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USAJOBS · 2 months ago

Senior Social Worker-Intensive Community Mental Health Recovery

Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Full-time

Onsite

Mid, Senior Level

$98K/yr - $127K/yr

2+ years exp

USAJOBS is seeking a Senior Social Worker for the Veterans Health Administration. The role involves providing intensive recovery-oriented mental health services to Veterans with serious mental illnesses, ensuring they can live meaningful lives within their communities.

ConsultingGovernmentHuman ResourcesInformation TechnologyInternetStaffing Agency

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

The incumbent will participate on a multi-disciplinary team that meets daily to serve Veterans with complex mental health, medical, and co-morbid disorders, or who display increased risk for mild to moderate disruptive behavior

The incumbent is also responsible for providing case management for a caseload of Veterans in the ICMHR program, many of whom may be at elevated risk for suicidal thoughts, behavior, or active psychosis

The incumbent will be expected to remain informed of best practices within the fields of mental health and psychosocial rehabilitation/recovery

The incumbent may be asked to provide training to staff related to coding, CPRS documentation, and best practices within the field

The incumbent may accompany intern/practicum students or GS-9 and GS-11 social workers on home or community visits when a Veteran has a complex presentation

The incumbent will model the advanced level of practice and provide consultation to less experienced social workers

The Senior Social Worker will be assigned and independently manage more complex Veterans within their program area. This will be determined based on the Veteran's acuity, severity of condition, diagnosis, or other programmatic guidelines as defined within the section they report to

The Senior Social Worker will function as the subject matter expert in addition to serving as the lead social worker for their assigned team

The Senior Social Worker will perform at least one or more of the following: process improvement tasks, supervision of social workers for advanced practice licensure or the graduate trainee program, act as a mentor for less experienced social workers, participate in or chair committees or groups that impact social work practice, and/or lead the rollout of evidence-based practices

The Senior Social Worker may be expected to act as a surrogate to the ICMHR Program Manager for CPRS purposes, cosigning notes/consults/orders and providing clinical guidance when appropriate or necessary

The incumbent is responsible for providing clinical case management for a caseload of Veterans enrolled in ICMHR, which also includes clinical responsibility

The incumbent will provide evidence-based and recovery-oriented practices as part of the ICMHR program. Examples of practice include Social Skills Training (SST), Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Life Goals

The incumbent is responsible for collecting and submitting ICMHR participant data as outlined by NEPEC evaluation procedures

The incumbent is responsible for providing ICMHR case management. Case management is defined as the provision of services by VA clinical staff to Veterans living with serious mental illness and includes all activities to provide appropriate treatment and resources to support the Veteran's recovery and living in their communities

The incumbent coordinates care, including serving as an advocate on behalf of Veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery, and linking and referring Veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices, and/or community agencies

Incumbent must possess and maintain a current valid state driver's license

The incumbent complies with criminal conflict of interest laws and Executive Branch Standards of Conduct to avoid conflicts of interest while serving as the Senior Social Worker

The incumbent actively participates in ICMHR Program conference calls and attends training offered by the National ICMHR Program

The incumbent is responsible for following VHA Handbooks, local policies, and SOPs for the Medical Center and ICMHR Services. This includes following policies and documentation requirements as needed for The Joint Commission (TJC) accreditation

The incumbent actively participates in program planning and development, advising the supervisor of shifting trends with caseloads, and identifying the need for and making recommendations on program procedures or policy changes based upon work experiences

Performs other related duties as assigned

Qualification

Master's in Social WorkLicensed Social WorkerAdvanced Clinical SkillsEvidence-Based PracticesCase ManagementCrisis InterventionAdvocacyTeam CollaborationCommunication SkillsMentoring

Required

Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job

Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959

Must be proficient in written and spoken English

Subject to background/security investigation

Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process

Must pass pre-employment physical examination

Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

Complete all application requirements detailed in the 'Required Documents' section of this announcement

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)

Licensure: Persons hired or reassigned to the social worker position GS-0185 series in the VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level

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 must be licensed or certified by a state at the advanced practice level which included an advanced generalist or clinical examination

Skill in a range of specialized interventions and treatment modalities used in specialty treatment programs or with special patient populations

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

Ability to provide specialized consultation to colleagues and students on the psychosocial treatment of patients in the service delivery area

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

Preferred

The ideal candidate will have advanced clinical experience working with individuals living with serious mental illness, particularly within community-based or recovery-oriented settings

Preferred qualifications include demonstrated proficiency in evidence-based practices such as Social Skills Training (SST), Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Experience with Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) principles, interdisciplinary team collaboration, and intensive case management is highly desirable

Prior experience supervising or mentoring social workers, participating in program development, and leading quality improvement initiatives is also preferred

A valid driver license and willingness to travel throughout the Eastern Colorado Health Care System are required