Senior Social Worker

Department of Veterans Affairs • Murfreesboro, TN

42d • Onsite

About The Position

The MHRRTP Senior Social Worker will provide individual and group mental health care as well as help coordinate mental health care. To provide this care, the MHRRTP senior social worker, will be licensed by social work standards to provide psychotherapy at the highest level as an independent practitioner. These Veterans, many of whom have severe social, mental, and physical problem, will be case managed by the senior social worker throughout their entire stay at the MHRRTP.

Responsibilities

• Interviews Veterans to establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting problems and the impact of such problems on the Veteran's functioning and health. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs.
• Reviews all referral data from social workers, case managers, managed care staff and discharge planners to identify patients' needs. Makes a clinical assessment identifying the Veteran's needs and strengths.
• Uses advanced clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Assesses high risk factors, acuity, to include suicidal and homicidal ideations and need for VHA services and/or community services.
• Independently evaluates the Veteran's situation, including the Veteran's reaction and ability to deal with it, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion. Based on psychosocial assessment, professional judgment and advanced practice skills to make psychosocial diagnoses.
• Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan involving the Veteran and family or significant others. Performs an insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases including illnesses involving psychiatric, medical conditions, dementia, and other high-risk diagnoses.
• Assures the transfer of health care, both inpatient and outpatient to the appropriate VHA and community resources. When provision of direct services is indicated develops psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with other social workers, case manager, managed care staff and discharge planners.
• Arrives at a reasoned conclusion as to the preferred course of agency action. Provides independent consultation and makes recommendations to interdisciplinary team on course of treatment.Provides clinical services to Veterans and family members/ significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment. Gives advice, guidance, emotional support, and other assistance. Provides individual and group counseling services, including psychotherapy in some settings.
• Assists and encourages Veterans and significant others in facing problems, thinking them through, evaluating the situation realistically, considering alternative courses of action, and arriving at plans for using resources to resolve problems.
• Professional judgment, including knowledge of normal and abnormal behavior, is an inherent competency applied in daily interactions with Veterans. Regularly treats Veterans with serious medical and psychiatric problems through counseling or referral. Highly developed professional, clinical, and advanced practice skills are routinely used to treat Veterans with complex problems, brought about by military, as well as life developmental psychiatric and medical disabilities.
• Establishes a continuing relationship with the Veteran, evaluating progress towards goals and adjusting the treatment plan as appropriate. Meets with Veteran to assess accomplishments and re-establish goals. Monitors Veteran's progress, maintains comprehensive documentation, ensures expert diagnosis and treatment of clinical disorders, and shows competent discretion in decision to adjust treatment.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year).
• After 12 months of employment, up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
• After 60 days of employment, full time employees with a total family income below $144,000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66.
• Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Administration of Human Resource Programs
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees