Social Worker-Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP)

Job Title

BHIP Social Worker

Duties

The BHIP Social Worker interviews Veterans and their family members/significant others to establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the Veteran's functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs. The incumbent reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment identifying needs and strengths. Effectively uses professional skill, objectivity, and insight. Uses advanced clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Assesses high risk factors, acuity, and need for services. May Baker Act patients who are a danger to self or others, depending on license. The incumbent has the ability to serve Veterans who tend to have frequent and severe crises, lack family or an adequate community support network, be poor at self-monitoring, and frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychosocial support. The incumbent provides referral to VA medical and mental health treatment and to other VA services including VA benefits, as well as community-based social services and other non-VA entitlement programs. The BHIP Social Worker evaluates the client's situation, including the Veteran's reaction and ability to deal with it, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion. Based on the psychosocial assessment, uses professional judgment and skill to make a psychosocial diagnosis. Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan involving the Veteran and family or significant others. Performs insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness involving psychiatric, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia and other high-risk diagnoses. Makes professional decisions and recommendations for agency action. Consequences to the Veteran may be serious, and the results are often unpredictable. The BHIP Social Worker develops psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including goals for psychosocial clinical treatment. Using known available resources and the initial assessment of the Veteran's likelihood to accept differing types of assistance, make initial and continuing decisions regarding use of VA and non-VA services and referrals. Arrives at a reasoned conclusion as to the preferred course of agency action. The incumbent coordinates screening of patients for specific mental health programs, such as Substance Use Disorder Treatment Program (SUD), Trauma Recovery Specialty Program (TRuST), or Psychiatric Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program (PRRTP) and provides ongoing treatment per mental health program guidelines.

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 08:00am - 04:30pm

Virtual: This is not a virtual position

Telework: Ad-hoc/Situational-Occasional, Non-routine

Functional Statement #: 82509F VA Careers - Social Work