This Social Worker position is in the Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service Line at the VA Providence Healthcare Systems. This position is a full-time, temporary at 40 hours per week.

Duties

The Psychosocial Rehabilitation Recovery Center (PRRC) at the Providence VAMC is an outpatient service within the Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service Line that provides state-of-the-art mental health programming and services for Veterans based on the psychiatric rehabilitation recovery model. These services include: 1) a wide range of rehabilitation and recovery services for Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI), 2) collaboration and advocacy for Veterans with SMI and their family members, and 3) education and training of staff, in conjunction with other VA professionals, to promote the transition from maintenance models of treatment to the contemporary recovery rehabilitation model. Duties Include but are not limited to: Provide wellness/prevention education and facilitate Veteran/family support groups as appropriate. Run psycho-educational and skills-building therapy groups for Veterans with SMI including DBT Skills Groups. Meet with Veterans individually for assessments, recovery plan meetings, individual therapy, and recovery plan updates as well as when needed or requested by Veteran. Provide consultation/education to Veterans and families on community resources. Act as liaison between VA and community resources. Act as a consultant to other team/staff members in the PRRC and MHBSS on psychosocial rehabilitation. If appropriate, supervise the practice of social work students, or a less experienced social worker. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: Assist the Chief of Recovery Services in developing therapy groups and services for the PRRC, as needed consistent with: 1) standards, scope and ethics of the practice of social work, 2) policies and procedures within the VA system, Providence VA Medical Center and the MHBSS, 3) evidenced-based best practices in psychiatric recovery and rehabilitation. Submits timely, accurate documentation (Assessment, Recovery Plan, progress notes, re-evaluation, and discharge summaries) on those consumers receiving treatment within the PRRC. Helps to collect PRRC outcome data and maintain program data to comply with CARF, JCAHO, VA and medical center policy and procedures. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Ad-Hoc (Very limited basis) Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: F03268 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact Karen Chapman, [email protected] the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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. Notifications: This position is in the Excepted Service. Due to a critical staffing shortage, 38 U.S.C. § 7412 waives the requirement to apply Veterans' preference for this job announcement. This position is eligible for coverage by a Bargaining Unit, but is not currently represented. This position is covered by locality-based comparability pay.

Requirements

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. 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/. 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 3f. Grandfathering Provision: 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). The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. 1. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. 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-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. OR 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: (a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (b) 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. (c) 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. (d) 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. (e) 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 to include Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) experience and Serious Mental Illness (SMI) experience. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 PART II APPENDIX G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

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 VA Providence Healthcare System 830 Chalkstone Avenue Providence, RI 02908 US
• Name: Jennie McGaffigan
• Phone: 781-824-0877
• Email: [email protected]