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This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. 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. Verification of the degree can be made by going to http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation to verify that the social work degree meets the accreditation standards for a masters of social work. Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-0185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to http://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience/Education: The candidate must have at least two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one year must be equivalent to the GS-11 grade level. Senior social workers have experience that demonstrates possession of advanced practice skills and judgment. Senior social workers are experts in their specialized area of practice. Senior social workers may have certification or other post-masters training from a nationally recognized professional organization or university that includes a defined curriculum/course of study and internship or equivalent supervised professional experience in a specialty. Licensure/Certification: Senior social workers must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advanced practice level (except for licenses issued in California, which administers its own clinical examination for advanced practice) and they must be able to provide supervision for licensure. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations. This includes individual, group, and/or family counseling or psychotherapy and advanced level psychosocial and/or case management. Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice. Knowledge in developing and implementing methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services in the specialty area, utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services and to design system changes. Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area, as well as role modeling effective social work practice skills. Ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession, and to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the service delivery area. Preferred Experience: Clinical experience in providing EBP's. References: VA HANDBOOK 5005, PART II, APPENDIX G39 The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The position is a combination of activity and sitting with movement in between. Bending, walking and stooping are required. The position requires the employee to work at the Health Care Clinic or other facility building. The position requires the ability to read printed material and distinguish colors such as reading and computer screens, the ability to accurately perceive depth so as to move around workspace safely, to appropriately make contact with patients and staff, and the ability to meet visual requirements to work up close to a computer screen and talk on the telephone. ["The Senior Social Worker is part of a dynamic Mental Health interdisciplinary treatment team in the Mental Health Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program at the Coatesville VA Medical Center. These clinical positions provide crucial support and treatment to veterans within the MH RRTP. Experience in utilizing Evidenced Based Practices (EBPs) for treatment of PTSD and/or SUD is strongly preferred. Tour of Duty is flexible but must include coverage of Saturdays and/or Sundays min.4 hours. The social worker will be providing mental health individual and group therapy as well as psychosocial and behavioral assessments, case management, and assistance with transition of veterans to and from the MH RRTP program in the form of pre and post discharge calls/visits. In addition, one of the social workers may provide virtual risk assessments for the acute psychiatry unit as part of weekend coverage. There are two vacancies at this time and applicants will be considered for all vacancies. Each position may cover one weekend day coverage (min. 4 hours). Senior Social Worker - SUD - MHRRTP program Senior Social Worker - PTSD - MHRRTP program The Senior Domiciliary Social Worker independently provides clinical psychosocial assessments, diagnostic interviews, individual/couples/family therapy, group therapy, supportive counseling, and case management services at an advanced practice level to eligible veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social and environmental needs. Veterans receiving care from the Domiciliary program traditionally have complex health care and psychosocial problems and needs, requiring a high degree of clinical oversight and creative problem solving. Additionally, the Senior Domiciliary Social Worker can serve as a mentor to other social workers, particularly those at the entry level. He/she is licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level and can provide clinical supervision for unlicensed social workers and for those licensed social workers seeking to obtain the higher level of state licensure. Incumbent is viewed by social workers and interdisciplinary team members as a senior clinician with advanced practice skills and expertise. Major duties include: Interviews Clients and Conducts Psychosocial Assessments Interviews veterans and their family members/significant others to establish facts about the veteran's situation, presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on the veteran's functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs. Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment, identifying needs and strengths. Effectively uses professional skill, objectivity and insight. Uses advanced clinical training, insight and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Has the ability to serve veterans who tend to have serious frequent and severe crises, lack family or an adequate community support network, be poor at self-monitoring, frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment, have significant deficits in coping skills. Makes Psychosocial Diagnoses Independently evaluates the client's situation, including the veteran's reaction to it and ability to deal with it, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion. Based on the psychosocial assessment, uses professional judgment and independent practice skills to make a psychosocial diagnosis. Assesses at-risk factors, develops a preliminary disposition plan, involving the veteran and family or significant others. Performs insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia and other high-risk diagnoses. Makes independent professional decisions and recommendations for agency action because consequences to the veteran may be serious and the results are often unpredictable. Plans Effective Treatment Develops psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including goals for psychosocial clinical treatment. Using known available resources and the initial assessment of the veteran's likelihood to accept differing types of assistance, makes initial / continuing decisions regarding use of VA and non-VA services and referrals. 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. Work Schedule: (5) 8-hour days to include Saturdays and Sundays -weekend coverage may be required by one or both positions. Compressed/Flexible: Options will be considered Telework: On AD Hoc basis only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 / Social Worker Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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