The incumbent is a senior social worker serving in a full-time capacity within the Mental Health Service (MHS) at the Montana VA Healthcare System at one of its affiliated community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs). The social worker works as a member of a BHIP (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program) CBOC team. This is an open continuous announcement. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until 9/29/23, candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. 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. Citizenship: Be a citizen of the United States. 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. 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: 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. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The work is primarily sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospital, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. The incumbent must possess a current Driver's License and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary. ["Provides clinical services including direct care to Veterans enrolled in BHIP. They review all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment, identifying needs and strengths. Performs specialized treatment of complex mental illness incorporating complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veterans including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges Provides evidence-based psychotherapy and evidence informed interventions utilizing VA practice based guidelines and guidance (examples of expected EBPs include but are not limited to CBT-I, CBT-CP, ACT-D, STAIR, DBT, IPT-D, etc.) Provides a full range of therapeutic interventions for patients, including individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy Provides a full range of biopsychosocial diagnostic services including intake assessments, psychological testing, and neuropsychological screening as allowed by law Provides clinical care coordination and case management interventions, at an advanced level, used in the treatment of veterans with mood, anxiety, psychotic, trauma, substance, and other mental health, emotional and behavioral disorders Provides crisis intervention services, seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint, coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members, as needed Independently identifies high-risk patients and connects with needed resources and services, as needed Assesses the need for referral for more intensive and/or specialty mental health services Liaisons/advocates on behalf of the BHIP and/or Veteran/caregiver between settings of care, both internal and external to the VA Provides patient, family, and caregiver education, both in individual and group formats Consults, collaborates, and coordinates with other staff who provide care to Veteran Completes comprehensive Veteran-centered, recovery-focused treatment plans and updates as appropriate/required Responsible for timely completion of all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center, including entering data into the EBP database May provide clinical supervision for unlicensed providers within one's own discipline. Other duties as assigned by management. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Telework: AD-HOC Virtual: This is not a virtual position .Functional Statement #:436-55498-O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized PCS Appraised Value Offer (AVO): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration is America’s largest integrated health care system, providing care at 1,298 health care facilities, including 171 medical centers and 1,113 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics), serving 9 million enrolled Veterans each year.