The Senior Social Worker Substance Use Disorder (SUD) works in the Gainesville VAMC, SUD section. The position provides outreach, coordination and treatment services to Veterans with highly complex substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health problems. To provide this care, the Senior SUD Social Worker demonstrates specialized knowledge of Medication Assisted Treatment, PTSD, homelessness, and undertreated medical conditions that impact Veterans with substance use disorders. Applicants must meet the requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 11/18/2024 Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Must be US Citizen. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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/. 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: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-12 Senior Social Worker candidates must have the following: Experience/Education: Must have at least two (2) years of experience POST advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one (1) 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. AND 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. Advanced License must be submitted with application. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. If selected, you may be required to submit narrative responses then. These are the KSA's for this subject position and grade level: 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. References: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, Senior Social Worker Qualification Standard, dated 9/10/19. For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: Able to meet the physical demands of the position, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. They must have good manual dexterity. Must be able to express or exchange ideas by means of spoken and written word. Must be able to view and read information on computer screens. This position involves sitting a majority of the workday, with some standing, bending, and walking. ["Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf The Senior Social Worker conducts psychosocial assessments, makes diagnoses and provides individual and group therapies using both face-to-face and telehealth encounters. They report to the Supervisory Coordinator of the Substance Abuse Treatment Team (SATT) and provides administrative support to the SUD Clinical Program via outreach coordination responsibilities to ensure the broadest possible population coverage. As Senior Social Worker, they have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and training in provision of substance use disorder evaluation and treatment and evidence-based psychotherapies. To provide this care, the Senior Social Worker, will be licensed at the advanced practice level and demonstrate specialized knowledge of Medication Assisted Treatment, PTSD, homelessness, and undertreated medical conditions that impact Veterans with substance use disorders. Additional duties include but not limited to: Works closely with the SATT Supervisor on programming issues and coordinates assessments, treatment, and referral services provided to Veterans Gainesville catchment area. Assists with the clinical supervision of unlicensed and multi-disciplinary staff, which may include Addiction Therapists, Peer Specialists, RN's and other program and support staff. Perform outreach, identifying and assessing Veterans' needs related to substance abuse, mental health, and medical issues. Specific tasks may include: screening of consults, biopsychosocial assessments, treatment planning/goal setting, referral(s) to service providers and other specialty treatment clinics, resource utilization and development, advocacy, crisis intervention, education and prevention, case management and care coordination, psychotherapy and supportive counseling, and administrative responsibilities to the assigned duty areas. Provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced level case management interventions used in the treatment of Veterans with substance use disorders; provides services on an outpatient basis but may interact and coordinate with inpatient treatment team members across a continuum of care. Develops and implements methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the SATP, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services; and demonstrates the ability to design changes based on empirical findings. Offers consultation to colleagues and students of all disciplines and of various clinics on the psychosocial treatment of Veterans with substance use disorders, rendering professional opinions based on experience and expertise and role modeling effective social work practice skills. Demonstrates the ability to teach and mentor staff and students in the special area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications. Willingly accepts additional and special assignments that are necessary to meet program goals or customer needs. Preferred Experience: Substance abuse counseling/case management Certifications in substance abuse disorders Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Telework: Ad hoc only (not reoccurring or regular) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: Senior Social Worker (SUD) / FS#50765F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not required. Additional Benefits Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66. Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child."]

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