Senior Social Worker - Substance Use Disorder

Veterans Health Administration; Pueblo (CO); On-site; USD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A government health agency is seeking a Social Worker for its outpatient Substance Use Disorders Clinic in Colorado. The role entails managing individual and group psychotherapy alongside a multidisciplinary team. Candidates must have a master's degree in social work and relevant licensure. Desired skills include specialized intervention techniques and experience with addictive disorders. The position is primarily sedentary but may involve some physical activity. This is a valuable opportunity to impact the lives of patients in need.

Qualifications

• Must be a U.S. Citizen unless impossible to recruit citizens.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English is required.
• Must hold a valid, unrestricted social work license at the master's level.

Responsibilities

• Provide individual and group psychotherapy for patients.
• Collaborate as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team.
• Ensure effectiveness of social work practices and services.

Skills

Specialized interventions

Differential diagnosis

Psychosocial treatment

Consultation

Policy writing

Education

Master's degree in Social Work

Job description

The Social Worker

The Social Worker practices in the VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System (VAECHCS) assigned to the outpatient Substance Use Disorders Clinic under the Mental Health Service. The incumbent participates as part of a multidisciplinary treatment team.

This is a multi-discipline announcement and can be filled by either a Psychologist, Licensed Professional Mental Health Counselor and 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

• U.S. Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• English Language Proficiency. Must be proficient in spoken and written English
• 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 the social worker position GS-0185 series in the 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/ORHM//T38Hybrids.

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. 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 Determination Requirements

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

1. 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.
2. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 providing individual and group psychotherapy to individuals with addictive disorders, including dual diagnosis.

References

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

Physical Requirements

• The position is generally of a sedentary nature and involves activities normally associated with the counseling process and office work, including sitting for long periods of time. No unusual physical demands are placed on the incumbent. The work requires extreme patience and control of emotions in a multi-disciplinary work setting.
• Primarily light and sedentary duties, occasional moderate physical demands
• Able to sit at desk for prolonged periods of time-typing/using mouse & keyboard
• Frequently engages in light to moderate physical activities including sitting, walking, bending and carrying supplies up to 35 pounds
• Must be able to exercise patience and control emotions