Senior Social Worker (Inpatient Mental Health)

Full Job Description

Administratively responsible for ensuring professional Social Work treatment is provided at the Inpatient Mental Health (IMH) units at the Jefferson Barracks division of the VASTLHCS.

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/. Loss of Licensure or Certification.

Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment.

Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment. 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: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates.

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: Preferred candidates possess experience in inpatient mental health social work practice, including assessment of high-risk psychosocial needs, crisis stabilization, suicide risk assessment, discharge and aftercare planning, and coordination with interdisciplinary teams to support Veterans with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, and complex psychosocial challenges.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.

Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position.

May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. Major Duties:

VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Senior Social Worker provides direct patient care services in the program area and acts as subject matter expert and mentor for new employees and other mental health social workers.

The incumbent assists in developing policies and procedures for program operation and prepare reports and statistics for program, facility, VISN, and national use.

The incumbent coordinates with colleagues on the team to manage and control the use of data related to these programs regarding day to day functioning and program evaluation.

The Incumbent receives direction from Social Work Service Supervisor and incumbent assists in planning, organizing and directing the administrative, operational, and patient activities for the service in line with professional Social Work practice.

Duties include, but not limited to: Complete an assessment of the veteran in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, family members and significant others.

The goal of the assessment is to highlight the veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs to optimize the veteran's functional status.

Responsible for developing the treatment plan setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran/family and prescribing provider; The comprehensive treatment plan will be completed by the veteran's third visit for mental health services.

Responsible for educating the veteran and/or caregiver of the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision-maker.

Provide education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team member for identified health education needs.

Serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility as deemed appropriate by the supervisor and Chief of Social Work Services. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not Available Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Available Telework: Ad-Hoc - This position is authorized for telework but has not been authorized as virtual or remote (i.e., the must be able to work at the location the position is being announced for).

VA supports the use of telework to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies.

Telework eligibility may be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized