Social Worker- Readjustment Counselor

Summary

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.

Responsibilities

Duties of this position include, but are not limited to:

• Intake Screening and Assessment: Work directly with eligible individuals to establish a therapeutic relationship and complete all required readjustment counseling intake procedures, including an assessment of risk for self-harm, military history, and military-related psychosocial stressors.
• Readjustment Counseling Goal Setting and Service Planning: Develop and periodically update an individualized readjustment counseling service plan that reflects a course of therapeutic and psychosocial interventions, including identification of achievable goals and measurable outcomes.
• Direct Readjustment Counseling Service Provision: Incorporate complex multiple causation in differential psychosocial assessment and direct service delivery to eligible Veterans, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnostic inferences within the clinical scope of practice.
• Risk Assessment and Crisis Intervention: Conduct timely assessment of Veterans in crisis to identify immediate needs, evaluate risk, and initiate safety planning as appropriate.
• Care Coordination: Link the Veteran with other community services, resources, and opportunities to maximize the Veteran's independence, health, and well-being.
• Coordinating Readjustment Counseling and Outreach: Maintain active coordination with Vet Center outreach workers to ensure seamless referral to Vet Center services for those individuals engaged in the community at outreach events that may require follow-up readjustment counseling.
• Team Cohesion and Coordination: Participate in Vet Center staff meetings designed to promote team building and staff development through conjoint planning and problem solving, staff discussion of problematic cases, coaching and mentoring new Vet Center staff hires, and addressing issues of staff self-care.
• Documentation/Administrative Responsibilities/Consultation: Document all clinical interactions with eligible individuals and episodes of care coordination on their behalf as required by RCS policy.
• Responsiveness to Other Duties as Assigned: Proactively address all other duties as assigned and directed by the Vet Center Director.

Qualifications

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.
• English Language Proficiency: In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English to perform the duties of this position.
• Education: Must 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-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. For the GS-11 grade level, the candidate must be licensed or certified.
• Exception: VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level.

Grade Determination Requirements

• Experience, Education, and Licensure: None beyond the basic requirements for Social Worker, GS-9.
• GS-11 Experience and Licensure: Completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
• Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds.
• Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
• Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
• Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other professionals.