Social Worker MH RRTP

US-Department-of-Veterans-Affair; Veterans Administration (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a Social Worker at the GS-11 level to join the Veterans Health Administration in California. The candidate must be licensed or certified to independently practice social work and hold a CSWE-accredited MSW.

Eligibility includes U.S. citizenship, English proficiency, and successful completion of all educational/licensure requirements. EDRP is available, with awards up to $200,000 and multi-year eligibility, subject to program office review.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of community resources, referrals to services, and ability to coordinate care.
• Skill in psychosocial assessments and interventions for diverse patients.
• Knowledge of medical/mental health diagnoses and treatment terminology.
• Ability to implement varied treatment modalities with individuals, families, and groups.
• Provide consultation to new social workers and students on psychosocial needs.

Skills

Psychosocial assessment

Treatment interventions

Care coordination

Communication skills

Education

Master's degree in social work

Job description

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

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

• Citizenship: 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). http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work.
• Licensure: Candidates must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level.

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.

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.

GS-11 Social Worker

Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings, (VA or non-VA experience) and must be licensed or certified in a state at the independent practice level.

OR

a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds.
• Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
• Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, 8 medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
• Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

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).

Preferred Experience:

• Experience providing mental health and SUD services to individuals.
• Experience delivering evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions for PTSD (e.g., Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE)
• Experience facilitating trauma-focused group and individual therapy.
• 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.

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

Full performance level: The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11.

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); emotional stability; ability to effectively communicate orally and in writing.