The Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Senior Social Worker serves as a Co-located Collaborative Care (CCC) behavioral health consultant and provides direct care to the Primary Care to the Veteran population at the El Paso VHA. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker works collaboratively within PACT to promote prevention, early identification, and treatment of most mild to moderate behavioral health and health behavior concerns as part of routine primary care.

Duties

VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The PCMHI Senior Social Worker completes a structured and standardized initial intake (i.e., functional assessment) with Veterans referred to PCMHI. Screening includes identification of primary difficulty, history of primary difficulty, functional assessment of difficulty, identification of lifestyle habits, goal identification, and completion of relevant assessments. In collaboration with Veteran, assessment information is analyzed to determine a subsequent treatment plan. Initial assessments are completed within 25 minutes and identified providers are added to notes as appropriate and necessary. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker supports a behavior change plan or treatment target identified by the Primary Care Provider (PCP) and/or patient, based on earlier consultation; sometimes in tandem with planned PCP visits. Specific interventions, primarily behavioral in nature, are used to achieve identified treatment goals. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker follows clinic procedures for reviewing Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) clinic appointments and contacting Veterans who may be appropriate for PCMHI/MH services. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker uses the Behavioral Health Laboratory (BHL) software program for all direct care services (i.e., initial screenings and consultation visits). The Behavioral Health Consultant uses BHL to log assessment information and track Veteran progress across visits. The Behavioral Health Consultant also uses BHL to determine appropriate levels of care for Veterans, based on assessment data collected and dispositions offered. The Behavioral Health Consultant uses BHL to designate current and subsequent treatment plans, as well as specific treatment outcomes. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker assists Veterans with adhering to interventions initiated by the PCP. Visits focus on education, Evidenced Based Interventions, Motivational Interviewing, addressing negative beliefs, and strategies for coping with side effects. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker works with Veterans to maintain stable functioning for engaged Veterans t ha t have previously responded positively to treatment. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker assists Veterans in managing chronic medical conditions or to tolerate invasive or uncomfortable medical procedure. Focus of visits may be on lifestyle issues or health risk factors among Veterans at risk (e.g., headache management, tobacco cessation, weight loss, tinnitus). Visits may also involve managing issues related to progressive illness. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker facilitates brief group interventions that either replace or supplement individual treatment and are designed to promote education and skill building/effective problem-solving. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker facilitates a visit with the PCP and patient, designed to address an issue of concern for both. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker will collaborate with team members to aid in identifying crisis situations and to aid in accessing care for a Veteran in need of care. This may include facilitating referrals or admission to acute, short term and/or long-term placements. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker has access to multiple resource directories in addition to previously developed resources to meet the demands of a crisis. In the event of a medical or psychiatric emergency, staff will follow the protocol of the Behavioral Health Service. Throughout the course of treatment, the PCMHI Senior Social Worker will collaborate with other service providers in reassessing the Veteran's needs for various services/programs. The PCMHI Senior Social Worker may educate the Veteran and/or caregiver concerning available services and assist them in establishing contact information with appropriate referrals, based on the Veteran's preference or that of his/her surrogate decision-maker. Work Schedule: Monday to Friday 7:30-4:00pm Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Note: This is a Bargaining Unit Position.

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. 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. 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. 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: 1. At least 2 years experience practicing working in Primary Care Mental Health. 2. Experience providing consultative and educational services to non-Behavioral health provides. 3. Experience working in Interdisciplinary Teams; particularly Primary Care . 4. Experience with triage, assisting with walk-ins, and managing large panels. 5. Experience in time limited evidence based therapies. References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Part II Appendix G39 dated September 10, 2019 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds.

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.

The master's degree in social work must be fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Verification of accreditation may be made obtained from: Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) - Accreditation

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

NOTE: If your school was accredited by Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Contacts

• Address El Paso VA Clinic 5001 North Piedras Street El Paso, TX 79930 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]