Senior Social Worker (PACT/PCMHI)

About the role

Responsible for a variety of social work and mental health functions within the CBOC primary care outpatient clinic.

Responsibilities

• Conducts psychosocial assessments. Develops treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and assistance needed. Possesses the skills to offer psychosocial interventions and measures outcomes of interventions.
• Captures community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs and community agency programs.
• Identifies high-risk patients and provides case management services and psychotherapeutic interventions. Provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members. Has working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures.
• Addresses Advance Directives and mental health preferences in accordance with the standards of their work area. Will apply whole health principles to provide wellness/prevention education and may facilitate psychoeducational support groups as appropriate.
• Provides treatment recommendations and consultation to other disciplines and treatment team members involved with the treatment of clients referred to them, including teams at the CBOC and throughout the Alaska VA Healthcare System. Makes use of guides in a creative, flexible manner and must use sound judgment in selecting techniques or introducing new practices and methods, adapting these as necessary to fit the needs of the patient population with which he/she serves.
• Based on assessment data, plans appropriate clinical treatment for individual clients. Promotes a psychotherapeutic atmosphere among the treatment staff. Promotes, supervises or provides individual and group therapy. Conducts therapy in difficult, multifaceted cases. Serves as key member of the interdisciplinary team providing the full range of behavior therapy and other psychological therapies for a widely diverse client base. Effectively uses a variety of clinical modalities e.g., Behavior Therapy, Behavior Modification Cognitive Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. Maintains currency in evidence based therapeutic techniques; and when appropriate, uses newly proven or experimental treatments. Continually monitors Veteran's progress. Independently exercises authoritative judgment in the adjustment of treatment plans. Determines when reassessment is appropriate and adjusts treatment plan.
• Provides advanced level psychosocial treatment to a wide variety of individuals from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diverse backgrounds. High level of knowledge of psychosocial treatment and evidenced based practice methods for the treatment of individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment.
• Independently evaluates his/her own practice through participation in professional peer review, case conferences, case studies, or other organized means.

Requirements

Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• 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 of Social Work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
• Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA 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 by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/.
• English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

Benefits

Competitive salary and regular salary increases.

When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).

Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience.

Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.

Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.

Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

Telework: Not Available

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.

Must be proficient in written and spoken English.

Subject to background/security investigation.