think of your doctors as fraudulent infants??? Its the other away around, no?

I actually thought there was healthy host of remote employees left who wont be doing RTO at all due to no available space at VAMCs/CBOCs, long standing Central Office remote workers/clinicians, the National Clinical Resource Hub clinicians and advisors, etc.? Maybe I'm not up to date?
 
Last edited:
docloufan said:
Sorry. I cant keep up. But my point was "checking up" (visually) on "in-office" providers vs not for the remote providers doesn't make intuitive sense if you are trying to micromanage and think of your doctors as fraudulent infants??? Its the other away around, no?

I actually thought there was healthy host of remote employees left who wont be doing RTO at all due to no available space at VAMCs/CBOCs, long standing Central Office remote workers/clinicians, the National Clinical Resource Hub clinicians and advisors, etc.? Maybe I'm not up to date?
Click to expand...

So far only the Crisis Line folks have been given an exemption after the bad press. All other remote MH is either in office or on a temporary extension. Initially was told 60 days and then possibly 180 days.
 
Last edited:
Fan_of_Meehl said:
Post all your concerns, frustrations, ideas, and experiences as a VA mental health provider of any discipline.
Click to expand...
Good evening. I am a BHIP psychologist and am not happy with all the recent bullsh — err - changes. I have thought about starting a private practice with assessment and therapy but I don’t relish the idea of dealing with insurance and billing etc. I have an interview with Prosper Health for a remote assessment position. Any thoughts on Prosper? Thank you.
 
Last edited:
thirdwave said:
Good evening. I am a BHIP psychologist and am not happy with all the recent bullsh — err - changes. I have thought about starting a private practice with assessment and therapy but I don’t relish the idea of dealing with insurance and billing etc. I have an interview with Prosper Health for a remote assessment position. Any thoughts on Prosper? Thank you.
Click to expand...
Sounds very suspicious
 
Members don't see this ad :)
thirdwave said:
Good evening. I am a BHIP psychologist and am not happy with all the recent bullsh — err - changes. I have thought about starting a private practice with assessment and therapy but I don’t relish the idea of dealing with insurance and billing etc. I have an interview with Prosper Health for a remote assessment position. Any thoughts on Prosper? Thank you.
Click to expand...
1747143024059.png
 
thirdwave said:
Good evening. I am a BHIP psychologist and am not happy with all the recent bullsh — err - changes. I have thought about starting a private practice with assessment and therapy but I don’t relish the idea of dealing with insurance and billing etc. I have an interview with Prosper Health for a remote assessment position. Any thoughts on Prosper? Thank you.
Click to expand...
Sounds like the assessment equivalent of the therapy sweatshops like Betterhelp and GrowTherapy.

Also I guess all the psychologists not on Prosper Health are just "typical" jerks according to Prosper (per their website):

I guess we're all outdated, don't support patients, and have waiting rooms. The waiting rooms, the horrors!

Screen Shot 2025-05-13 at 1.33.07 PM.png
 
PsyDr said:
When Project 2025’s VA disability reform stuff gets started, can we get you VA guys to start a thread?
Click to expand...

Curious to see how many of us are left working for the VA by then. I know I will likely be leaving if they actually find me an office to "return to" rather than giving me an exemption on remote work. The majority of VA psychiatrists are threatening the same.
 
summerbabe said:
If you’ve been vaccinated, drank flourinated water and can’t write poetry, then you’re definitely autistic /s
Click to expand...
If you want to call yourself autistic, neurodiverse, or “neurospicy”, that’s the only diagnostic criteria we need to give you an autism or ADHD diagnosis. /s
 
Therapist4Chnge said:
“The online test told me I’m autistic!!”

To be fair, it is a PITA to get a dx as an adult, so I get why people are frustrated, but ASD seems to be the new “hot” diagnosis like ADHD in the past 10+ yrs.
Click to expand...
From what I’ve seen, getting diagnosed with both autism and adhd (and to be fair, there is a lot of legitimate co-occurance between the two) seems to a common goal/self-diagnosis.
 
Not to sound uninformed...but there is still much limitation to virtual psychological and neuropsychological testing, yea? What instruments can be done. What can be billed. What is best-practice?

