Placement Exception Social Service Specialist 2 (SSS2) - Aspire House/Centralia
State of Washington
Posted: February 5, 2026 (2 days ago)
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Military Treatment Facilities under DHA
Department of Defense
Location
Washington
Salary
$100,602 - $130,786
per year
Type
Full Time
More Healthcare & Medical jobs →Closes
Base salary range: $62,107 - $80,737
Typical requirements: 1 year specialized experience at GS-10. Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 years graduate study.
Note: Actual salary includes locality pay (15-40%+ depending on location).
This job involves working as a clinical social worker in schools on a military base, helping children and families with mental health issues through assessments, therapy, and coordination with school staff and providers.
You'll provide counseling, crisis support, and treatment plans to address emotional and behavioral challenges in a school-based setting.
It's a great fit for licensed social workers with experience in child mental health and a passion for supporting military families.
About the Position: The position is located within Madigan Army Medical Center Child & Family Mental Health, School Mental Health Services.
The primary work location is within Joint Base Lewis McChord (JBLM)'s partnering schools on base, with some time co-located within Child & Family Mental Health Services (CAFMHS) offices as needed for meetings, training, clinical care during school recess (e.g.
Summer, Winter Break, Spring Break), etc. This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation.
Who May Apply: US Citizens In order to qualify, you must meet the education and experience requirements described below.
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social).
You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Your resume must clearly describe your relevant experience; if qualifying based on education, your transcripts will be required as part of your application.
Additional information about transcripts is in this document.
Basic Requirements for Social Worker (Clinical):Education: Master's degree (or higher degree) in social work from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
(Note: You must attach a copy of your transcripts with your application package.) In addition to meeting the basic requirement above, to qualify for this position you must also meet the qualification requirements listed below: Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience which includes conducting bio-psychosocial evaluations for behavioral health patients, offering individual or group clinical counseling, and creating behavioral health treatment recommendations or plans.
This definition of specialized experience is typical of work performed at the next lower grade/level position in the federal service (GS-11).
Special Placement Factor: Licensure: A current, active, valid, unrestricted clinical license to practice Social Work independently, offered by a U.S.
State, District of Columbia, commonwealth, territory or jurisdiction.
(Note: You must provide a copy of the license with your application package.) Some federal jobs allow you to substitute your education for the required experience in order to qualify.
For this job, you must meet the qualification requirement using experience alone--no substitution of education for experience is permitted. Major Duties:
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