The Licensed Clinical Senior Social Worker provides Mental Health services as a part of the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program to the Veteran population enrolled throughout the ECHS VA . Services include facilitation of psychosocial assessments & provision of high-quality case management, individual & group psychotherapy, clinical treatment, crisis intervention, advocacy, & coordination of referral to other appropriate VA or community services providers, as needed by the Veteran.
Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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: Candidates must be proficient in spoken & written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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 http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to SW Licensure Summary by State. 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. Preferred Experience: Experience providing evidence based psychotherapy. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is 12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is 12. Physical Requirements: Physical demands of the work are generally minor, as the position requires sitting, standing, and walking. The emotional demands can be stressful in working with high-risk for suicide veteran population and their families. A high level of self-awareness is essential. Work is primarily sedentary. May require prolonged standing, moderate walking, and manual dexterity. Requires carrying light items, such as books, files, or laptop computer.
VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Duties & skills needed to be successful in this position include, but are not limited to: Will practice within the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) code of ethics . Will complete a psychosocial assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran & family members/significant others. Possess a working knowledge & experience in use of medical & mental health diagnoses. Responsible for contributing to the development of the treatment plan & setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran, family members/significant others & other BHIP team members based on the psychosocial assessment. The is responsible for facilitating discharge planning through collaboration with Veterans & their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate discharge plans are executed in a timely manner. Provides individual, family, & group psychotherapeutic treatment of mental & emotional disorders & emotional pain using evidence-based psychological methods (i.e., ACT, CBT, CPT, PE, etc.). The purpose of psychotherapeutic treatment is to address the psychosocial impact of severe mental illness(es), chronic/disabling illness(es), onset of a catastrophic illness, etc. Psychotherapeutic goals include relieving symptoms, increasing understanding, & changing behavior to foster recovery & over all well-being. will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the veteran's needs. As a senior social worker, may be assigned cases with increased complexity or requiring more experience. Is responsible for educating the veteran & family members/significant others of the available services & assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference or that of their surrogate decision-maker. When appropriate & feasible, the incumbent will educate & encourage the veteran to advocate on his/her own behalf, thus fostering a sense of independence & empowerment. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of their respective mental health unit/program & VA Medical Eastern Colorado Healthcare System. Provides education related to VA & community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will & will refer veterans & family members/significant others to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs. Will review the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths & limitations of each veteran. Will assume responsibility for timely completion of all clinical charting & documentation . Will participate in social worker peer review . Will serve as a subject matter expert for mental health social work, including providing guidance & consultation to others on the BHIP team around clinical social work issues. May serve as a clinical supervisor to social work students/Interns or social workers who are working toward their independent license. Performs other appropriate duties as assigned. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:30pm Monday-Friday Pay: Competitive salary & 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) & 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 54834-A