The Senior Social Worker is located at the Hines VA and independently provides clinical psychotherapy, psychosocial assessment and treatment, and mental health case management services at an advanced practice level to eligible Veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social and environmental needs. 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. 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 http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria). Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker GS12 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:a) 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.(b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.(c) 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.(d) 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.(e) 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.(f) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, ability to coordinate services, and ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on discharge/aftercare planning. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard ["The Pain Senior Social Worker performs specialized treatment of complex health and mental illness, requiring outpatient mental health services and/or case management. The Senior Social Worker incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved scope of practice The Pain Senior Social Worker, practices independent of supervisor, provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced level case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, addictions, co-occurring disorders and other serious and persistent mental illness to Veterans presenting at the Pain clinic. The Pain Senior Social Worker utilizes evidence-based practices, including but not limited to Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and Addictions Counseling. The Pain Senior Social Worker develops, implements and maintains methods for accessing internal and external resources for Veterans and Veteran family members. Gathering information from internal and external colleagues and insuring accessibility to staff. The Senior Social Worker coordinates supportive services for Veterans in the Community Based Outpatient Clinics, ensuring that they receive needed social work services and care The Pain Senior Social Worker makes rapid assessments and develops crisis management plans for admission to inpatient programs as needed. In the event of an alleged abuse case, medical or psychiatric emergency, the medical center policy will be followed with independent clinical judgment guiding all actions. The incumbent ensures that the interdisciplinary team is kept informed of any concerns with the patient and/or caregiver The Pain Senior Social Worker evaluates his/her practice on an on-going basis though participation in professional peer review, case conferences, or other organized means. The Pain Senior Social Worker is active in and accepts responsibility for the development and maintenance of professional standards of treatment. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 8A-4:30P Telework: Position may be suitable for some telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
Providing Health Care for Veterans: The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,255 health care facilities, including 170 medical centers and 1,074 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.
