Senior Social Worker - Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

Veterans Health Administration • Fayetteville, AR

20h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Social Worker provides specialized, evidence-based treatment to Veterans enrolled in the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) service and functions as a licensed independent provider of mental health and SUD services. The role includes advanced-practice psychosocial assessment, treatment, care coordination, program development, and evaluation of treatment outcomes. The social worker represents the social work perspective on multidisciplinary teams and serves as a facility resource for Veterans’ mental health needs.

The position works with Veterans involved in justice processes, including those enrolled in Veterans Treatment Court, in collaboration with the Veterans Justice Outreach Coordinator, Peer Support Specialist, and other VA employees. It also involves identifying high-risk Veterans, providing safety planning and crisis intervention, coordinating with other providers and families when clinically indicated, and connecting Veterans with specialized services inside or outside the VA.

The position is scheduled Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the schedule may change based on facility needs. Telework is available, but this is not a virtual position. Work is performed in an office or clinic setting and may involve handling multiple tasks in stressful situations. This is a permanent, full-time GS-12 position. The position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to individual eligibility and approval; awards may be up to $200,000 for one to five years. Recruitment and relocation incentives are not authorized.

Applicants must meet VA requirements, including a master’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program and state licensure or certification to independently practice social work at the master’s level. For the Senior Social Worker grade, applicants need at least two years of post-advanced-practice clinical licensure experience, including one year equivalent to GS-11, and advanced-practice licensure or certification. Applicants must also demonstrate the specified advanced clinical, consultation, outcome-measurement, and practice-development competencies.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship, subject to the stated VA exception for recruiting qualified citizens.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• 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.
• 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.
• Advanced-practice 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 examination 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 into differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
• Knowledge of developing and implementing methods to measure social work practice and service effectiveness and using outcome evaluations to improve services 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, or practice guidelines for the service delivery area.
• Meet the stated federal employment conditions, including background/security investigation, pre-employment physical evaluation, required onboarding and application documentation, and seasonal influenza vaccination requirements.
• May be required to serve a one- or two-year trial period.

Nice To Haves

• Experience and interest in treating substance use disorder, including SUD with challenging co-morbid conditions.
• Interest in outpatient and residential care and case management.
• Certification or post-master’s training in a specialty from a nationally recognized professional organization or university, including a defined curriculum and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience.

Responsibilities

• Provide specialized, evidence-based treatment to Veterans enrolled in the SUD service.
• Function as a licensed independent provider of mental health and SUD services.
• Conduct comprehensive psychosocial diagnostic evaluations using the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Psychiatric Disorders.
• Provide screening, assessments, treatment plans, clinical care, treatment-plan reviews, and discharge planning at an advanced-practice level.
• Represent the social work profession and perspective on multidisciplinary teams.
• Maintain expertise regarding VA and community psychosocial resources.
• Participate in program development and community outreach within the assigned program.
• Track Veterans as they move through the treatment process and measure treatment outcomes using testing and other measures.
• Use outcome evaluations to guide treatment and design system changes based on empirical findings.
• Participate in clinical program development and be accountable for program effectiveness and modification of service patterns.
• Collaborate with universities, community colleges, and other agencies to improve mental health service delivery and utilization.
• Coordinate with Veterans Justice Outreach, Peer Support, and other VA personnel regarding justice-involved Veterans, including timely assessment, recommendations, reporting, documentation, and treatment planning.
• Teach and mentor staff and students in the specialty area and provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications.
• Identify high-risk patients and provide safety planning and crisis intervention; coordinate staffing and family conferences when clinically indicated.
• Identify Veterans needing specialized care and coordinate admission to appropriate VA or community programs and services.
• Serve as a facility resource and point of contact for Veterans’ mental health needs.

Benefits

• Education Debt Reduction Program, subject to eligibility and approval, with an award amount of up to $200,000 for one to five years.
• Competitive salary and regular salary increases; a higher step rate may be considered for higher or unique qualifications or agency needs.
• 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 request and 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, subject to income and other eligibility conditions; up to 25% of eligible childcare costs, with a stated monthly maximum of $416.66.
• 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.

What This Job Offers

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