Senior Social Worker

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (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 appointment. 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.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens.)
• Education: Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the school is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work.
• Licensure: Must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found on the VA website.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English.

Social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment. Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment.

Grade Determinations

Senior Social Worker - GS-12

• Experience/Education: At least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure, with one year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers must demonstrate advanced practice skills and judgment, and may have certification or other post-master's training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university.
• Licensure/Certification: Must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless grandfathered by the state. Must be able to provide supervision for licensure.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs):

• Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations, including individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.

Expected to have experience and/or certification in evidence-based psychotherapies or the skills and abilities to learn advanced evidenced-based psychotherapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Couples/Family Therapy, and Group Therapy.

Responsibilities

• Practice social work in the Mental Health Service Line at one of the facility's Community Based Outpatient Clinics, with responsibility for clinical program development and accountability for clinical program effectiveness.
• Independently perform case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening complex patients for psychosocial needs.
• Implement treatment modalities, provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals, families, and groups, and conduct psychosocial assessments.
• Develop treatment plans in collaboration with the Veteran/family and the interdisciplinary treatment team.
• Offer psychosocial interventions and measure outcomes to interventions.
• Coordinate community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, government programs, and community agency programs.
• Identify high-risk patients and provide appropriate and comprehensive services, including crisis intervention, family conferences, and liaison services to family members.
• Use working knowledge and experience in medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures to collaborate on multidisciplinary treatment plans.
• Establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families, handling conflict constructively.
• Provide consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of Veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plans.
• Evaluate own practice through professional peer review, case conferences, and other organizational means.
• Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Schedule

Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Work hours are subject to change.