What, exactly, does a job like this look like? Especially with this seeming focus on tele ASD assessment that is also deemed appropriate and reimbursable by commercial insurance plans???
 
docloufan said:
Not to sound uninformed...but there is still much limitation to virtual psychological and neuropsychological testing, yea? What instruments can be done. What can be billed. What is best-practice?

What, exactly, does a job like this look like? Especially with this seeming focus on tele ASD assessment that is also deemed appropriate and reimbursable by commercial insurance plans???
Click to expand...

I won't do any neuropsych stuff aside from basic screening in a tele context.
 
thirdwave said:
Good evening. I am a BHIP psychologist and am not happy with all the recent bullsh — err - changes. I have thought about starting a private practice with assessment and therapy but I don’t relish the idea of dealing with insurance and billing etc. I have an interview with Prosper Health for a remote assessment position. Any thoughts on Prosper? Thank you.
Click to expand...
docloufan said:
Not to sound uninformed...but there is still much limitation to virtual psychological and neuropsychological testing, yea? What instruments can be done. What can be billed. What is best-practice?

What, exactly, does a job like this look like? Especially with this seeming focus on tele ASD assessment that is also deemed appropriate and reimbursable by commercial insurance plans???
Click to expand...
WisNeuro said:
I won't do any neuropsych stuff aside from basic screening in a tele context.
Click to expand...

Seems like scam/workhouse/sketchy. Should be a Big ole no. Do we think there are other VA psychologists attempting to being poached like this?

I am concerned VA psychologists are not expanding their careers?
 
WisNeuro said:
I won't do any neuropsych stuff aside from basic screening in a tele context.
Click to expand...
Same.

As for ASD assessment via videoconferencing…. I think it can be done ethically in some instances, but I don’t trust most people and NONE of the VC-funded/for-profit pass-thru companies to do it correctly.
 
I don't know that I would make assumptions about what VA psychologists are doing based on one post from a brand new person. If we're using anecdotes, every VA psychologist I know personally has an exit strategy and connections to make the leap if they wanted to leave. No one is worried about finding another job. We just like the jobs we have even if parts of it suck. We're also waiting for severance.
 
quickpsych said:
Sounds like the assessment equivalent of the therapy sweatshops like Betterhelp and GrowTherapy.

Also I guess all the psychologists not on Prosper Health are just "typical" jerks according to Prosper (per their website):

I guess we're all outdated, don't support patients, and have waiting rooms. The waiting rooms, the horrors!

View attachment 403570
Click to expand...
Big tech and "industry disruptors" suck, generally

They probably take most of the fee and hold you to all of the liability, too
 
Shiori said:
I don't know that I would make assumptions about what VA psychologists are doing based on one post from a brand new person. If we're using anecdotes, every VA psychologist I know personally has an exit strategy and connections to make the leap if they wanted to leave. No one is worried about finding another job. We just like the jobs we have even if parts of it suck. We're also waiting for severance.
Click to expand...
I'm a BHIP psychologist. I love what I do. I don't normally like my management, at least at my current location because they don't lead or take accountability.

I'm definitely holding on partially in anticipation of severance pay, and to see what happens when mid-level managers are forced to return to seeing at least a handful of individual therapy patients a week. PhD, PsyD, MO, DO, LCSW in mid- level management are the main sources of beauracratic bloat I encounter in my job role.
 
Behaviorismiscool said:
I'm a BHIP psychologist. I love what I do. I don't normally like my management, at least at my current location because they don't lead or take accountability.

I'm definitely holding on partially in anticipation of severance pay, and to see what happens when mid-level managers are forced to return to seeing at least a handful of individual therapy patients a week. PhD, PsyD, MO, DO, LCSW in mid- level management are the main sources of beauracratic bloat I encounter in my job role.
Click to expand...
The individual variability of the VA still amazes me. "Back in my day" (which wasn't terribly long ago), our mid-level managers actually had clinical loads; I think they were technically half-time admin and half-time clinical. It was all the "champions" who never seemed to see any patients.
 
AcronymAllergy said:
The individual variability of the VA still amazes me. "Back in my day" (which wasn't terribly long ago), our mid-level managers actually had clinical loads; I think they were technically half-time admin and half-time clinical. It was all the "champions" who never seemed to see any patients.
Click to expand...

