The Senior Social Worker is assigned professionally to the PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) Specialty Mental Health Section of the Phoenix VA Health Care System. In addition to providing direct patient care, the Social Worker communicates and coordinates with the General Mental Health CBOC Section Chief to plan the implementation of services to meet the most significant behavioral health care needs of the Veteran population served. 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/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. English Language Proficiency: Candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English to be appointed as authorized by 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f). Grandfathering Provision: 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). (1) 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: (2) 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. (3) 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. (4) 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. (5) 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. Grade Determinations: Senior Social Worker GS-0185-12:Experience: 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. 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 5005/120, Part II, Appendix G39 Preferred Experience: Advanced experience in providing evidence based psychotherapy for a myriad of mental health concerns. Advanced experience in conducting mental health history and assessments. Ability to practice among a multi-disciplinary team. Physical Requirements: Traveling throughout the medical center and the community is required, as is performing activities involving sitting, walking, and standing, bending and carrying such items as books, papers, and files. In carrying out responsibilities it will be necessary for the incumbent to travel into the community where he/she conducts interviews with the veterans, their families representatives of community health and welfare agencies and law enforcement agencies. ["VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU The incumbent Social Worker will be the Military Sexual Trauma (MST) Social Worker embedded in the PTSD Clinical Team. The position will serve as a point person and source of information and problem-solving for MST-related issues at the Phoenix VA HCS (PHOENIX VA HCS) as well as the affiliated community based outreach centers (CBOC). The incumbent will develop and implement a plan to conduct universal screening at both divisions of the PHOENIX VA HCS and the CBOCs that addresses the importance of sensitivity and confidentiality, and gender-specific concerns. Will maintain documentation of screening of veterans aggregated by gender. Will develop training protocols for all primary care and mental health personnel regarding appropriate methods of screening for MST, the use of the MST clinical reminder, and when/how to triage to mental health services for follow-up care of MST-related issues. Develop and implement a plan for identifying and providing MST training to new employees and primary care and mental health trainees that rotate through Phoenix VA HCS and the CBOCs. Will establish and monitor mechanisms to ensure that veterans with experiences of MST have access to appropriate treatment with timely follow-up and will maintain documentation of referral and treatment services provided to veterans, aggregated by gender. The incumbent will consult with the Director of PHOENIX VA HCS and staff in the Eligibility and Billing Departments to ensure that veterans receiving MST-related counseling and treatment are not charged for inpatient, outpatient, or pharmaceutical co-payments related to MST issues. Interviews veterans and their family members/significant others to establish facts about the veteran's situation, presenting problems and their causes, and the impact of such problems on veteran's functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and benefit programs. Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment, identifying needs and strengths. Effectively uses professional skill, objectively and insight. Uses advanced clinical training, insight and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Assesses high risk factors, acuity and need for services. The Military Sexual Trauma Social Worker must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an ASWB advanced generalist or clinical examination, unless they are grandfathered by the state in which they are licensed to practice at the advance practice level. At least two years should be in an area of specialized social work practice such as sexual trauma, serious mental health diagnoses of PTSD, TBI, mood disorders, geriatrics or complex unstable medical conditions. The incumbent coordinates screening of veterans for specific programs such as PTSD, SARRTP, CNH, OEF/OIF program and provides ongoing treatment and documentation per VA Guidelines and facility policy.The incumbent has a primary responsibility for providing education on advance health care planning and facilitates psycho-educational and support groups on a variety of topics for veteran and their families. The Military Sexual Trauma Social Worker has the ability to expand clinical knowledge in the profession, provide consultation and guidance to colleagues, role model effective social work practice skills, teach or provide orientation to less experienced social workers, develop innovations in practice interventions, and provide clinical supervision for social work licensure or certification. Provides training to Social Work interns, residents and staff from other disciplines. Topics include the impact of psychosocial and psychiatric issues that may directly affect their care. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday; May include evenings and some weekends. Compressed/Flexible: Available with supervisor approval. Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 00000 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required"]

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