Senior Social Worker

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. 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 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f) Grade Determinations - Senior Social Worker GS-12: Experience/Education: The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which - one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice Senior social workers may have certification or other post‑masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty Licensure/Certification: Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination - unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California - which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations This includes individual - group - and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management 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 to design system changes Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area - 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 Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12 Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 - Employee Occupational Health Services. Duties The Senior Social Worker is located within the Mental Health Service Line with primary assignment to provide patient care in the Mental Health Clinics in CBOCs and Dayton locations Primary work site would be within the CBOC work settings Duties include - but are not limited to: Independently performs case finding functions and outreach - identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs Possesses advanced knowledge and abilities to independently implement treatment - provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals - families and groups using evidence-based treatments for mental health disorders Must be trained in evidence-based psychotherapies (i.e Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - Interpersonal Therapy - Acceptance and Commitment Therapy etc.) and demonstrate competence within these modalities Independently conducts psychosocial assessments including suicide prevention related services for treatment planning and interventions related to mental health conditions Develops treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family and with the BHIP treatment team Engages in measurement-based care to facilitate optimal treatment outcomes Possesses the skills to offer psychosocial interventions and to measure outcomes of interventions Provides clinical services including - but not limited to - assessment - individual and group therapy - psychoeducation - and case management services to veterans in the assigned work area(s) at the Dayton VAMC Mental Health Clinics Knowledge of the principles and theoretical concepts of the practice of clinical social work at the advanced practice level is required Keeps up to date on new findings - trends - and treatment techniques pertinent to their area of social work practice Independently provides case management and service coordination for Veterans as assigned to include facilitating admissions to acute psychiatric care - treatment planning - discharge planning - and post-discharge engagement Coordinates community-based services - including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs - other government programs - and community agency programs Required to have knowledge of Veterans community programs and resources and interact not only with the Veteran but also with family and significant others - when indicated - BHIP team members - other VA staff - and community organizations and social service agencies Independently identifies high-risk patients and provides clinically indicated intervention case management services Provides crisis intervention services - seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint - coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family/support as clinically indicated Has working knowledge and experience in intersection of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities - and treatment procedures to align treatment plans and interventions appropriately This includes acute - chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries - common medications and their effects/side effects - and medical terminology Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and their families Independently works with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric - medical and social problems utilizing individual - group and family counseling and therapy skills Independently provides consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plan Performs other duties as required Work Schedule: 8am to 4:30pm Monday thru Friday Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive Contact View email address on click.appcast.io - the EDRP Coordinator - for questions/assistance Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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) 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) Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 93984-0 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional #J-18808-Ljbffr