Senior Social Worker

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Shawnee (OK); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in Shawnee, OK is seeking a Senior Social Worker (GS-12) to provide advanced clinical social work in specialized treatment programs within VHA.

The role demands a CSWE-accredited MSW and current state licensure with substantial post-licensure experience. The position supports individual, group, and family counseling, psychosocial assessments, and case management, along with supervision/mentorship for licensure and the creation of policies and guidelines.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work from CSWE-accredited program.
• Must be licensed/certified to independently practice social work.
• Two years of post-advanced practice experience; one year at GS-11 level; senior-level expertise expected.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced social work services including individual, group, and family counseling.
• Perform psychosocial assessments and care planning with complex cases.
• Provide supervision or guidance for licensure and professional development.
• Develop and implement policies, procedures, or practice guidelines for service delivery.

Skills

Advanced practice skills

Individual counseling

Group counseling

Family counseling

Case management

Consultation

Education

Master's in Social Work (CSWE-accredited)

Job description

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Basic Requirements

• English Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Citizenship. Must be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with 38 U.S.C. § 7407(a).

Education

• 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.

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 SW Licensure Summary by State https://www.aswb.org/licenses/how-to-get-a-license/licensing-requirements-by-state-or-province/.

Loss of Licensure or Certification

Once licensed or certified, social workers must maintain a full, valid, and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment. Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment.

Senior Social Worker, GS-12 (Above the Full Performance Level)

GS 12 Education and Experience

• 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.

GS 12 Licensure

• 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.

GS 12 Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• 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.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

This vacancy is a GS-12 position, which is above the Full Performance Level.

Physical Requirements

The work of the position is primarily sedentary. It may require some lifting (10-20 lbs) occasionally. Reaching above shoulder; Frequent keyboarding (4-7 hours per day); Sitting (4-7 hours per day); Walking (up to 6 hours per day); Standing (up to 8 hours per day); Infrequent climbing/descending of stairs; Some bending; Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Correctable near sighted and far-sighted vision; Hearing (Aid permitted). Ability to complete a Basic Life Support (BLS) course is a position requirement.