Senior Social Worker

Veterans Health Administration • Augusta, GA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

This position is within the Veterans Health Administration’s Southeast Network (VISN 7), at the VA Augusta Health Care System in the Mental Health Service’s Substance Use Recovery Center (SURC). The Senior Clinical Social Worker practices independently at the advanced licensure level, providing specialized clinical psychosocial and case management services to Veterans experiencing substance use disorders (SUD), co-occurring mental health conditions, and related psychosocial challenges.

The role involves assessing clinical and psychosocial needs, delivering recovery-focused counseling and interventions, developing individualized treatment plans, coordinating VA and community resources, and consulting with interdisciplinary colleagues. The Senior Social Worker also contributes to program development, outcome measurement, quality improvement, staff education, mentorship, and supervision. The position independently documents clinical services in accordance with VA and clinic standards.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and may change based on agency needs. An Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) incentive is authorized; former EDRP participants are ineligible to apply for the incentive.

This is a federal position subject to citizenship, background investigation, pre-employment physical evaluation, influenza vaccination, and other stated conditions of employment. The selected employee must serve a two-year trial period.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE); 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.
• 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-level state licensure or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless covered by the stated grandfathering provisions; California licenses are subject to the stated exception.
• Ability to provide supervision for licensure.
• Skill in specialized interventions and treatment modalities, including individual, group, and/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 in the specialty area, using outcome evaluations to improve treatment and design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on psychosocial treatment and to model effective social work practice.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge and write policies, procedures, or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• U.S. citizenship, except where VA policy permits appointment of non-citizens when qualified citizens cannot be recruited.
• Compliance with applicable Selective Service registration requirements for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Ability to complete a background/security investigation, online onboarding, required pre-employment identification checks, and a pre-employment physical evaluation.
• Participation in the Department of Veterans Affairs seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Completion of application requirements detailed in the announcement’s Required Documents section.
• Service of a two-year trial period, subject to the stated evaluation and written certification conditions.
• Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited institutions may be used to qualify; foreign education requires a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with the transcript.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in substance use treatment.
• Experience working on interdisciplinary teams.
• Experience with brief evidence-based interventions.
• Experience with brief or focused assessments.
• Certification or other 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

• Provide advanced psychosocial and case management services to Veterans with substance use disorders and co-occurring psychiatric and medical conditions.
• Deliver supportive counseling and recovery-focused interventions to reduce relapse risk, improve coping, and increase treatment engagement.
• Independently assess high-risk factors, including detoxification and withdrawal needs, overdose risk, relapse history, housing instability, and social determinants affecting recovery.
• Conduct detailed recovery-focused psychosocial assessments covering substance use and treatment history, recovery strengths, triggers, psychosocial effects of SUD, and readiness for change.
• Incorporate complex multiple causation into mental health and substance use diagnoses within approved clinical privileges.
• Identify treatment barriers and collaborate with Veterans and their family or support systems to address them.
• Develop individualized treatment plans integrating SUD recovery goals, harm-reduction strategies, relapse prevention, and interdisciplinary coordination.
• Provide independent consultation to team members on clinical assessment findings and recommended treatment approaches for SUD and co-occurring disorders.
• Determine appropriate use of VA and community recovery resources, including residential treatment, detoxification services, peer support, and community sober-living options.
• Provide individual, group, and family counseling tailored to substance use recovery, including relapse-prevention groups, psychoeducation, recovery skills training, and evidence-based psychotherapies.
• Help Veterans explore recovery motivation, evaluate substance-related consequences, and build coping strategies through structured interventions.
• Coordinate care with community agencies, residential SUD programs, shelters, halfway houses, and other relevant supports.
• Maintain a productive network of referral resources for SUD and co-occurring treatment needs.
• Participate in SURC program development, outcome measurement, and quality-improvement initiatives.
• Evaluate practice effectiveness through peer review, case conferences, chart audits, and data-driven analyses.
• Adjust treatment plans based on evolving clinical needs or Veteran responses to interventions.
• Maintain professional SUD treatment standards and support staff proficiency in contemporary SUD modalities.
• Educate Veterans and family or significant others about substance use, mental health conditions, relapse prevention, and recovery planning.
• Mentor and supervise Social Workers and other trainees.
• Educate staff on SUD treatment modalities, screening tools, crisis management, and recovery-oriented best practices.
• Independently document assessments, diagnostics, treatment plans, psychotherapy notes, progress updates, safety plans, and referrals in accordance with VA and clinic standards.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 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 care placement.
• Potential childcare subsidy after 60 days for eligible full-time employees with total family income below $144,000, covering up to 25% of eligible childcare costs, subject to a monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting.
• 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.
• Education Debt Reduction Program incentive authorized, subject to eligibility; former EDRP participants are ineligible.

What This Job Offers

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