Career Center

This is a Mental Health Clinical Social Work position at the Jackson Community Based Outpatient Clinic. Incumbent must to possess strong clinical skills, provide treatment for a range of mental health disorders relevant to Veterans and provide: assessments and referrals, intake/diagnostic assessments, comprehensive treatment planning using patient centered and recovery-based models, evidenced-based therapy services to Veterans and their families, and case/care management services. BASIC REQUIREMENTS a. Citizenship. Be a citizen of the United States. b. Education. Have a master's degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Graduates of schools of social work that are in candidacy status do not meet this requirement until the school of social work is fully accredited. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the master's degree in social work. c. Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. d. English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English. Creditable Experience (1) Knowledge of Current Professional Social Work Practices. To be creditable, the experience must have required the use of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice. The experience or education must be post-MSW degree. Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice, which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker, as defined by the appropriate state licensing board. (2) Quality of Experience. Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled. Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level. (3) Part-Time Experience. Part-time experience as a professional social worker is creditable according to its relationship to the full-time workweek. For example, a social worker employed 20 hours a week, or on a 1/2-time basis, would receive 1 full-time workweek of credit for each 2 weeks of service. (4) Fellowships or Post-Graduate Training. Fellowship and post-graduate training programs are typically in a specialized area of clinical practice, i.e., group or family practice. Training as a fellow or post-graduate may be substituted for creditable experience on a year-for-year basis. (5) Practicum in a VA Setting. A VHA practicum experience may not be substituted for experience, as the practicum (field placement) is completed prior to graduation with a master's degree in social work. Grade Determinations GS-9 Social Worker Experience, Education and Licensure. GS-9 is the entry level grade for the GS-185 social work series and is used for social workers with less than one year of post-MSW experience and for social workers who are not yet licensed or certified at the independent practice level. Social workers at the GS-9 level are working toward completion of prerequisites for licensure or certification. Assignments. Individuals assigned as GS-9 social workers are considered to be at the entry level and are closely supervised, as they are not yet functioning at the independent practice level conferred by independent licensure or certification.GS- 11 Social Worker Experience, Education and Licensure. Promotion to the GS-11 full performance level requires completion of a minimum of 1 year of post-MSW degree experience in the field of health care social work (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level (NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level, please see exception clause under basic requirements section). This experience must have been in a clinical setting and must have demonstrated the potential to perform advanced assignments independently. A clinical setting is a medical center, clinic - medical or psychiatric, residential treatment center, or any other type of facility where the social worker participates in a collaborative treatment and is identified with the medical profession. Experience must have been obtained AFTER earning a Master's Degree in Social Work. OR, in addition to meeting basic requirements, a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required 1 year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting. Assignments. This is the full performance level for social workers. GS-11 social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work. They are assigned to all program areas, including inpatient or outpatient medicine, surgery, mental health, neurology, rehabilitation medicine, and geriatrics. Employees provide professional, independent social work services in the assigned area. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the Knowledge, Skill, and Abilities below. 1. Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. 2. Ability to independently assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of patients and their family members and to formulate and implement a treatment plan, identifying the patient's problems, strengths, weaknesses, coping skills and assistance needed, in collaboration with the patient, family and interdisciplinary treatment team. 3. Ability to independently conduct psychosocial assessments and provide psychosocial treatment to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. This requires knowledge of human development and behavior (physical and psychological) and the differential influences of the environment, society and culture. 4. Knowledge and experience in the use of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology. 5. Knowledge of psychosocial treatment and ability to independently implement treatment modalities in working with individuals, families and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical and social problems to achieve treatment goals. This requires independent judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving or crisis intervention techniques. 6. Ability to independently provide counseling and/or psychotherapy services to individuals, groups and families. 7. Ability to provide consultation services to other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment. Ability to provide orientation and coaching to new social workers and social work graduate students. Ability to serve as a field instructor for social work graduate students who are completing VHA field placements. 8. Ability to independently evaluate his/her own practice through participation in professional peer review case conferences, research studies, or other organized means. 9. Knowledge and skill in the use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, and tracking. Reference: VA HANDBOOK 5005/50, APPENDIX G39 Physical Requirements: The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Travel is required; therefore, a driver's license is required for the duties of this position ["The proportion of these duties will be determined by the Mental Health Service Chief(and/or his/her delegates) and are expected to be flexible based upon clinical need. Providing clinical services in a virtual modality is expected. Virtual modality includes video telehealth, patient/provider secure messaging, telephone visits, review of electronically forwarded medical records Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. Conduct psychosocial assessments including assessing functioning and needs of Veterans to formulate and implement a recovery-oriented treatment plan, identifying the Veteran's problems, strengths, challenges, coping skills and assistance needed, in collaboration with the Veteran, family and interdisciplinary treatment team. Provides psychosocial treatment to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds. Utilizes knowledge of human development and behavior (physical and psychological) and the differential influences of the environment, society and culture. Knowledge and experience in the use of medical and DSM-5 mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common medications and their effects, and medical and mental health terminology. Provide psychoeducation to Veterans and their family members regarding diagnoses, symptom management and recovery from illness. Provide consultation services to other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on mental health care and compliance with treatment. Provide orientation and coaching to new social workers and social work graduate students. Function as Field Instructor for social work graduate students who are completing VAAAHS field placements. Participate as member of various VAAAHS committees functioning as liaison between those committees and the Mental Health Service. Evaluate one's own practice through participation in professional peer review case conferences, research studies and other organized means. Knowledge and skill in use of computer software applications for drafting documents, data management, and tracking, predominantly those programs in use by VAAAHS. Complete comprehensive documentation in the veteran's charts including intake assessments, psychosocial assessments, treatment plans, progress notes, and discharge plans. Independently provide evidence-based interventions and treatment modalities used in the Mental Health Service in working with individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals. Utilizes independent judgment and skill in utilizing supportive, problem solving and evidence-based crisis intervention techniques. Respond to consults by interviewing the veteran utilizing questionnaires and other assessment tools while determining the Veteran's emotional, functional, and psychological condition. Participate in multidisciplinary treatment decisions. Assist Veterans in the preparation of materials needed for application to various internal and external resources for entitlements, then, follow the process of application until a determination has been made. Serve as the major consultant for information on negotiating the complex processes Veteran's encounter when interacting with government and community agencies. Work Schedule: Monday -Friday (8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.)\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]