Same for me. The team or program leads always had clinical loads and even my chiefs usually cover some areas when people leave and there is short staffing.
 
thirdwave said:
Good evening. I am a BHIP psychologist and am not happy with all the recent bullsh — err - changes. I have thought about starting a private practice with assessment and therapy but I don’t relish the idea of dealing with insurance and billing etc. I have an interview with Prosper Health for a remote assessment position. Any thoughts on Prosper? Thank you.
Click to expand...
I worked there for six months before I couldn't take it anymore. The "assessments" are all self reports and you are expected to take the client's report as 100% truth. If you question the client's self report or you don't diagnose ASD enough the higher ups will not leave you alone, continually questioning your professional judgement in favor of the client's "lived experience". I was treated like a diagnostic practicum student that was on trial to prove why someone didn't have ASD rather than a clinical psychologist. Save yourself the headache and skip on Prosper 🤢
 
drtorichance77 said:
I worked there for six months before I couldn't take it anymore. The "assessments" are all self reports and you are expected to take the client's report as 100% truth. If you question the client's self report or you don't diagnose ASD enough the higher ups will not leave you alone, continually questioning your professional judgement in favor of the client's "lived experience". I was treated like a diagnostic practicum student that was on trial to prove why someone didn't have ASD rather than a clinical psychologist. Save yourself the headache and skip on Prosper 🤢
Click to expand...
So basically it's a mill where folks pay to get a diagnosis of ASD which they want for various reasons related to secondary gain.

Coolcoolcoolcool
 
drtorichance77 said:
I worked there for six months before I couldn't take it anymore. The "assessments" are all self reports and you are expected to take the client's report as 100% truth. If you question the client's self report or you don't diagnose ASD enough the higher ups will not leave you alone, continually questioning your professional judgement in favor of the client's "lived experience". I was treated like a diagnostic practicum student that was on trial to prove why someone didn't have ASD rather than a clinical psychologist. Save yourself the headache and skip on Prosper 🤢
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing this. I can’t say I’m surprised.
 
WisNeuro said:
They're too busy planning a welcome party for all those poor white South Africans that we're putting on the fast track for immigration and making travel plans to send our Afghan allies back home to be killed.
Click to expand...
Per the article:

Luttrell said veterans should not be responsible for correcting government-made errors.

“That’s our fault,” he said. “We have to fix that problem.”

I wonder if he'd say the same thing had, say, SNAP recipients been receiving over-disbursements for years, such as because they failed to report reductions in their numbers of dependants.
 
AcronymAllergy said:
Per the article:

Luttrell said veterans should not be responsible for correcting government-made errors.

“That’s our fault,” he said. “We have to fix that problem.”

I wonder if he'd say the same thing had, say, SNAP recipients been receiving over-disbursements for years, such as because they failed to report reductions in their numbers of dependants.
Click to expand...

Well, they've already been talking about clawing back overpayments from those "fraudsters" on SS/SSDI. Apparently, who's fault it is is solely dependent on which program and if that group is politically acceptable to **** on or not.
 
futureapppsy2 said:
Yep, I know. 🙁
Click to expand...

Despite what some of my colleagues seem to be thinking, I believe this is a "Titantic" moment for the VA. It is not about if you will leave, but when you will leave. I already have my lifeboat ready and I don't imagine it will go well for my colleagues who think the ship is not going to sink.
 
I’m struggling with something—I have a job offer outside the VA that would be a pay increase and re-unite with my SO (we’ve been long distance for about 11 months as I’ve been working my VA job and looking for a transfer). My anniversary at the VA is end of July 1 and I’m wondering if it makes sense to try to stay for the full 12 months for TIG or take the beginning of June start date that the new position prefers. It would probably cost me an additional $3.5k in rent to stay until July 1, so there’s that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

N
  • Poll Poll
Health Psychology: support and vent thread
Replies
39
Views
3K
oliversacks4thewin
oliversacks4thewin
N
Health Psychology Support Thread/Discord
Replies
5
Views
1K
nicolascagephd
N
Sanman
ProPublica Article on Mental Health
Replies
16
Views
2K
Therapist4Chnge
T
pinkbromeliad
Help from Non-VA Health System Providers: salary and negotiation
Replies
25
Views
2K
R. Matey
R. Matey
quickpsych
Education Department stops $1 billion in funding for school mental health
Replies
3
Views
592
BendDontBreak
B
Top