Senior Social Worker

Senior Social Worker

The advanced practice social worker has the ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective social work practice skills, teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers, develop innovations in practice interventions, and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification. Senior Social Worker practices social work in the Mental Health Service Line at the one of the facility's Community Based Outpatient Clinics. He/she has responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. He/she is assigned to work with the mental health patient population with high complex mental health conditions.

• The incumbent independently performs case finding functions and outreach, identifying and screening complex patients for psychosocial needs. Incumbent must possess the knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities, provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals, families, and groups.
• Incumbent independently conducts psychosocial assessments.
• Develops treatment plans in collaboration with the Veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team. Incumbent possesses the skills to offer psychosocial interventions and measures outcomes to interventions.
• Incumbent is able to take initiative to coordinate community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs and community agency programs.
• Independently identifies high-risk patients and provides appropriate and comprehensive services. Incumbent 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.
• Incumbent possesses and uses working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures, this includes acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology. This knowledge and experience are shared while working collaboratively with multidisciplinary treatment plans.
• Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families while handling conflict and challenges in working with the customer constructively and appropriately.
• Incumbent is able to independently work 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. Ability to evaluate incumbents' own practice through professional peer review, case conferences and other organizational means. Incumbent is able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds.
• Will perform other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am-4:30pm. Work hours are subject to change based on agency need.

Pay: 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: Yes as determined by the agency policy.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 534-59177F

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized