The Primary Purpose of the Position is: Suicide Prevention (SP) is program that provides intensive case management, intervention support, education, and outreach to VANTHCS staff, Veterans receiving services from VANTHCS and persons living in the VANTHCS service area. The Organizational Location of the Position is: VA North Texas Health Care System, Mental Health Division, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Bonham, Texas. 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. 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: Data collection, management and presentation Case Management Mental Health Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Management of metrics, including SAIL and presenting to constituents Respond to Veteran Crisis Line calls Complete suicide prevention outreaches in community settings 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, 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. Assignments. For all assignments above the full performance level, the higher-level duties must consist of significant scope, complexity (difficulty), and variety and be performed by the incumbent at least 25% of the time. Senior social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work at an advanced level. Senior social workers typically practice in a major program area such as but not limited to: Polytrauma Rehabilitation Center or Polytrauma Network Site; a Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Center, or a national VHA referral center, such as a national Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or a national Transplant Center, or other program areas of equivalent scope and complexity. The senior social worker may be assigned administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Assignments include clinical settings where they have limited access to onsite supervision such as CBOCs or satellite outpatient clinics. 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 Spinal Cord Injury Center 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). DIVERSITY/INCLUSION STATEMENT FOR MH SERVICE RECRUITMENT: 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 supports the SP Program by providing intensive case management, psychotherapy engagement and ensuring continuity of care. The Senior Social Worker provides on-going use of case management and psychotherapy interventions to promote sustained mental health stabilization. The Senior Social Worker is an expert at the community mental health resources and available to assist all SP staff, VANTHCS staff, Veterans and community members at large who may be receiving care from any VANTHCS program or team by linking them to supportive resources found within Veterans Affairs and the community at large. The Senior Social Worker will function as the liaison between the Veteran and various needed resources to ensure appropriate coordination of care. The Senior Social Worker provides psychotherapy, including evidence-based psychotherapy in which the provider is certified to the Veteran in an individual or group setting. Functions/Duties: Performs specialized treatment of complex physical or mental illness as it relates to mental health illness, severe mental health illness and comorbid substance use disorders. Incumbent incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved scope of practice. Expands clinical knowledge in the profession, demonstrating innovation in the creation of new models of psychosocial assessment or intervention to identify and address specialized clinical needs of mental health, severe mental health, substance use disorders and comorbid. Ability to write policies, procedures, and/or practice guidelines pertaining to the specialty population or specialty treatment program. Develops and implements methods for measuring effectiveness of social work practice and services, utilizing outcome evaluations and use of evidence-based treatment modalities that are effective with Veterans who struggle with mental health illness, severe mental health illness, comorbid and substance use disorders along with medically and psychiatrically complex conditions. Incumbent also provides specialized assessments, and treatment planning, as well as mental health, severe mental health, substance use disorders and comorbid consultation, to other team members to provide interventions and strategies for engagement for difficult to engage clients. Independently conducts comprehensive assessments and develops treatment plans in collaboration with Veteran, family, and interdisciplinary treatment team. Monitor e-consults, complete assessments, and make recommendations to the SP Team in addition to provide direct clinical care to Veterans struggling with mental health illness, severe mental health illness, substance use disorder and comorbid concerns. Develops and maintains effective partnerships with other VANTHCS mental health, severe mental health, substance abuse disorders, comorbid, and suicide prevention leadership guidelines regarding access to VA mental health programs within VISN 17, including use of VA contracted care. Participates in SP, team meetings related to Veterans enrolled in mental health programs to ensure good transitions of care for population served. Develops and provides ongoing training and in-services to multidisciplinary team members in area of expertise. Responds to Veteran Crisis Line contacts, provides coordinator for these Veterans appropriate services, monitors Veterans who are flagged high risk for suicide, provides suicide prevention training within VANTHCS and out in the community, participated in community suicide prevention outreach activities assigned by the Program Manager, as appropriate assists with REACHVET processes, and monitors Veterans who are flagged high risk for suicide for mental health appointment follow-up. In addition to the specialty specific job duties listed above the SP Senior Social Worker is also required to perform the general social worker duties required as a clinician in the Mental Health Division. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 00000\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]