Senior Social Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Houston, TX

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker serves as the SDTP Sober Living and Residential Treatment Contract Liaison, managing residential treatment and short-term sober living contracts for patients in the Substance Dependence Treatment Program (SDTP). The position facilitates referrals, admissions, and discharges; monitors quality and safety standards, contract compliance, and patient outcomes; contributes to service design; and helps ensure timely access to care. The liaison supports Veterans’ off-site residential treatment and sober living through interviewing, transportation arrangements, referral development, and addressing barriers to care. The role is accountable for program effectiveness and modifying service patterns to improve access to appropriate, effective, timely, high-quality services.

The social worker independently identifies and screens patients for psychosocial needs, conducts psychosocial and emotional-behavioral assessments, and develops treatment plans with Veterans, families, and the interdisciplinary treatment team. The position provides counseling and psychotherapy to individuals, families, and groups; psychosocial interventions; case management; crisis intervention; and coordination of community-based services and referrals. The incumbent establishes therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families, coordinates family conferences, and serves as a family liaison. The role requires knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, treatment procedures, illnesses and injuries, medications and their effects, and medical terminology, as well as knowledge of Veterans’ benefits and services.

The position is scheduled Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., subject to change based on facility needs. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual. The work is performed in an office or clinic setting and may involve stressful situations and managing several tasks at once. The position may require a pre-employment physical, the ability to independently operate a government vehicle, and a clean driving record. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to individual eligibility and program approval; approved awards may be up to $200,000 for one to five years.

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 degree level, subject to applicable grandfathering provisions.
• At least two years of experience after advanced practice clinical licensure; one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level, in a specialized area of social work practice.
• Advanced-practice-level state licensure or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless covered by applicable grandfathering provisions; must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
• Skill in specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced psychosocial and/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 the effectiveness of social work practice and services, using outcome evaluations to improve treatment and design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on psychosocial treatment and model effective social work practice.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge and write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Ability to independently operate a government vehicle and provide a clean driving record report from the DMV during pre-employment.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical examination and meet applicable background, security, onboarding, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, during which continued employment is subject to written certification that it advances the public interest.
• Physical demands may include standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, pulling, and pushing; may require personal protective equipment and annual TB screening or testing.
• Must complete all application requirements detailed in the announcement’s Required Documents section.

Nice To Haves

• One year of experience coordinating care with community partners.
• One year of experience coordinating care through established and changing contracts in government or community programs.
• At least three years of experience working with substance use disorder.
• Certification or post-master’s training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university, including a defined curriculum or course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty.

Responsibilities

• Manage residential treatment and short-term sober living contracts for SDTP patients with substance use disorders.
• Facilitate referral, admission, and discharge processes.
• Monitor quality and safety standards, contract adherence, and patient care outcomes.
• Provide input on service design and help assure timely access to services.
• Support Veterans’ off-site residential treatment and sober living through interviews, transportation arrangements, referral development, and removal or accommodation of barriers to care.
• Assess program effectiveness and modify service patterns to improve access to appropriate, effective, timely, and high-quality care.
• Independently conduct case finding and outreach, identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs.
• Independently provide counseling and psychotherapy to individuals, families, and groups using appropriate treatment modalities.
• Conduct psychosocial and emotional-behavioral assessments and develop treatment plans collaboratively with Veterans, families, and the interdisciplinary treatment team.
• Provide psychosocial interventions and measure intervention outcomes.
• Coordinate community-based services and referrals to VA programs, government programs, and community agencies.
• Facilitate referrals based on Veterans’ needs and eligibility, including knowledge of Veterans’ benefits and services.
• Identify high-risk patients and provide case management services.
• Provide crisis intervention, address underlying causes as well as presenting concerns, coordinate family conferences, and serve as a liaison to family members.
• Establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families.
• Work independently with patients and families experiencing psychiatric, medical, and social problems using individual, group, and family counseling and therapy skills.
• Independently operate a government vehicle as required.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA special needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, including 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Possible 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 the birth, adoption, or foster-care placement of a child.
• Potential childcare subsidy after 60 days for eligible full-time employees, subject to income and other conditions.
• 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 federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Eligibility to apply for the Education Debt Reduction Program, with approved awards up to $200,000 for one to five years, subject to eligibility and program approval.

What This Job Offers

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