Senior Social Worker (BHIP) - EDRP, Rec/Relo Incentive may be offered

Veterans Health Administration • Corpus Christi, TX

1d

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker (BHIP) provides specialized treatment to Veterans with complex physical or mental illnesses. The role integrates multiple causes into diagnosis and treatment, including psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. The social worker provides individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced case management for Veterans with conditions such as poly-trauma injuries, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, visual impairment, posttraumatic stress disorder, addictions, and other serious disorders.

The position conducts case management; develops and implements methods to measure the effectiveness of social work practice and services; and uses outcome evaluations to improve treatment. It provides consultation to colleagues and students, teaches and mentors staff and students, and may supervise licensure or specialty certification. The social worker conducts intake or updated health-status assessments, uses clinical reminders to identify care needs, makes appropriate referrals, completes required suicide-risk assessments, evaluates new Veterans assigned to the clinic, and coordinates specialty mental health care such as substance-abuse and posttraumatic-stress-disorder services.

The regular schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Ad-hoc telework is available; this is not a virtual position. A recruitment or relocation incentive may be offered at the hiring manager’s discretion and requires approval and a signed agreement before entry on duty. Permanent change-of-station assistance is not authorized. The position is GS-12 and eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to program requirements and approval.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Social Work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); a doctoral degree cannot substitute for the master’s degree.
• State license or certification to independently practice social work at the master’s level.
• Advanced-practice-level state license or certification that includes an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless covered by the stated grandfathering provisions; must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
• At least two years of experience after advanced-practice clinical licensure in a specialized area of social work practice, including one year equivalent to GS-11.
• Experience must demonstrate advanced-practice skills and judgment, including relevant assessment, documentation, clinical social-work, confidentiality, advocacy, and psychosocial assessment capabilities.
• Skill in specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced psychosocial or case management.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation into differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Knowledge of developing and implementing methods to measure effectiveness of social-work practice and services, use outcome evaluations, improve treatment, and design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students and model effective social-work practice.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge and write policies, procedures, or practice guidelines for the service-delivery area.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Must meet applicable federal employment conditions, including background/security investigation, onboarding, required identification, seasonal influenza vaccination, and a one- or two-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• VA or Department of Defense experience.
• Work experience in community settings.
• Experience incorporating measurement-based care into treatment.
• Experience with evidence-based psychotherapies for individuals, groups, couples, and families.
• Experience in case management in complex settings.
• Experience in outpatient general mental-health clinics.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialized treatment for Veterans with complex physical or mental illnesses, incorporating multiple causes into differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Provide individual, group, and family psychotherapy and advanced case-management interventions for Veterans with serious or complex conditions.
• Conduct case management for Veterans.
• Develop and implement methods to measure the effectiveness of social work practice and services in specialty areas, using outcome evaluations to improve treatment.
• Consult with colleagues and students on psychosocial treatment and model effective social work practice.
• Teach and mentor staff and students in the specialty area and provide supervision for licensure or specialty certification.
• Conduct intake or updated health-status assessments using the social-work process, including psychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.
• Use clinical reminders to evaluate health-care, behavioral-health, and mental-health needs and make appropriate referrals.
• Complete the CPRS Suicide Risk Assessment shared template for patients with suicidal ideation and for patients flagged as high risk for suicide.
• Conduct psychosocial evaluations for new Veterans assigned to the clinic within performance-measure standards.
• Coordinate specialty mental-health care within the clinic, including substance-abuse and posttraumatic-stress-disorder care.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to eligibility and approval, with a possible award of up to $200,000 over one to five years.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on qualifications or VA needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, comprising 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Potential credit toward annual leave accrual based on prior work or military service, subject to approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with birth, adoption, or foster-care placement.
• Potential childcare subsidy after 60 days for eligible full-time employees, subject to income and other eligibility limits.
• Traditional federal pension, with five-year vesting, and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in VA contributions.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term-life, and long-term-care insurance; many programs may be continued into retirement.
• Recruitment or relocation incentive may be offered at the hiring manager’s discretion and is subject to approval and an incentive agreement.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior