Senior Social Worker

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: Be a citizen of the United States. 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/. 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 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: (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. Preferred Experience: Experience with the CRH Suicide Prevention Telehealth Program (SP 2.0) 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. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU This position is located within the VISN 19 Clinical Resource Hub (CRH), hosted at the VA Salt Lake City. The VISN 19 CRH provides comprehensive outpatient mental health and primary care services to Veterans throughout VISN 19 including eight medical center catchment areas and over 70 Community Clinics. Services are targeted to catchment areas and clinics that are experiencing access challenges or gaps in clinical services. Services are conducted via telehealth. The VISN 19 CRH Suicide Prevention Senor Social Worker (SPSSW) practices at an advance level and has specialized knowledge related to psychosocial and mental health diagnoses, evidence-based suicide prevention psychotherapy services (such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention, Problem-Solving Therapy for Suicide Prevention, Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and provide other services that align with suicide preventions needs (i.e., training, consultation, etc.) and current/future Clinical Practice Guidelines. The incumbent acts as an advocate with appropriate VA and community service providers and agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran. As a licensed advance practice social worker, the incumbent assesses the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and family members, identifying the Veteran's strengths, challenges, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity. Collaboratively with the Veteran and the interdisciplinary care team, the incumbent facilitates the delivery of health care services, understanding that the social worker is often working with Veterans who are in crisis or under stress. The SPSSW collaborates with other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The incumbent may serve on committees, work groups, and task forces for VISN 19, national level, and/or in the community, as approved by their supervisor. The incumbent may provide subject matter expert consultation to colleagues and students within VISN 19 Telemental Health (TMH) Hub on the care of Veterans offering professional opinions based on experience, expertise, and role modeling effective social work practice skills. The incumbent establishes and maintains ongoing education programs for Veterans, community agencies, students, and staff, to facilitate understanding of social work interventions specific to CRH TMH services. Work in collaboration with other members of the multidisciplinary team providing care to Veterans with little or direct oversight. Independently work with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems specific to Veteran's who are at high risk for suicide. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing with people from diverse backgrounds. Serve as a liaison between Veterans and/or their families and VA and community resources to ensure thorough delivery of services. Work independently and collaboratively with other treatment team members, professionals, nonprofessionals, and others at associated medical centers in the CRH and community agencies to assist Veterans in managing their mental health problems, psychosocial needs, barriers to treatment and mitigating risk factors related to suicide. Engage in suicide prevention related tasks and needs, such as training, consulting, and future suicide prevention initiatives. Incumbent works closely with the Substance Abuse Treatment Program, Suicide Prevention facility-based teams, and other Behavioral Health services to ensure a seamless transition to appropriate services for Veterans. Assess and treat complicated psychosocial problems, including psychosocial and environmental needs which might contribute to the risk of suicide and other adverse outcomes. Use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complex factors of suicidality. Work Schedule: Mon - Fri 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Telework: Available Virtual: This is a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 495-60944-0 EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact Michael.Campbell6@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized