Senior Social Worker

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Help VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Establishes and maintains effective working relationships and communicates with Veterans, staff, and other parties as appropriate.

Collaborates with other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans to ensure equity of access, service, and benefits and that the care provided is of the highest quality.

Ensures continuity of care for all Veterans presenting to the ED in mental health crisis by providing intervention and/or facilitating services with other provider(s).

Assesses patients by phone and provides crisis counseling/intervention, including instructing the patient to present to the ED or follow-up with established providers.

Contacts local law enforcement for wellness check as deemed necessary.

Covers all needed emergent crisis intervention anywhere on campus including weekends and holidays.

Provides education and referrals to veterans for community services, and coordinates these services, as necessary.

Acts as a liaison between community and VA programs as needed.

Makes appropriate referrals, as indicated, to reporting agencies such as Department of Family Services, Adult Protective Services, police, etc.

Facilitates transfer and/or discharge from ED with appropriate continuity of care.

Arrange and facilitate transfer of mental health patients to the SLC VAMC IPU from a variety of community placements, including from other states, which requires ACT SW to be familiar with not only the state laws of Utah but the surrounding states as well. Social workers cannot complete interfacility transfers or discharge.

Completes the initial assessment, evaluation, treatment, and disposition (including involuntary holds) of Veterans in crisis with an acute and/or chronic mental illness responding to acute mental health crisis situations in the ED and the entire campus of the SLC VAMC.

Assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, challenges, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity.

Provides assessment, brief psychotherapeutic interventions, and treatment referrals for veterans presenting with substance use disorders.

Evaluates options to mitigate potential safety concerns which may include calling police for assistance, providing crisis intervention, mediating conflicts, and/or making referrals to ensure a safe outcome.

Facilitates admissions (both voluntary and involuntary) to the inpatient psychiatric unit (IPU) and/or collaborates with community facilities for psychiatric resources, to include admission. Social workers cannot admit.

Provides clinical recommendations to ED physicians regarding appropriateness of psychiatric admissions and/or ED discharge with referral(s) to outpatient services, prioritizing patient safety, and balancing emergent situations arising simultaneously.

Provides consultation to colleagues regarding emergent/urgent situations.

Provides education to both Veterans and family members regarding relevant mental health concerns.

Conduct interventions using evidence-based strategies to a full range of complex psychosocial needs in the ED, including psychiatric emergencies, substance abuse treatment, homelessness, abuse, and geriatric psychiatric emergencies.

Evaluates patients in the ED for involuntary psychiatric holds and completes appropriate paperwork.

Serves as a resource for SLC VAMC staff regarding the local laws and regulations regarding involuntary psychiatric holds.

Determines suicide and homicide risk utilizing current evidence-based research tools.

Fully assess suicide/homicide risk and protective factors to determine safety of the patients.

Provide a full range of psycho-diagnostic services including assessment and uses the most appropriate psychotherapeutic techniques in providing quality care.

Perform evaluations for wide array of patients representing diverse diagnostic entities.

Completes comprehensive suicide risk evaluations (CSRE), safety planning, and suicide behavior reports, as needed.

Ensures adherence to facility and national risk management policies for assessment, management, consultation and documentation related to suicide/homicide risk.

Work Schedule: Variable Shifts.

Compressed Schedule: 4 days, 10 hour shifts (this is a 24-hour service)

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 VA Employees, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more

Telework: Ad-hoc maybe be authorized.

Virtual: This is not a virtual position.

Functional Statement #: 57276A.

Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.