Job opening: Senior Social Worker (Substance Treatment and Recovery)
Salary: $97 534 - 126 794 per year
Published at: Sep 25 2023
Employment Type: Full-time
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.
Duties
Duties include, but are not limited to:
Provide a full range of services within the Social Work Scope of Practice based on Veteran needs, acuity level, and preferences for care. Services may include, but are not limited to, the following: case management; individual, family, and group therapy; discharge planning; resource linkage; and care coordination.
Provide consultation and psychoeducation to Veterans and Veteran families on topics including community resources, Advance Directives, VA benefits, budgeting, activities of daily living, and recovery goals.
Act as a consultant to other team/staff members and take a lead clinical role in case consultation.
Fulfill ethical responsibilities to Veterans, colleagues and VA in accordance with NASW Code of Ethics, VHA Code of Ethics, and local ethics policies. This includes but is not limited to: compliance with all laws and regulations related to confidentiality and release of information; protecting Veterans' personal identifying information.
Document all Veteran care in the electronic health record in accordance with facility policy, VHA Directive 1162.05 (and revisions), and program-specific SOPs.
Ensure compliance with standards and expectations of Joint Commission, CARF, and other relevant accrediting bodies. Assist program leadership in accreditation preparation and continuous readiness activities as requested.
Actively participate in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting Veteran care needs and identifying the need for SOP or policy changes.
Provide supervision to students, interns, or unlicensed Social Workers as requested.
Administrative Responsibilities:
Responsible for the administrative oversight and/or coordination for performance metrics at VA Puget Sound, American Lake division and national initiatives.
Design, develop, and implement clinical assessment and/or intervention programs.
Facilitate Admissions screening and coordination in the 24x7 Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program.
Facilitate adherence to operational policies and procedures for the treatment team, established by the affiliated Team Leader, Program Director, and/or Service Line Leader.
Integral to execution of ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality improvement projects to monitor the effectiveness of the clinical program.
Ensure compliance with national and local performance measures and facilitates organizational success on these measures at the team level.
Lead and/or participate in quality improvement projects to facilitate the development of the program.
Ensure compliance with all Facility and Service Line policies and expectations concerning administrative practices.
Clinical Responsibilities:
Provide comprehensive mental health and psychosocial assessment and diagnostic services for Veterans with a broad range of mental health issues receiving care within the MHRRTP, including services for patients with substance use disorders, complex psychopathology, and psychosocial needs.
Demonstrate expertise in using and contemporary interview and psychometric assessment methods for mental disorders and/or behavioral health conditions.
Provide evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions as indicated and appropriate for the specific job setting and duties of the social worker, which may include individual, family, and group psychotherapy and psychoeducation.
Provide consultation to health care providers about assessment findings and treatment plan for patients to ensure that care is coordinated, collaborative, and integrated within the Medical Center.
Develop, implement, and document the mental health treatment plan for an assigned caseload of patients.
Coordinate community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community agencies.
Possess general knowledge of Veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs, service connected compensation, and non-service connected pension. Facilitate referrals based upon Veterans' needs and eligibility.
Independently collaborate in identifying and addressing ethical issues that impact patients and staff, including initiating and participating in ethical consultations. Maintain complete Veteran confidentiality. Analyze ethical/care issues, applying appropriate theoretical principles and ensure application of institutional policy. Provide considerate care, respecting Veteran/family and staff personal values and belief systems.
Work Schedule: Tuesday - Saturday, 11:00am-7:30pm
Telework: Available-Ad-Hoc
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
EDRP Authorized: Contact the VISN 20 EDRP Coordinators @
[email protected] for questions/assistance. Learn more
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement.
BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. (Non-citizens may be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3g this part).
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. (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT WITH CONFERRED DATE REQUIRED)
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. (COPY OF ADVANCE PRACTICE LICENSE REQUIRED FOR GS-12)
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 (KSAs). 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 treatment of substance use disorders, group therapy, and case management.
REFERENCES: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39, September 10, 2019
The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12.
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Light lifting and carrying (under 15 lbs.), hearing (aid may be permitted), working alone, working closely with others, and protracted or irregular hours of work.
Education
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP). If selected for this position, you are encouraged to
apply for EDRP within four (4) months of appointment and must meet specific individual eligibility criteria in accordance with VHA Policy 1021. Final award amount and program start date is determined after review of a complete EDRP application, supporting documentation, and final approval by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services office. Please contact the EDRP Coordinators @
[email protected]
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 VA Puget Sound Health Care System
1660 South Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108
US
- Name: Randi Tran
- Phone: 509-434-7000 X6680
- Email: [email protected]
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