The VISN Clinical Resource Hub (CRH) Suicide Prevention National Telehealth Program Social Worker position is a VISN-based position located in VISN 8. This position falls under the general supervision of the VISN 8 CRH MH Section Chief. Employee will report onsite at any main VISN 8 medical facility: Bay Pines, NFSG (Gainesville), Miami, Tampa, Orlando, West Palm Beach, or Caribbean (San Juan).
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/. 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: In addition to meeting the basic requirements stated above, the following qualifications criteria must be met in determining the appropriate grade assignment of candidates. GS-12 Senior Social Worker candidates must have the following: Experience/Education: The candidate must have at least two (2) years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure and should be in a specialized area of social work practice of which, one (1) 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. 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: 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. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of the work requires use of fingers; moderate walking and standing; near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4; far vision correctable in on eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other; hearing aid permitted; clear speech; emotional stability; moderate duty.
As part of a Suicide Prevention National Telehealth Program team, the incumbent is expected to possess strong clinical skills to provide treatment for mental health disorders relevant to Veterans at risk for suicide. The incumbent must use a high level of skill in assessing and treating the complex factors of suicidality. Incumbent thoroughly reviews the medical record and previous psychosocial assessments when the Veteran is referred, consulting with the referring provider as needed, and will complete an assessment of current symptoms/functioning/needs and provide a thorough treatment plan when a Veteran engages in CRH mental health services. Incumbent will provide evidence-based suicide prevention psychotherapies and interventions such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention, Advanced Safety Planning, Problem Solving Therapy for Suicide Prevention, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Incumbent will also provide crisis intervention within the context of treatment. Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Maintains high level of skill and expertise to establish and maintain effective therapeutic relationships with Veterans and their families. Independently works with Veterans and their families who are experiencing a wide range of complicated medical, psychiatric, emotional, behavioral, and psychosocial problems within the context of suicide risk. Completes a current psychosocial assessment to determine the psychosocial functioning and needs of Veterans, after thorough review of the medical record. The incumbent must be able to utilize this assessment and the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guidelines for Assessment and Management of Patients at Risk for Suicide (2019) in facilitating the Veteran's maximum use of treatment for attainment of the highest level of recovery that is possible and practicable. Facilitates enrollment and discharge planning through collaboration with Veterans and their families as well as interdisciplinary treatment team members to ensure that appropriate plans are executed in a timely manner. Also, incumbent will address treatment compliance and "no-shows" when needed with patients. Serves as a liaison between Veterans and their families and VA and community resources in order to ensure thorough delivery of suicide prevention-related services. Possesses knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities and to provide counseling and/or skills groups for Veterans and families. This will be achieved through future completion of training program curriculums and demonstrations of competency, as determined by standard programmatic ratings Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm Telework: Yes - as determined by the agency policy Employee will report onsite at any main VISN 8 medical facility: Bay Pines, NFSG (Gainesville), Miami, Tampa, Orlando, West Palm Beach, or Caribbean (San Juan) Functional Statement #: 10105F