Social Worker- Psychosocial Rehabilitation & Recovery Center

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

01Basic 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 tohttp://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 tohttp://vaww.va.gov/OHRM/T38Hybrid/. 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. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and writtenEnglish to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).

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).

02Grade Determinations

In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-9 Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities.

In addition to the experience above, the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: (a)Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counseling for Veterans, their family members, caregivers, and survivors. (b)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. (c)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. (d)Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate with clients, staff, and representatives of community agencies. (e)Fundamental knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses, disabilities, and treatment procedures. This includes acute, chronic, and traumaticillnesses/injuries; common medications and their effects/side effects; and medical terminology.

Social Worker, 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: (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, educational, and other 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 graduatestudents, and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impactof psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment.

03Preferred Experience

Mental Health experience; preferred training/certifications in Evidenced Based Protocols i.e. CPT for psychosis or other EBPs for use with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) population. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-09 to GS-11.

04Physical Requirements

Must be in overall good health, able to sit at a desk working at a computer and engage in light to moderate physical activity including sitting, walking, bending, and carrying supplies. Applicants must be able to perform primarily light and sedentary duties with occasionally moderate physical demands, exercise patience, and control emotions, with reasonable accommodation, if necessary, without endangering the health and safety of the applicant or others.

Position requires walking throughout the Mental Health Clinic and Medical Center, standing for extended periods of time, and involves sitting at a computer and in counsel and consultation with Veterans and interdisciplinary teams.

The incumbent is a professional social worker assigned to the Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC) within Social Work Service. The PRRC social worker provides recovery-oriented psychosocial rehabilitation services to Veterans with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) who have a Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score at or below 50.

Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provides a wide range of psychosocial services to Veterans and their families and is an active participant in the diagnostic, evaluative, and dispositional review of Veterans. Actively participates in regular PRRC recovery team meetings/huddles, sharing observations and information aimed at enhancing the Veteran's treatment.

Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families and independently works with patients and families experiencing a variety of psychiatric, medical, and social problems using individual, group, and family recovery-based skills. Collaborates with the Veteran in developing a Recovery Plan and works in collaboration with the Recovery Team to develop and implement recovery-oriented programming for Veteran care and treatment.

Independently conducts PRRC Initial Assessments and develops recovery plans in collaboration with the Veteran/family and the recovery team. Possesses the skills to offer recovery-based interventions and measure outcomes of those interventions. Coordinates community-based services, including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs, other government programs, and community agency programs.

Documents social work interventions and activities in the patient's clinical record utilizing the Federal Electronic Healthcare Record (FEHR) and ensures appropriate hand-off when transferring patient care. Will attend all appropriate staff meetings, including PRRC recovery team meetings/huddles, Social Work team meetings, Social Work supervision meetings, and other committees and workgroups, as appropriate.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 0800-1630; the nature of the role may require being available for emergent situations on evenings and weekends. Telework: Ad-hoc may be available at supervisory discretion. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 94216-0, 94217-0 EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more