The Senior Social Worker, SDAC/PDE within the Mental Health Service functions as part of an interdisciplinary team. This person is primarily responsible for case management for the Veterans who have recently been 1) discharged from inpatient psychiatric treatment, 2) been discharged from medical inpatient treatment with a primary psychiatric diagnosis, and 3) discharged from a psychiatric residential rehabilitation program.

Duties

If you are not a current, permanent VA employee or Federal employee from another agency, you should apply under: CBST-12094844-23-AB The duties of the Senior Social Worker - Same Day Access Clinic/Post Discharge Engagement (SDAC/PDE) include, but are not limited to: Provides case management for 30 days post discharge and monitors a dashboard daily to ensure that all Veterans who have been discharged receive this follow-up case management. Completes a thorough psychosocial assessment of the Veteran and/or their family members/significant others to establish facts about the patient's situation, presenting problems and their causes, as well as the impact of such problems on the patient's functioning and mental health. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs related to assistance with identified problems. Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment identifying needs and strengths. Utilizes advanced clinical training and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options, summarizing findings in a manner that provides insights about the patient's clinical presentation essential to effective treatment planning and subsequent intervention. Works with patients who often have frequent and severe crises, lack family or an adequate community support network, may be poor at self-monitoring, frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, or have significant deficits in coping skills and require continued professional psychosocial support. Assesses for problems or concerns unique to patient population status as military veterans while independently, or in collaboration with others where appropriate, evaluating the patient's circumstances and clinical presentation, including patient current reaction and resources, and contributes to assessing and addressing patient problems and needs. Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan for addressing them that involves identification of patient and staff responsibilities. Completes assessments of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness, acute psychological reactions to stressors including catastrophic medical conditions, dementia, and other high-risk diagnoses. Provides treatment options to assist veterans and/or significant others with decisions for actions to address the identified problems and initiate intervention. Works with the patient, and family/significant others where indicated, to develop psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including identification of goals for treatment interventions. Participates in screening of patients for specific mental health services and provides continuing treatment in accordance with VA guidelines. Serves as interim Mental Health Treatment Coordinator/Clinical Case Manager for Veterans who are identified as being at moderate to high risk of suicide during veteran inpatient hospitalizations as part of the Post-Discharge Engagement Process. Coordinates implementation of effective therapeutic interventions to diminish risk of suicide within the patient population identified through the dashboard. Communicates confidence in the patient's ability and worth, maintains a recovery-oriented approach to care, and helps patients address problems utilizing available support systems as appropriate. Participates in the assignment or referral of patients to continuing care mental health treatment options or programs outside the inpatient unit and consults with other product line providers in planning treatment for patients with comorbidities. Provides clinical services to patients and family members/significant others in support of the patient's treatment, with emphasis on the use of OMHQ recognized evidence based or otherwise identified "best" practice methods. Develops-working relationships and agreements with other organizations and community groups having similar service relationships with the same population as the patient. Receives and responds to requests from other providers for mental health social work services such as completion of advance directives or procurement of durable medical equipment for Outpatient Mental Health Clinic (MHC) enrolled veterans as ordered by other providers or, where appropriate, as requested by veteran. Completes a discharge plan when patients have reached their identified goals, integrating internal and external support resources for the veteran upon discharge as applicable. Serves as mentor to other Social Workers, particularly those at the entry level, and students. Provides patient and family/significant other educational services. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 561-00786-F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

Qualifications

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. 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. 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. 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. Examples of creditable experience include but not limited to independently assess psychosocial functioning, facilitate treatment plan with interdisciplinary team, provide case management and care coordination, links patient with services, resources, and opportunities, conducts assessment of at-risk patient to identify immediate needs, provides interventions independently for patient and families/care giver, provide range of interventions and treatment modalities, and provide consultation to staff about psychosocial needs of patients. 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. Preferred Experience: Experience in providing Mental Health Care; Participation as a member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team providing a full range of Mental Health services; Skilled at multi-tasking, and working under the pressure of multiple responsibilities with deadlines; Excellent customer service skills (internal and external customers). References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The position is above full performance level, GS-12. Physical Requirements: Light lifting and carrying (under 15 pounds), use of fingers, both hands required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, hearing (aid permitted), mental and emotional stability, and able to hear whisper. Environmental factors include outside and inside. (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services). (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services).

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Fayetteville AR VA Medical Center 1100 North College Avenue Fayetteville, AR 72703 US
• Name: April Bookout
• Phone: 315-800-7297
• Email: [email protected]