Career Center

Summary

The Mental Health Clinic is looking for a Senior Social Worker to be part of the Mental Health Service at the Dayton Medical Center and will play a non-supervisory lead role in the context of the Mental Health Clinic's (MHC) Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Team in the provision of specialty outpatient care to Veterans.

Qualifications

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
• 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
• English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j - this part
• 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: Senior Social Worker - 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
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a) 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
• (b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice
• (c) 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
• (d) 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
• (e) 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 handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39
• Physical Requirements: Work is mostly sedentary and primarily performed in an office setting
• Typical office work involves active listening - reading - observing - and evaluating verbal and nonverbal behavior - writing reports and clinical notes
• The position requires the use of office equipment such as computers - keyboards - telephones - fax machines - and photocopy machines
• Visual acuity - keen hearing - clear distinctive speech - and manual dexterity are required.

Duties

• 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 Duties: The incumbent must use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complicated psychosocial problems of veterans with a wide range of mental health diagnoses and conditions
• Incumbent must possess the knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities - provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals - families and groups
• Participates in scheduling - triaging - and monitoring the flow of patients in the MHC and assisting with admissions of MHC patients to inpatient psychiatry unit when indicated
• Recognizes emergency situations - summons appropriate help and responds appropriately including provision of case management services - liaison to family members and crisis intervention services
• Incumbent is able to independently work with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric - medical and social problems utilizing individual - group and family counseling and therapy skills
• Contributes to interdisciplinary care planning conferences - BHIP huddles and Team Meetings
• Provides concrete social work services such as resource allocation - referrals for food - housing - and /or transportation - and may assist Veteran clients with local - State and Federal benefits applications
• Incumbent is able to demonstrate the ability to design changes based on empirical findings
• Conducts BHIP team huddles/meetings
• Functions as a case manager for Veterans in the BHIP team with multiple missed opportunities - including \"no-shows\" - to determine the best method to manage the patients' patterns of repetitive cancellations and no-shows
• Assumes responsibility and accountability as delegated in the BHIP Team and the MHC - under the direct or indirect supervision of the Clinic Coordinator
• Other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00 am-4:30 pm 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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• 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
• 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) Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: 930250