Summary

The VA Northern California Health Care System Mental Health Service is currently recruiting for a Senior Social Workers for the Mental Health Triage position in the Fairfield location. While some telework may be approved for a portion of the week as appropriate - please note this is not a 100% virtual position. One day a week - services will be provided at the Mare Island clinic - located in Vallejo.

Qualifications

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
• 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
• 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
• English Language Proficiency: Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005 - Part II - chapter 3 - section A - paragraph 3j - this part
• 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)
• 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 - 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
• Reference: VA handbook 5005 Part II Appendix G39 Physical Requirements: Physical Demands of the work are generally minor
• The work is primarily sedentary - although the stress involved in dealing continually with persons in emotional distress and who may be uncooperative makes this work notably more demanding than most sedentary jobs.

Duties

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Responsibilities are focused on providing direct services - as well as consultative and educational activities
• Incumbent employs full range of treatment modalities with individuals - couples - families - and groups
• Services will generally be provided in the clinic - and under certain circumstances - via telehealth
• The incumbent will focus primarily on addressing the crisis mental health needs of Veterans who often are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical - behavioral health - financial - legal and psychosocial concerns
• Major duties include - but are not limited to: Assesses crisis situations - formulates crisis plans - provides crisis interventions and follow up intervention services - developing individualized treatment plans - with particular regard for addressing situations related to harm to self - others or grave disability
• Incumbent will perform 5150 admissions as well as voluntary admissions to county programs
• Reviews all consults/referrals for Veterans requesting mental health services
• Determines the urgency of the request
• arranges an appointment for evaluation - ensuring that consults are responded to in a timely fashion
• Responsible for maintaining required clinical records - evaluating and monitoring service delivery and outcomes
• Provides specialized services for complex patients with service delivery to include intake evaluation - diagnostic assessments - psychotherapy and patient education
• Participates in development of a treatment plan for each patient with whom major contact is expected - with measurable goals outlined - based on relevant psychological - medical and psychiatric information and principles of treatment matching
• Complies with national and local performance measures - including timely health care screening and completion of clinical reminders for all patients
• Attends regularly scheduled treatment team meetings to ensure efficiency and continuity of service delivery to specialized patient populations
• Completes all clinical charting and documentation required by the Medical Center or healthcare system
• Assist patients in the preparation of materials needed for applications to various agencies for entitlements
• Serve as the clinic consultant for information on negotiating the complex processes patients encounter when interacting with government and community agencies
• Uses diagnostic knowledge of the patient's need(s) to make referrals to a variety of VA and non-VA resources in support of the treatment objective of the patient
• Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM Telework: Telework if approved would be on a regularly scheduled basis - but this is not a remote or virtual position
• Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #:000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified applicants
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required