This is an open continuous announcement for multiple work centers in the Mental Health service. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. 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. 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/. English Language Proficiency. Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). 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 Senior Social Workers 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. 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. In addition to the experience above, candidates must demonstrate the Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs): 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. References: VA Handbook 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Services. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU Primary Care Mental Health Integration (PCMHI)- The incumbent functions as part of an interdisciplinary primary care team, working closely with Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) members to provide consultation, facilitate warm-hand offs, and offer adjunctive interventions for treatment of medical disorders. Also provides risk evaluations, functional assessments, and mental health support for patients with mild to moderate mental health symptoms. Provides brief individual and group therapy, utilizing protocols such as Problem-Solving Therapy and Motivational Interviewing, in line with the PCMHI model of care. Provide in-person and virtual assessment, individual, and group treatments to Veterans recovering from Substance Use Disorders(SUD Chemical Dependency Center (CDC)-The incumbent provides in-person and virtual assessment, individual, and group treatments to Veterans recovering from Substance Use Disorders (SUD). Services in the CDC include three levels of addiction recovery programming (outpatient, intensive outpatient or IOP, and residential) as well as close collaboration with our Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) team. Preference will be given to applicants with training/experience in empirically standardized treatment approaches such as Motivational Interviewing (MI), Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET), CBT-SUD, and Contingency Management (CM), as well as passion for program development and process improvement. Emergency Department (ED)- The incumbent provides crisis intervention to all veterans who come through the Emergency Department with a mental health diagnosis. The incumbent completes assessments and consults with Psychiatry and Emergency Room Physicians to determine most appropriate level of care. The incumbent is knowledgeable of community resources. Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP)- The incumbent is assigned to the outpatient Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) within the Mental Health Service. The incumbent provides screenings, intake evaluations for diagnosis and treatment planning, individual and group psychotherapy, treatment plans, case management, and other clinical services for Veterans with co-occurring mental disorders and medical problems. Family and Martial Therapy Clinic (FMT) -The incumbent is assigned to the Family Mental Health Clinic within Mental Health Service and primarily provides family and couple's therapy. Veteran Justice Outreach (VJO) - The VJO Coordinator's primary responsibilities are to provide education and consultation to local police, courts, community agencies and first responders. Also, the VJO provides case management, treatment planning, program referral and placement assistance. The VJO will assist with eligibility, benefits and services as well as linkage to VA and community services. PTSD Clinic: The incumbent is assigned to the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinical Team (PCT), which is part of the Trauma Recovery Center (TRC). This incumbent functions as a member of the PTSD team and provides diagnostic intake evaluations and individual and group psychotherapy utilizing evidence-based treatments to Veterans with PTSD. HUD-VASH Case Manager: The incumbent is assigned to HUD-VASH as a Case Manager within the Mental Health Service working with Veterans who have substance abuse and mental Illness. The incumbent leads an interdisciplinary team that provides intense case management for Veterans who present as homeless and in need of a stable housing environment. Lead case managers are involved in community work/outreach as well as provide intake evaluations for diagnosis, treatment planning, counseling, and group therapy. Lead case managers take on administrative responsibility, program coordination and support. Work Schedule: Most positions are primarily Monday-Friday, 8:00am -4:30pm, but may have occasional evening and weekend hours, based on operational needs. Emergency Department may require, evening, weekends, holidays as needed. Telework: Possibly 1-2 days/week, depending on position Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Permanent Change of Station (PCS): May be authorized for highly qualified candidates Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VA health care teams are deeply experienced and guided by the needs of Veterans, their families, and caregivers. Our medical center provides primary care and specialty health services, including cardiology, mental health care, treatment for spinal cord injuries and disorders, suicide prevention, women’s health services, and more.
The Grand Junction VA Medical Center services those who serve our country providing critical medical services including acute and chronic inpatient and outpatient care. The facility consists of 53-bed capabilities for surgical procedures, specialty care, psychiatric in/outpatient services, as well as a Community Living Center, and social programs and services. The service area encompasses western Colorado and eastern Utah regions and includes the primary VAMC plus four satellite clinics.
