Senior Social Worker

Veterans Health Administration • West Haven, CT

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker serves as a senior member of an interdisciplinary team in the PTSD Outpatient Program within the Psychiatry Department’s Mental Hygiene Clinic at the VA Connecticut Health Care Center in West Haven. The program works with Veterans experiencing PTSD and/or anxiety. The role includes providing supervision and consultation, educational opportunities, direct patient care through individual and group services, program development in consultation with the PTSD Firm Director, and administrative duties and reporting as assigned by leadership.

The incumbent provides therapy and counseling to Veterans for PTSD and other complex psychosocial concerns, including individual, couples, family, and group services. The position also provides a full range of social work services, including assessment, treatment and discharge planning, case management, consultation, education, support groups, and coordination of care. Work is typically performed in both clinical and community-based settings. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; however, the incumbent may participate in an on-call rotation, modify the tour of duty to meet patient-care needs on weekends, and work an irregular tour or weekends as needed.

The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to individual eligibility and VHA approval. The program may provide an award of up to $200,000 over one to five years. Former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply for the incentive. Telework is not available, and the position is not virtual.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, except where appointment of a non-citizen is permitted under VA policy when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• A Master of Social Work degree from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; a doctoral degree in social work cannot substitute for the master's degree.
• State licensure or certification to independently practice social work at the advanced practice level, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, subject to the stated grandfathering exceptions; 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 the GS-11 grade level.
• Advanced practice skills and judgment and expertise in a specialized area of social work practice.
• Skill in specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced psychosocial services 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, use 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 in the social work profession and write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.
• Compliance with pre-employment requirements, including background/security investigation, onboarding, acceptable identification, and pre-employment physical evaluation/examination.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for VA Health Care Personnel.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to written certification for continued employment after the period.
• Must be able to drive a government vehicle for community visits.

Nice To Haves

• Experience providing mental health diagnostic assessment, psychotherapy, and clinical case management to clients with mental health diagnoses and substance use disorders, including clients at high risk for suicide.
• Specific experience providing mental health services to clients diagnosed with anxiety disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
• Experience with evidence-based psychotherapies.
• Certification or post-master's training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university in a specialty area, including a defined curriculum or course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Conduct psychosocial assessments to determine the needs of Veterans and family members.
• Participate in treatment planning with other disciplines.
• Participate in discharge planning and ensure discharge plans are carried out in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Provide individual, family, couples, and group counseling or therapy as appropriate.
• Provide consultation and education to Veterans and families on community resources, advance directives, and VA benefits.
• Consult with other team and staff members.
• Provide consultation and education to medical residents on social work practice and VA policies and procedures.
• Act as a liaison between VA and community resources, including marketing and public relations duties as needed.
• Provide case management to Veterans and families throughout the continuum of care as needed.
• Provide social work services including casework, counseling, discharge planning, case management, and other appropriate services.
• Address advance directives and organ donation in accordance with work-area standards.
• Provide wellness and prevention education and facilitate patient and family support groups as appropriate.
• Supervise social work students or less experienced social workers as appropriate.
• Coordinate treatment and communicate with care lines to facilitate continuity of care for Veterans.
• Participate in committee assignments as deemed necessary by the service manager.
• Maintain data and statistical compilations to comply with JCAHO, VA, and medical center policies and procedures.
• Assist patients and significant others with coping with loss and grief related to disability, terminal illness, and death.
• Document social work interventions and activities in the patient's clinical record using CPRS and ensure appropriate handoffs when transferring patient care.
• Participate in an on-call social worker rotation, including modifying the tour of duty to accommodate patient-care needs on weekends.
• Provide supervision and consultation to an interdisciplinary team of professionals and trainees.
• Participate in program development in consultation with the PTSD Firm Director and perform administrative duties and reporting as assigned by leadership.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), with a potential award of up to $200,000 over one to five years, subject to eligibility and program approval.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA needs.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year, consisting of 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 experience, 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 with total family income below $144,000, up to 25% of eligible childcare costs and a monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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