Senior Social Worker - EDRP Approved

Veterans Health Administration • Dallas, TX

8d • Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker is the full-performance-level GS-12 Suicide Prevention Coordinator. The position provides intensive case management, intervention support, education, and outreach to VANTHCS staff, Veterans receiving VANTHCS services, and people in the VANTHCS service area. The role connects Veterans and their families with services and support across VA, conducts suicide risk assessments and screenings, provides emergency and crisis intervention, and monitors and evaluates suicide-related data for investigations, reports, and quality-assurance and performance-improvement projects and programs.

The incumbent independently conducts comprehensive assessments and develops treatment plans with Veterans, families, and interdisciplinary treatment teams. The position applies advanced clinical knowledge and develops innovative psychosocial assessment and intervention models to address specialized needs of Veterans experiencing mental health crises. It builds and maintains community partnerships to support continuity of care and successful transitions, and represents VANTHCS in those partnerships.

The role maintains relationships with VANTHCS mental health, severe mental health, substance-use-disorder, and suicide-prevention leadership, and provides guidance regarding access to VA mental health programs within VISN 17, including contracted care. Duties also include responding to Veteran Crisis Line contacts; coordinating appropriate services; monitoring Veterans flagged as high risk for suicide, including follow-up on mental health appointments; providing suicide-prevention training within VANTHCS and the community; participating in assigned community outreach; and assisting with REACHVET processes as appropriate. The position is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telework and virtual work are not available.

The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), subject to individual eligibility and application requirements. EDRP approval, award amount (up to $200,000), and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined after review by the program office.

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 license or certification to independently practice social work at the master's degree level, subject to the stated grandfathering provisions.
• Advanced-practice state licensure or certification, including an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless covered by the stated state grandfathering exception; California licensees must meet the stated California examination provision. Must be able 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 GS-11.
• Experience demonstrating advanced-practice skills and judgment, including psychosocial assessment, use of clinical social work skills, confidentiality, advocacy, and assessment of patients' and families' strengths, needs, coping skills, and psychosocial acuity.
• 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 ways to measure social-work practice and service effectiveness, using outcome evaluations to improve treatment and design system changes.
• Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students and model effective social-work practice.
• Ability to expand clinical knowledge and write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.
• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated exception for appointments when qualified citizens cannot be recruited under VA policy.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.
• Must pass a pre-employment physical examination and participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Must complete required onboarding and background/security investigation requirements.
• Must serve a one- or two-year trial period, subject to the stated conditions.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in case management.
• Experience in mental health crisis intervention and suicide prevention.
• Experience in data collection, management, and presentation.
• Experience managing Veterans with high-risk flags.
• Experience responding to Veteran Crisis Line calls.
• Experience completing C-SSRS and CSRE.

Responsibilities

• Provide intensive case management, intervention support, education, and outreach to VANTHCS staff, Veterans, and people in the VANTHCS service area.
• Connect Veterans and their families with services and support across VA.
• Conduct suicide risk assessments and screenings and provide emergency and crisis intervention.
• Monitor and evaluate suicide-related data for investigations, reports, and quality-assurance and performance-improvement projects and programs.
• Develop innovative psychosocial assessment or intervention models to identify and address specialized clinical needs of Veterans experiencing mental health crises.
• Independently conduct comprehensive assessments and develop treatment plans in collaboration with Veterans, families, and interdisciplinary treatment teams.
• Build and maintain community relationships to ensure continuity of care and promote successful service transitions; represent VANTHCS in community partnerships.
• Maintain partnerships with VANTHCS mental health, severe mental health, substance-use-disorder, and suicide-prevention leadership, and provide guidance on access to VA mental health programs within VISN 17, including contracted care.
• Respond to Veteran Crisis Line contacts and coordinate appropriate services for those Veterans.
• Monitor Veterans flagged as high risk for suicide, including follow-up on mental health appointments.
• Provide suicide-prevention training within VANTHCS and in the community.
• Participate in community suicide-prevention outreach activities assigned by the Program Manager.
• Assist with REACHVET processes as appropriate.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program eligibility, with a potential award of up to $200,000, subject to program approval and eligibility.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases.
• 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.
• Selected applicants may qualify for 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.
• Eligible full-time employees may qualify for a childcare subsidy after 60 days of employment, subject to income and other limits; the subsidy is up to 25% of eligible childcare costs, up to $416.66 monthly.
• 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