Social Worker PTSD Specialist

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 - Candidates must 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 - Social workers at the GS-12 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.

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).

02Experience

In additional to meeting the basic requirements as stated above, you must have the following:Grade Determinations:GS-12 Level: Senior Social Workers must posses 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, and are able to demonstrate the following knowledge, skills and abilities: 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.

03Preferred Experience

Clinical experience with Psychotherapy, Trauma Focused Therapy Preferred (CPT, PE, EMDR, DBT), Experience with Military/Veteran 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-12.

04Physical Requirements

All candidates must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Candidates must meet the physical requirements outlined in Section II and Section VI of the OPM Operating Manual, Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions and must possess emotional and mental stability

The incumbent is assigned to the Knoxville Outpatient Clinic mental health program and serves as the PTSP Specialist for the clinic. This PTSP Specialist provides specialized psychological services at all levels of complexity, with service delivery to include intake evaluation, diagnostic assessments, psychotherapy, and patient education. The incumbent will serve as the point of contact and manager for all Outpatient Post Traumatic Stress Program (PTSP) consults.

When completing intake evaluations for consults, this Specialist will have the ability to incorporate complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment. The specialist will use their specialized knowledge to consult with medical center staff on a wide variety of complex patient care issues and serve as a subject matter expert. This Social Worker will have the ability to expand clinical knowledge in the social work profession and serve as a mentor for less experienced social workers.

Duties include but are not limited to: Point of contact for WCT PTSP referrals and consults. Provides the required 24 hour triage of all PTSP consults which will include screening or assessment, and ensuring that all referrals are scheduled in a timely manner that is consistent with assessment and VA policies regarding scheduling.

Performs intake evaluation and diagnostic assessments, able to incorporate multiple causation in differential diagnosis for Veterans requesting treatment for PTSD and other primarily trauma related mental health conditions. Meets regularly with PTSP Coordinator / staff at the James H. Quillen VA Medical Center or other VISN Leads to coordinate ongoing implementation policies and procedures and to learn about advances in clinical practice.

Attends all appropriate staff meetings (interdisciplinary treatment team meetings, Mental Health Service, Social Work Service, and other committees. Collaborates in the performance improvement processes and complies with performance measures as required by the VA for services. Participates in activities that obtain feedback from Veterans and works to enhance services as needed. Completes all administrative and/or treatment activities assigned by the Specialty Mental Health Supervisor and the PTSP Coordinator.

Coordinates with other mental health and primary care providers at WCT in the service of programs for veterans with substance use disorders. Responsible for developing treatment plans utilizing the MH Treatment Planning software, and setting achievable and measurable treatment goals with the Veteran, family, and/or significant others.

Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 7:45am- 4:30pm Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact http://[email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance.

Learn more Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade).

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) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior [work experience] or military service experience. 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 Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 61696-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized