Social Worker-Patient Aligned Care Team

About the role

This professional Social Worker is assigned to Primary Care Teams (PACT) with responsibility to provide social work services to adult Veterans receiving care at the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System. This Social Worker will provide open access to Veterans seeking these services and timely response to individuals in psychosocial crisis in PACT - as well as supporting the behavioral health needs of those in crisis.

Responsibilities

• Identify behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and/or intimate partner violence.
• Maintain Veteran privacy and confidentiality per policies, handbooks, or directives.
• Act as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran and family members/caregiver.
• Independently assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity.
• Collaborate with the Veteran, family/caregiver, and interdisciplinary treatment team to facilitate the delivery of health care services.
• Complete thorough psychosocial assessments to determine the mental health diagnosis, psychosocial functioning, and needs of Veterans and/or their families.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive treatment plan for attainment of the highest level of independence that is possible and practicable.
• Use demonstrated knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures, including acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their side effects, and medical terminology.
• Conduct psychosocial assessments of high-risk patients to identify suicidality through use of the Suicide Risk Assessment (SRA) and other appropriate tools independently.
• Participate actively as a member of the interdisciplinary treatment team through collaboration with Veterans and family in the development and implementation of treatment goals and interventions.
• Facilitate action for community placements through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate community placements are completed in a timely manner.
• Implement psychotherapeutic treatment modalities, provide educational classes, and/or treatment and supportive groups for Veterans and families based on knowledge and ability.
• Provide consultation and education to Veterans and their families regarding community resources, VA benefits, and specialty programs, including the process for accessing and/or coordinating community-based services, information, and referral for additional services from other VA programs.

Requirements

Basic Requirements:

• Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States.
• 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.
• 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.
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria).

Qualifications

Qualifications:

• Experience: None beyond the basic requirements.
• 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).
• 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.
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities:
  • (a) Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors.
  • (b) Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans' problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
  • (c) Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals, which requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem-solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
  • (d) Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
  • (e) Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures, including acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology.