Social Worker - Substance Use Disorders

Veterans Health Administration; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

The Behavioral Health Care Line at NMVA Health Care System seeks a Social Worker with a Master’s in Social Work and state licensure to serve Veterans and their families. You will conduct psychosocial assessments, develop treatment plans, and provide counseling across individuals, families, and groups.

Applicants must meet CSWE accreditation standards, be proficient in English, and be capable of working in a VA setting with diverse populations. Travel within the facility may be required.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in social work from CSWE-accredited program.
• Must be licensed/certified to independently practice MSW.
• Proficient in spoken and written English as required.

Responsibilities

• Counsel Veterans and families from diverse backgrounds using counseling skills.
• Assess psychosocial functioning and formulate treatment plans.
• Apply treatment modalities with individuals, families, and groups.
• Establish and maintain relationships with clients and community agencies.
• Understand medical/mental health terminology and related care.

Skills

Counseling skills

Psychosocial assessment

Treatment planning

Crisis intervention

Communication

Education

Master's degree in Social Work

CSWE-accredited program

MSW licensure/certification

Job description

The Behavioral Health Care Line (BHCL) at New Mexico VA Health Care System (NMVAHCS) is one of the largest clinical care lines within the Southwest Region Veterans Integrated Service Network. The BHCL provides medical and mental health services to Veterans state-wide and the VA catchment area of SW Colorado. The facility is located on a beautiful and well maintained campus in Albuquerque in view of the Sandia Mountains and the nearby Sandia National Laboratories. 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.
• 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 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/. VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified, pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level.
• English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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:

Social Worker, GS-9

• Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.
• Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • Ability to work with Veterans and family members from various socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, educational, and other diversified backgrounds utilizing counseling skills.
  • Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members, and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the Veterans problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and assistance needed.
  • Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families, and groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving, or crisis intervention techniques.
  • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies.
  • Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.

Social Worker, GS-11

• Experience and Licensure. 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 licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level.
• Education. In addition to meeting basic requirements, 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. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
  • 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, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified 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, 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.

Preferred Experience:

Experience in treatment of substance use disorders/addiction is preferred.

Reference:

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

Physical Requirements:

Traveling throughout the medical center and the community is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, and standing, bending and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities, it may be necessary to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the Veterans, their families, representative of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies. Must possess current driver's license and drive a government vehicle in carrying out professional duties when deemed necessary.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-9 to GS-11.