Career Center

Summary

The Senior Social Worker practices in the Veterans Mental Evaluation Team (VMET) Program and serves a patient population with highly complex health and mental health problems. The incumbent serves as an outreach specialist and case manager for the VMET program.

Qualifications

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
• English Language Proficiency Requirement: Per VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - Chapter 3 - Section A - Paragraph 3j: No person will be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. - chapter 73 or 74 - to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written and spoken English
• Education Requirement: You 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
• A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work
• Licensure: Individuals 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
• 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: 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 Preferred Experience: 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
• Must have knowledge in DSM-V diagnosis and symptom assessment
• Knowledge of case management principles - practices - methods and techniques
• thorough understanding of the multi-causal nature of human behavior
• and knowledge of relevant assessment and intervention strategies
• Must have a sound understanding of the theories of psychotherapy - of normal developmental theory - and of socio-cultural-environmental impact on a person's situation including awareness of the presence of ethnic and cultural differences and how they may influence the helping process
• 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: The work requires some time at varying locations - office and desk - wards - conference rooms - homes - auto and public conveyance - agency headquarters - community - and others
• Staff will be required to have skills to protect themselves and prevent verbal or physical abuse
• The incumbent works in a CBOC as well as sees clients in a variety of treatment settings such as group therapy rooms - patient wards - community residences - and other community facilities.

Duties

• Duties: The Senior Social Worker practices in the Veterans Mental Evaluation Team (VMET) Program and serves a patient population with highly complex health and mental health problems
• The VMET program is based at the Medical Center in VA Police Department and all services are delivered by the police/social worker dyad
• Veterans are provided VMET services both within and without the hospital setting - but VMET social workers - accompanied by their police partner/s - primarily provides services to clients in the community
• The incumbent serves as an outreach specialist and case manager for the VMET program
• The primary responsibilities of this position include outreach to homeless Veterans - triage - crisis intervention and assessment - linkage to resources and coordination of care - case management - community networking and advocacy
• Building community relationships and identification of resources is an integral part of this position
• Demonstrates an ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession - provide consultation and guidance to colleagues - role model effective social work practice skills - teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers - develop innovations in practice interventions - and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification
• Possess the clinical skills for addictions and mental health disorders
• He/she must have knowledge in DSM-V diagnosis and symptom assessment
• knowledge of case management principles - practices - methods and techniques
• thorough understanding of the multi-causal nature of human behavior
• and knowledge of relevant assessment and intervention strategies
• Must have a sound understanding of the theories of psychotherapy - of normal developmental theory - and of socio-cultural-environmental impact on a person's situation including awareness of the presence of ethnic and cultural differences and how they may influence the helping process
• He/she must have knowledge of pathological behavior in order to assess the nature and severity of a patient's problems
• Must have knowledge of VA benefits and other government entitlement programs for treatment and rehabilitation and services
• This involves a comprehensive knowledge of administrative laws - policies - regulations - and resources applicable to the disabled including community resources and services - and local peer counseling programs or groups
• Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday 8:00am to 4:30 pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 90122O Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized