If you are a current, permanent VA employee or Federal employee from another agency, you should apply under CBST-11494772-22-ER. The Senior Social Worker Substance Use Disorder practices in the Mental Health Service to provide services as a licensed clinical social worker working at an advanced practice level. Practicing at the advanced level will require specialized knowledge of practice related to a diagnosis, i.e., substance use disorder and patient population, co-occurring disorders. 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: Prefer candidate with experience and interest in treating substance use disorder (SUD) and SUD with challenging comorbid conditions, and who enjoys outpatient, residential care, and case management. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker, GS-12 Experience and 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. Examples of creditable experience include but not limited to independently asses psychosocial functioning, facilitate treatment plan with interdisciplinary team using medical and mental health diagnoses knowledge, provide case management and care coordination, links patient with services, resources, and opportunities, conducts assessment of at-risk patient to identify immediate needs, provides interventions independently for patient and families/care giver, provide range of interventions and treatment modalities, and provide consultation to staff about psychosocial needs of patients. Resume must include hours per week for work experience credit. 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, candidates 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II Appendix G39, Social Worker Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Moderate lifting (15-44 pounds) and light carrying (under 15 pounds), use of fingers, hands required, ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously, near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, 20/50 one, 20/100 other, hearing (aid permitted), mental and emotional stability and ability to hear conversational voice (aid permitted). Environmental factors include protracted or irregular hours of work. (See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services). ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The duties of the Senior Social Worker SUD in Mental Health Service include but are not limited to: 1. Provide specialized evidence-based treatment to Veterans enrolled in the (SUD service). The population served may lack familial and community support, be poor self-monitors, have difficulty adhering to recommended treatment due to the nature of their mental illness or other psychosocial barriers, and may have major deficits in coping skills and require intensive professional psychological support.\n2. Function as a licensed independent provider of mental health/SUD services.\n3. Conduct full psychosocial diagnostic evaluations using the most current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Psychiatric Disorders.\n4. Responsible for screening, assessing, treatment planning, clinical care provision, leading treatment plan reviews for improving outcomes, and\ndischarge planning at an advanced practice level.\n5. Represents the social work profession and perspective on a multidisciplinary team that may include other social workers, nurses, psychologists,\npsychiatrists, and other disciplines.\n6. Provide and maintain expertise regarding VA and community psychosocial resources.\n7. Participate in program development within their assigned program including community outreach.\n8. Participate in tracking the care of Veterans as they move through the treatment process and be involved in measuring treatment outcomes using testing and other measures.\n9. Utilize outcome evaluations to further treatment and design system changes based on empirical findings.\n10. Responsible for participating in clinical program development and is accountable to clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns.\n11. Work as indicated in collaboration with the Veterans Justice Outreach Coordinator, Peer Support Specialist, or any other VA employee for any justice involved Veterans they are treating who are in legal processes or enrolled in Veterans Treatment Court, assuring timely comprehensive assessment, treatment recommendations, reporting, documentation, and thorough treatment planning.\n12. Work in conjunction with the other disciplines to partner in the care of Veterans with complex biopsychosocial needs.\n13. Demonstrates the ability to teach and mentor staff and students in their special area of practice and to provide supervision for licensure or specialty\ncertifications.\n14. Responsible for the independent planning and provision of treatment services for those veterans assigned to his/her case-management.\n15. Independently identifies high-risk patients and provides safety planning, crisis intervention, coordinates staffing with other team members and/or family conferences when clinically indicated.\n16. Grow and maintain a thorough knowledge of relevant continuum of care and or wrap around services including specialized, residential, and other\nservices in the community and VA that specifically serve the Veteran populations they are working with.\n17. Able to identify Veterans in need of additional specialized care outside their immediate service system and work with the admissions personnel of such appropriate other programs or services within or outside the VA or community to secure needed treatment for Veterans.\n18. Serve as a resource and point of contact throughout the facility for the mental health needs of Veterans.\n19. Serves in a liaison capacity, arranging referral of veteran for adjunctive diagnostic treatment, and ancillary services within the VHSO, VHA and community based agencies and organizations as required.\n20. Participate in the development of a plan of care for each patient assigned, with measurable goals outlined, based on relevant psychological, medical, and psychiatric treatment information.\n21. Possess a general understanding of medication effects/side effects, and medical terminology.\n22. Fulfill all duties as a mandated reporter of elder and child abuse and neglect.\n23. Evaluate his/her own practice through professional peer review, case conferences, and other organizational means.\n24. Communicate professionally, effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds in the service of our Veterans.\n25. Meet the needs of Veterans while supporting the VA mission.\n26. Provide Veterans and their families with consistent information per established policies and procedures.\n27. Keep thorough and complete records of their encounters with Veterans in the computerized record system (CPRS).\n28. May place Urine Drug Screens (UDS), Blood Alcohol Levels (BAL) orders. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8 am to 4:30 pm\nTelework: Not Available\nVirtual: This is not a virtual position.\nFunctional Statement #: 564-00430-F\nRelocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized\nPermanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized\nFinancial Disclosure Report: Not required"]