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This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application. 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). Grandfathering Provision: The following is the standard grandfathering policy for all title 38 hybrid qualification standards. Please carefully review the qualification standard to determine the specific education and/or licensure/certification/registration requirements that apply to this occupation. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. For employees who do not meet all of the basic requirements in this standard, but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it, the following provisions apply: Such employees in an occupation that requires a licensure or certification, may be reassigned, promoted up to and including the full performance (journey) level, or changed to lower grade within the occupation, but may not be promoted beyond the journey level or placed in supervisory or managerial positions. Employees who are appointed on a temporary basis prior to the effective date of the qualification standard may not have their temporary appointment extended or be reappointed, on a temporary or permanent basis, until they fully meet the basic requirements of the standard. Employees initially grandfathered into this occupation, who subsequently obtain additional education and/or licensure/certification/registration that meet all of the basic requirements of this qualification standard must maintain the required credentials as a condition of employment in the occupation. If an employee who was retained in an occupation listed in 38 U.S.C. § 7401(3) under this provision leaves that occupation, the employee loses protected status and must meet the full VA qualification standard requirements in effect at the time of reentry to the occupation. NOTE: If social workers covered under the grandfathering provision of the 1991 Federal law regarding licensure or certification of VHA social workers leave the GS-0185 social work series, they lose the grandfathering protection. If they choose to return at a later date to the GS-0185 series, they must be licensed or certified to qualify for employment as a social worker. 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: 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, Part II, Appendix G39 Preferred Experience: At least 5 years of experience providing treatment to Veterans. Experience in providing evidence based treatments for PTSD. The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position involve primarily walking, sitting, talking, use of fingers, both hands required, Near vision correctable at 13" to 16" to Jaeger 1 to 4, Far vision correctable in one eye to 20/20 and to 20/40 in the other, Hearing (aid permitted). ["Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: Contact susan.bringel@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Position provides Mental Health services to the veteran population enrolled at the San Francisco VA Medical Center System. The position will be stationed at the Santa Rosa CBOC, but the incumbent may work remotely depending upon the needs of the clinic. Services include provision of high quality psychotherapy services, with a specialized social work focus which embraces a client-focused, person-in-the-environment perspective to guide services rendered in a holistic treatment plan. Such services include evidence-based psychotherapies, case management, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers / agencies as needed by the patient and determined by a holistic treatment plan. This is accomplished in collaboration with other members of the Mental Health Service or other interdisciplinary treatment teams as appropriate. The Mental Health Senior Social Worker (MHSSW) has a role of expanding the clinical knowledge in the profession, providing consultation and guidance to colleagues, both within social work and within other disciplines including psychiatry, psychology, marriage and family therapists and nursing. The MHSSW role models effective social work practice skills in a mental health setting, teaches or provides orientation to less experienced staff (which may include social workers, psychiatrists, psychologist and nurses), develops and implements innovations in practice interventions. The MHSSW provides clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification, and may also provide supervision for social work, psychiatry, psychology, and /or nursing trainees. The MHSSW is assigned to administrative responsibility for clinical program development and is accountable for clinical program effectiveness and modification of service patterns. Duties of the position include, but are not limited to: Screen, triage and/or conduct an intake evaluation on the veteran and/or family, in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the veteran, family members and significant others. Determine the appropriate treatment, level of care and determine the mental health specialized services appropriate for the veteran and/or the family's needs. Develop a comprehensive understanding of the veteran's issues, including providing a DSM V diagnosis to guide treatment planning. Demonstrates an understanding of the range of treatment needed for all patients. Performs specialized treatment of veterans diagnosed with severe, persistent and complex mental illness. Responsible for developing the treatment plan, and setting achievable treatment goals with the veteran/family. Demonstrates a high level of skill in interfacing with clinicians within both the medical center and the community in the development of the treatment plan and case management. Provide expert level individual, group, couples/family therapy as well as case management service for diagnostically highly complex veterans and their families. Provide expert consultation as needed to staff and trainees in various mental health disciplines. Review and co-sign the notes of unlicensed masters level social workers. Subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources and will readily consult with other professionals to formulate the best treatment plan for the veteran and/or family. Provide these resources to veterans on their caseload, or consult with medical social workers whose specialized expertise on resources and benefits is needed in certain cases. Provide consultation and advice about resources for those patients not on their caseload but within their clinical setting, thus consulting with medical social work services as indicated to facilitate effective treatment collaboration and execution. Act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the veteran/family. Experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs. Readily support and consult with other disciplines acting in triage capacities. Actively consult with the Suicide Prevention Coordinator overseeing high risk veterans in their clinical setting. Provides education on mental health issues of specialized scope to the VA, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Military Sexual Trauma, evidence-based treatments, and/or working with returning veterans. Enter all veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates. Establish and maintain positive working relationships with employees, volunteers, consumers and stakeholders within the VA and outside community agencies."]

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