Senior Social Worker MH RRTP

The Senior Social Worker (GS-0185-12) provides advanced, independently licensed clinical services to Veterans in the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Program (MHRRTP) including assessments, evidence-based individual and group therapy, case management, discharge planning, care coordination, resource development, consultation, program development, and quality improvement. The role serves Veterans with complex mental health, substance use, medical, and psychosocial needs.

Major duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: Provide advanced, evidence-based clinical social work services to Veterans in the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation and Treatment Program (MHRRTP). Conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments and identify Veterans' mental health, substance use, medical, and social needs. Develop and implement individualized psychosocial treatment plans in collaboration with Veterans and the interdisciplinary treatment team. Provide individual, group, and family counseling and therapy, as clinically appropriate. Facilitate therapeutic and educational groups addressing recovery, mental health, substance use, housing, and community reintegration. Provide advanced case management and coordinate services for Veterans with complex clinical and psychosocial needs. Develop comprehensive discharge plans, including referrals, follow-up care, housing, benefits, and community resources. Coordinate care with VA medical, mental health, substance use, specialty care, and community providers. Provide consultation to staff regarding psychosocial concerns, treatment adherence, homelessness, and barriers to care. Provide information, education, and referrals related to VA benefits, specialized programs, and community resources. Participate in program development, outreach, evaluation, peer review, case conferences, and continuous quality-improvement activities. Maintain timely and accurate clinical documentation, complete required clinical reminders and consults, and comply with applicable VA, ethical, privacy, and regulatory requirements. Mentor and educate staff and students, assist with orientation and training, and provide supervision or field instruction when authorized. Serve as a team lead or support other program tracks as assigned; participate in committees, work groups, meetings, and task forces. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Authorized

Qualifications

Basic Requirements: Citizenship: Must be a citizen of the United States English Language Proficiency. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. Education: Must 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. Note: 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: Must be licensed by a state to independently practice social work 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. Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements stated above, the following qualification criteria must be met for each grade. The candidate's qualifications must clearly demonstrate the level of competence required for the grade. Experience: 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 and 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. 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 and Certifications Experience providing mental health and SUD services to individuals, including facilitating individual therapy. Experience independently developing, coordinating, and facilitating psychotherapy, psychoeducational, and skills-building groups for individuals with SMI, SUD, or both. Ability to work effectively with a multidisciplinary treatment team. Ability to work with individuals who present with complex psychosocial needs. Experience with crisis management, care coordination, and discharge planning for individuals with complex behavioral health needs. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Light lifting (under 15 pounds); light carrying (under 15 pounds); reaching above shoulder; use of fingers; both hands required; walking; standing; hearing (aid permitted). Performance Level: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical evaluation Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.