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Senior Social Worker

Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Health Administration
VANTHCS
This job announcement has closed

Summary

Gold Team is an outpatient, an intensive outpatient, an inpatient SARRTP and an opioid replacement program, providing intensive case management and psychotherapy for Veterans living with substance abuse disorders and frequently additional mental health illnesses with the goal of harm reduction and recovery.

Overview

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Open & closing dates
09/23/2022 to 10/28/2022
Salary
$85,383 to - $111,594 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 12
Location
Dallas, TX
1 vacancy
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
No
Travel Required
Not required
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Permanent
Work schedule
Full-time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
None
Job family (Series)
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
CAZM-11662265-22-MH
Control number
679088900

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

This announcement is open to the Public. Current, permanent Federal employees should apply to CAZM-11662266-22-MH.

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Duties

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The Mental Health Service of the VA North Texas Health Care System values cultural diversity across our staff and training programs. Mental Health Service leaders are deeply committed to fostering an environment that is highly sensitive to and appreciative of all aspects of diversity. Our staff represent a variety of cultural backgrounds, competencies, interests, and theoretical orientations. We believe that increased self-awareness and appreciation for other viewpoints and cultures makes our service stronger and strengthens our ability to provide the highest quality of mental health care.

The Senior Social Worker is the Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Specialist for the Gold Team. The SUD Specialist supports the Gold Team by providing engagement and as needed ensuring continuity of care between the different subprograms of the Gold Team. The SUD Specialist provides intensive case management services and psychotherapy to Veterans as they transition from engagement and stabilization through programs such as Substance Abuse Rehabilitation and Treatment Program (SARRTP), Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), Outpatient Program (OP), and as appropriate Opioid Replacement Clinic (ORC). The SUD Specialist provides on-going early substance used treatment interventions, substance use case management, intensive case management, and substance use psychotherapy to promote harm reduction to sustained .abstinence. The Senior Social Worker is an expert at the community recovery resources available to the Veterans and assists Veterans in linking them to supportive environments in the areas in which they live and/or assist VA social workers in rural counties with resources as needed. The Senior Social Worker will provide face-to-face SUD evaluations. The Senior Social Worker will function as the Liaison between the various Gold Team programs and other VANTHCS Mental Health Service programs to ensure appropriate coordination of care, and transitions of care for enrolled Veterans pertaining to SUD. The Senior Social Worker provide SUD supportive care, educational and psychotherapeutic groups.



Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Telework: Not Available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 000000
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job.
  • Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
  • Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
  • You may be required to serve a probationary period.
  • Subject to background/security investigation.
  • Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
  • Must pass pre-employment physical examination.
  • Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
  • Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

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.
  • English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
  • 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/.
Preferred Experience:
  • Case Management
  • Psychosocial assessment and treatment plant development
  • Mental health and substance use assessments
  • Working with Clients living with Substance Abuse Disorder
  • Supportive and psychotherapeutic therapies
  • Evidence Psychotherapy
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, which are demonstrated by
(a) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to
community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate
services.
(b) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment
interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, cultural,
ethnic, educational and other diversified backgrounds.
(c) Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities and treatment
procedures (i.e. acute, chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries, common
medications and their effects/side effects, and medical terminology) to formulate a
treatment plan.
(d) Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with
individuals, families, and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric,
medical, and social problems to achieve treatment goals.
(e) Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers, social work graduate
students, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact
of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

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, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs:
(a) 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.
(b) Ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment within approved clinical privileges or scope of practice.
(c) 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.
(d) 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.
(e) 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:
Case Management
Assessment with Intervention
Working with Clients living with Substance Abuse Disorder
Supportive and Psychotherapy
Evidence-Based Psychotherapy
Experience in an Opioid Replacement Therapy Program

References: VA Handbook 5005/120 Appendix G39 dated September 10, 2019.

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS12.

Physical Requirements: Light Lifting (20 - 11 lbs. occasionally; 10 lbs. or less frequently); Light Carrying (20 - 11 lbs. occasionally; 10 lbs. or less frequently); Straight Pulling (up to 1 hour); Pushing (1 - 2 hours); Reaching above shoulder; frequent keyboarding (4-7 hours per day); Sitting (4-7 hours per day); Walking (up to 3 hours); Standing (up to 3 hours); Repeated bending (up to 1 hour); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Correctable near sited and far sited Vision; Hearing (aid permitted).

Education

IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Accreditation Information: CSWE: The master's or doctoral degree must be fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Verification of accreditation may be made obtained from http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

NOTE: If your school was accredited by Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) at the time of graduation but is no longer listed on the http://www.cswe.org/Accreditation website, you must provide documentation of accreditation with your application packet.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority.

Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process.


If you are unable to apply online or need to fax a document you do not have in electronic form, view the following link for information regarding an Alternate Application.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE MAY NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Your application, résumé, C.V., and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect consideration for employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

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