Senior Social Worker

Veterans Health Administration • El Dorado, AR

2d • Onsite

About The Position

This position serves as a Senior Social Worker within the catchment area of the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in El Dorado, Arkansas. The role provides specialized social work services to Veterans and their families, including psychosocial assessment, evidence-based psychotherapy, counseling, case management, crisis intervention, and care coordination. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to program eligibility and approval; approved reimbursement may be up to $200,000 over an eligibility period of one to five years. Applications must be submitted within four months of appointment, and former EDRP participants are ineligible. The position is a permanent, GS-12 federal appointment. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and may change according to service needs. Telework may be available at the supervisor’s discretion; this is not a virtual position. The work is performed in an office clinic setting and may involve handling multiple tasks and stressful situations.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in social work from a school fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education; a doctoral degree cannot substitute for the master’s degree.
• State licensure or certification to independently practice social work at the master’s degree level.
• Advanced-practice-level state licensure or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless covered by the stated grandfathering provisions.
• Ability 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.
• Demonstrated skill in specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including individual, group, or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced psychosocial or case-management practice.
• Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation into differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Knowledge of methods for measuring 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 and to model effective social work practice.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge and write policies, procedures, or practice guidelines for the service-delivery area.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception under VA policy for non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical evaluation and comply with the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must complete a background/security investigation and required onboarding and application documentation.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period.
• Must be able to handle multiple tasks and sometimes stressful situations.
• May be required to stand, lift, carry, sit, stoop, bend, pull, and push; may be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing.

Nice To Haves

• Previous mental health experience.
• Experience with evidence-based therapy.

Responsibilities

• Independently implement treatment modalities and provide counseling or psychotherapy to individuals, families, and groups.
• Identify and screen patients for psychosocial needs, and develop, monitor, and modify treatment plans based on identified needs, measurement-based care data, and clinical expertise.
• Perform psychosocial assessments using differential diagnostic techniques and considering multiple causes and age-related factors.
• Provide psychotherapy using measurement-based care strategies to track progress, adjust interventions based on outcomes, and maintain fidelity to evidence-based therapy models.
• Coordinate community-based services and provide information and referrals to VA programs, government programs, and community agencies as appropriate.
• Identify high-risk patients and provide psychotherapy and case management using suicide-risk assessment and mitigation strategies, differential diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment approaches.
• Provide crisis intervention, address underlying causes as well as presenting concerns, coordinate family conferences, and serve as a liaison to family members.
• Develop and review Veteran treatment plans that integrate Veterans’ strengths, include measurement-based care data, and use goals expressed in the Veteran’s own words.
• Coordinate timely access to care, referrals, and comprehensive service delivery, including links to VA medical centers, VA regional offices, and community agencies when warranted.
• Provide Veterans and families with information and education about advance directives, including Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care, Living Will, Health Care Directive, and treatment-preference documents.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program reimbursement, subject to eligibility and approval, 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, including 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 request and approval.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment.
• Potential childcare subsidy for eligible full-time employees after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other eligibility criteria.
• 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 can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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