Social Worker-Mental Health Clinic/BHIP
What you'd do
The Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VISN 8), West Palm Beach VA Healthcare System is seeking a licensed Social Worker (GS-0185-11) for the Mental Health Clinic (MHC) within the Social Work Service.
Major duties
This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount up to $200,000 & eligibility period one to five years are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. The incumbent is responsible for planning, developing, and implementing professional social work services for patients and families facing personal and psychosocial implications of mental health care, ranging from routine cases to extremely complex situations involving depression, end-of-life care, hospice, advance directives, and major adjustments to chronic or debilitating illnesses. Operating at the full performance level as an independent practitioner, the social worker employs a complete range of social work methods individually or in groups, provides psychotherapy case management back-up coverage, and serves as an active member of a multi-disciplinary treatment team. Major Duties Conducts thorough psychosocial assessments, provides short-term solution-focused and supportive counseling for individuals and families in crisis, and establishes therapeutic relationships to address complex medical, psychiatric, and behavioral problems. Participates actively as a treatment team member to develop and implement resident-centered treatment plans and collaborates on timely discharge planning. Provides education and consultation to Veterans, families, and staff regarding community resources, VA benefits, specialty programs, mental health diagnoses (DSM-V), and advance directives. Delivers comprehensive case management across the continuum of care, completes mental health high-risk assessments, and executes appropriate referrals. Supports facility missions and policies, participates in performance improvement tracking and data validation, maintains productivity standards, and may provide clinical supervision or preceptor oversight to social work trainees and junior staff. Candidates must possess a master's degree in social work (MSW) from a graduate program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and hold a state license to practice at the independent level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm. Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. 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: Not available. Functional Statement #: 40057F EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance. Learn more
What you need to qualify
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: Be a citizen of the United States. Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. English Language Proficiency: You must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f). Education: You must possess 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/. GS-11 Social Worker 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. While we no longer require essay-style responses to our Knowledge's Skills, Abilities, and Other Characteristics (KSAOs), you must be able to demonstrate that you possess the (below) competencies which are necessary to perform the work of the position. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. These are the KSA's for this subject position: GS-11 Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities: (1) Knowledge of community resources, how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services, and ability to coordinate services. (2) Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic, educational, and other backgrounds. (3) 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. (4) 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. (5) 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. Preferred Experience: 2 Years post graduate school. Mental Health experience preferred. 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 GS-11.
Before you apply
Federal applications are different: your resume should be 3–5 pages and mirror the language of this announcement. Read our federal resume guide first — it's the #1 reason qualified people get screened out.
Don't miss the next one.
Get an email the moment a similar federal job opens — postings can close in as little as 5 days.