Senior Social Worker (Suicide Prevention Program)

Veterans Health Administration • Hampton, VA

5d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker is a professional social worker in the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration, VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6), Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center, under the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service Line. The position is aligned with the Suicide Prevention Program and focuses on care management for Veterans at high risk for suicide. It is primarily located at Hampton VAMC and provides consultation and guidance to colleagues across the hospital’s mental health and medical programs.

The role involves advanced clinical assessment, psychosocial diagnosis, treatment planning, referrals, consultation, and ongoing evaluation of Veterans’ progress. The social worker serves as a liaison for high-risk Veterans, coordinates community resources and interdisciplinary care, and maintains referral networks and working relationships with other organizations. The schedule is 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Telework is ad hoc only; this is not a virtual position.

Requirements

• Master’s degree in social work from a school 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; GS-11 and above candidates must be licensed or certified.
• For the Senior Social Worker GS-12 level: at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure, including one year equivalent to GS-11, in a specialized area of social work practice.
• For the Senior Social Worker GS-12 level: advanced practice-level state licensure or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, subject to the stated grandfathering provisions; must be able to provide supervision for licensure.
• Demonstrated 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 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, 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 in social work and write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Male applicants born after December 31, 1959, must be registered with Selective Service.
• Must meet background/security investigation and onboarding requirements and participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working with Veteran populations.
• Experience in crisis and suicide prevention.
• Experience in process management.
• Specialty certification or post-master’s training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university, including a defined curriculum or course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Interview Veterans and their family members or significant others to establish facts about the Veteran’s circumstances, presenting problems, causes, and effects on functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment.
• Explain VA treatment and benefit programs.
• Review subjective and objective information, assess needs and strengths, and use clinical skill and judgment to identify viable treatment options.
• Assess suicide risk factors, acuity, and service needs, including for Veterans experiencing frequent or severe crises, limited support, difficulty self-monitoring or following treatment, or impaired coping skills.
• Evaluate the Veteran’s situation and ability to respond to it, reach a reasonable conclusion, and make a psychosocial diagnosis based on the assessment.
• Assess risk factors and develop preliminary disposition plans with the Veteran and family members or significant others.
• Assess serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia, and other high-risk diagnoses.
• Make independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action.
• Develop psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary teams.
• Make initial and continuing decisions about VA and non-VA services and referrals, based on available resources and the Veteran’s likely acceptance of assistance.
• Provide independent consultation and recommendations on treatment courses.
• Serve as liaison for Hampton VAMC Veterans at high risk of suicide.
• Organize community services for beneficiaries and develop and coordinate procedures for related staff to use those services.
• Develop working relationships and agreements with organizations serving the same patient population, and maintain a current, productive referral network.
• Maintain an ongoing relationship with Veterans, evaluate progress toward goals, adjust treatment plans, and meet with Veterans to assess accomplishments and re-establish goals.
• Provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students, role-model effective social work practice, and contribute to policies, procedures, or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered based on higher or unique qualifications or VA special 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 in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to family 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 can be carried into retirement.

What This Job Offers

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