Senior Social Worker-Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI)

Veterans Health Administration • White City, OR

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker provides primary care mental health integration services, including diagnostic and evaluation services, psychological interventions, treatment planning, patient and family education, and consultation to primary care providers. The role emphasizes brief, evidence-based interventions and supports patients in receiving the full range of clinically appropriate care from their Primary Care Provider.

The position includes supervision of trainees and, as requested, students, interns, or unlicensed social workers. It also supports the PCMHI Coordinator with clinical program development, evaluation, and data-driven quality improvement; coordinates services with other health care programs; and completes administrative, documentation, performance-measure, and meeting responsibilities. The role may require providing full-time service at a community-based outpatient clinic in Grants Pass or Klamath Falls.

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to individual eligibility and program approval. It is a permanent, non-virtual position with ad-hoc telework available at the supervisor’s discretion. The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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.
• For the GS-12 Senior Social Worker grade: at least two years of experience after advanced-practice clinical licensure, including one year equivalent to the GS-11 grade level.
• Advanced-practice state licensure or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, subject to the stated state grandfathering provisions; ability to provide supervision for licensure.
• 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 in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Knowledge of methods for measuring social-work practice and service effectiveness and 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, or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, except where non-citizen appointment is permitted under VA policy.
• Complete required pre-employment screening and onboarding requirements, including background/security investigation and physical evaluation; comply with seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• Serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the conditions described in the announcement.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in a primary care setting.
• Prior experience working with same-day mental health needs or crisis management.
• Certification or post-master’s training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum or course of study and internship or equivalent supervised specialty experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide diagnostic and evaluation services appropriate to primary care, including evaluation of emotional and behavioral problems and suicide assessment.
• Provide psychological interventions consistent with training and expertise, emphasizing brief, evidence-based interventions effective in primary care settings.
• Develop, implement, and document treatment plans for an assigned caseload, including prompt completion of clinical reminders.
• Facilitate patient and family education appropriate to primary care and the presenting mental or behavioral health concerns.
• Consult with primary care providers to support clinical decision-making, build on provider interventions, and improve provider-patient working relationships.
• Provide interventions that help patients remain with their Primary Care Provider for their health care needs when clinically appropriate.
• Supervise trainees conducting direct clinical care and, as requested, students, interns, or unlicensed social workers.
• Perform administrative duties, including scheduling, returning calls and secure messages, writing reports, and attending organizational meetings.
• Complete VA National PCMHI Competency Training and maintain competency and fidelity to the PCMHI model through review of relevant data and metrics.
• Provide consultation and training to Primary Care Service Line staff on identifying and managing common mental and behavioral health disorders in primary care when indicated.
• Assist the PCMHI Coordinator with designing, developing, and implementing clinical programs for a treatment-provider team.
• Assist with ongoing program evaluation and data-driven quality-improvement projects to monitor clinical program effectiveness.
• Coordinate services through liaison with other health care programs.
• Comply with national and local performance measures, timely health care screening, and clinical-reminder requirements.
• Follow documentation timeliness standards and patient checkout procedures, including entry of diagnostic and procedure codes.
• Attend and participate in administrative and informational meetings.
• May provide full-time service at a community-based outpatient clinic in Grants Pass or Klamath Falls.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program, with potential award up to $200,000, subject to eligibility and approval.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off, consisting of 13–26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, and 11 paid federal holidays.
• Up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave after 12 months of employment, in connection with birth, adoption, or foster-care placement.
• Potential child-care subsidy after 60 days for qualifying full-time employees and eligible children, subject to income and program 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 federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Ad-hoc telework at the supervisor’s discretion.

What This Job Offers

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