Senior Social Worker - Primary Care Mental Health Integration

Veterans Health Administration • Visalia, CA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker is part of the Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI) Collocated Collaborative Care (CCC) program, an interdisciplinary component of the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT). The position provides brief, evidence-based mental health interventions, education, and consultation to Veterans, primary care providers, and other PACT members at the Visalia Outpatient Clinic in Visalia, California. Services are delivered onsite, in person, and virtually; telework may be available on a limited, ad hoc basis, but this is not a virtual position.

The social worker collaborates with PACT to support prevention, early identification, and treatment of mild to moderate mental health and health behavior concerns as part of routine primary care. Visits are generally 30 minutes or less, limited to 1–6 visits, and structured as a routine primary care service. The role is integrated into a fast-paced primary care clinic and includes team activities such as huddles, case review, consultation, and education. Direct services consist of brief, focused appointments, often through same-day warm handoffs within PACT.

The position is full-time, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The full performance level is GS-12. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to individual eligibility and application review; awards may be up to $200,000 for one to five years. A recruitment or relocation incentive may be offered to a highly qualified applicant, but relocation assistance and permanent change of station are not authorized.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in Social Work from a program fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; a doctoral degree cannot substitute for the master’s degree.
• State license or certification to independently practice social work at the advanced practice level.
• For GS-12, at least two years of experience after advanced practice clinical licensure, including one year equivalent to GS-11, preferably in a specialized area of social work practice.
• For GS-12, advanced practice skills and judgment, including experience assessing and documenting behaviors or symptoms of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or intimate partner violence; maintaining patient privacy and confidentiality; advocating with community providers when appropriate; and independently assessing psychosocial functioning and needs.
• Demonstrated skill in specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including individual, group, 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 social work practice and service effectiveness, using outcome evaluations to 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.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception under VA policy for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation and meet background, onboarding, identification, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• Experience providing mental health services within an integrated primary care or medical care team setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide brief, evidence-based mental health interventions to Veterans in primary care.
• Provide education and consultation to Veterans, primary care providers, and allied PACT members.
• Collaborate with PACT to promote prevention, early identification, and treatment of mild to moderate mental health and health behavior concerns.
• Deliver onsite, in-person, and virtual services at the Visalia Outpatient Clinic.
• Conduct brief, focused appointments, generally 30 minutes or less and limited to 1–6 visits.
• Participate in team-based activities including huddles, case reviews, consultation, and education.
• Provide same-day access through warm handoffs within PACT.
• Assess patients’ psychosocial functioning and needs, identify strengths, weaknesses, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity.
• Use specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including counseling or psychotherapy and advanced psychosocial or case-management services.
• Provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students, and role-model effective social work practice.
• Develop and implement methods to measure the effectiveness of social work practice and use outcome evaluations to improve services and inform system changes.
• Expand clinical knowledge and write policies, procedures, or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to individual eligibility and program approval, with awards up to $200,000 for one to five years.
• 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 placement.
• Child care subsidy may be available after 60 days for eligible full-time employees and families meeting the income and other eligibility criteria.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k), with VA contributions up to 5%.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs may be carried into retirement.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• A recruitment incentive may be offered to a highly qualified applicant.

What This Job Offers

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