Social Worker (BHIP Psychotherapist)

Summary

This position is located within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) - VA Mid-Atlantic Health Care Network (VISN 6) - Hampton Veterans Affairs Medical Center (HVAMC) - under the Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences Service Line. This Social Work Psychotherapist position is aligned with the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program/Outpatient Mental Health Services and and provides psychotherapy services - intakes - and crisis intervention in a team context.

Qualifications

This is a multi-disciplinary position which may be filled by any of the following series: LICENSED PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR (0183) - PSYCHOLOGIST (0180) - or SOCIAL WORK THERAPIST (0185).

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 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
• Exception
• VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified - pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations
• This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level
• For the GS-11 grade level and above - the candidate must be licensed or certified
• At the time of appointment - the supervisor - chief social work or social work executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification - including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline
• For appointments at the GS-9 grade level - VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent - master's level within three years of their appointment as a social worker
• Most states require two years of post-MSW experience as a prerequisite to taking the licensure/certification exam - and VHA gives social workers one additional year to pass the licensure/certification exam
• In states such as California - Washington - and others where the prerequisites for licensure exceed two years - social workers must become licensed at the independent - master's level within one year of meeting the full state prerequisites for licensure
• A social worker who does not yet have a license that allows independent practice must be supervised by a licensed independent practitioner of the same discipline who is a VA staff member and who has access to the electronic health record
• Failure to Obtain License or Certification: In all cases - social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment
• Failure to become licensed or certified within the prescribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-0185 social worker series and may result in termination of employment
• May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation and meet the criteria)
• GS-9 Experience - Education and Licensure
• None beyond the basic requirements
• Entry Level Assignments
• Individuals assigned as GS-9 grade level 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
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans - their family members - caregivers - and survivors
• Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans and their family members - and to formulate and implement a treatment plan - identifying the Veterans problems - strengths - weaknesses - coping skills - and assistance needed
• Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals - families - and groups to achieve treatment goals
• This requires judgment and skill in utilizing supportive - problem solving - or crisis intervention techniques Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients - staff - and representatives of community agencies
• Fundamental knowledge 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
• GS-11 Experience and Licensure
• Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings - (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level
• OR Education
• In addition to meeting basic requirements - a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities
• In addition to the experience above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services
• 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
• 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
• 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
• 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
• GS-11 is the full performance level
• Social workers at this level are licensed or certified to independently practice social work
• Incumbents are assigned to all program areas - including but not limited to: inpatient or outpatient medicine - surgery - mental health - neurology - rehabilitation medicine - and geriatrics
• Employees provide professional - independent social work services in the assigned area
• References: VA Handbook 5005 - Part II Appendix G39 - Social Worker Qualification Standard GS-0185 Veterans Health Administration.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Social Work Therapist works primarily in an outpatient general mental health setting
• The incumbent provides a full range of mental health clinical services to Veterans enrolled in BHIP care including - mental health screenings - diagnostic evaluations - comprehensive treatment planning - crisis management - individual therapy - group therapy - couples/family therapy - and care coordination within the BHIP team
• The BHIP teams use Evidenced Based Psychotherapies (EBPs) to treat the full spectrum of Mental Health diagnoses
• The individual will function as part of a multi-disciplinary team to include psychiatrists - psychologists - nurse practitioners - social workers - licensed mental health professionals - nurses - psychology technicians and other disciplines
• MAJOR DUTIES: Complete psychosocial assessments and diagnostic interviews to assess the full range of mental health conditions and diagnoses
• Use social work clinical training - insight - and experience to interpret data to identify treatment options.
• Implement treatment modalities - provide skill-based and evidenced-based psychotherapies in group and individual therapy for veterans and their families in the Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) team - and as needed
• Serve veterans who tend to have serious frequent and severe crises - lack family or adequate community support network - be poor at self-monitoring - frequently fail to comply with instructions and treatment and have significant deficits in coping skills and require continuing professional psychological support
• Use medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities - and treatment procedures - including acute - chronic trauma and PTSD - Major Depressive Disorder - Bipolar Disorder - anxiety and adjustment disorders - personality disorders - psychotic spectrum disorders - etc
• as well as common medications and their effects/side effects - and medical terminology
• Be an active member of the BHIP team who contributes to program development - consultation - and treatment planning within an interdisciplinary treatment team
• Establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with veterans served by the BHIP team and Community Based Outpatient Clinics
• Communicate effectively - both orally and in writing with people from varied backgrounds
• Serve as a liaison and consultant for veterans and their families regarding community resources - VA benefits - VA specialty programs - and advanced directives
• Enter all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates
• Provide case management services to veterans and their families throughout the continuum of care
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: Ad-hoc may be available based on agency needs Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: GS-0185-09/11

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The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.

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