Summary

The Durham Health Care System's Primary Care/Mental Health Integration Teams (PC/MH Integration) operate within the Primary Care Clinic setting. The incumbent provides mental health expertise and support to the Primary Care Clinic providers relative to Veteran patients experiencing primarily depression and/or problem drinking behaviors.

Qualifications

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
• 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/
• If not fully licensed at an acceptable independent social work practice level - a candidate has 3 years to become fully licensed as a condition of employment
• 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: Knowledge of Current Professional Social Work Practices: To be creditable - the experience must have required the use of knowledge - skills - abilities - and other characteristics associated with current professional social work practice
• The experience or education must be post-MSW degree
• Experience and education satisfying this requirement must be active professional practice - which is paid/non-paid employment as a professional social worker - as defined by the appropriate state licensing board
• Quality of Experience: Experience is only creditable if it is obtained following graduation with a master's degree in social work and if it includes work as a professional social worker directly related to the position to be filled
• Qualifying experience must also be at a level comparable to social work experience at the next lower level
• Social Worker - GS-11: (This is the full performance level.) Experience and Licensure: Appointment to the GS-11 grade level requires completion of a minimum of one year of post-MSW experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level in the field of health care or other social work-related settings - (VA or non-VA experience) and licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level
• OR Education: In addition to meeting basic requirements - a doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required one year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting
• Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - and Abilities: In addition to the basic requirements above - candidates must demonstrate all of the following KSAs: Knowledge of community resources - how to make appropriate referrals to community and other governmental agencies for services - and ability to coordinate services
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments and treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic - educational - and other backgrounds
• Knowledge of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities and treatment procedures (i.e
• acute - chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries - common medications and their effects/side effects - and medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan
• Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals - families - and groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric - medical - and social problems to achieve treatment goals
• Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers - social work graduate students - and other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and compliance with treatment
• Assignments: At the full performance level GS-11 - social workers are licensed or certified to independently practice social work
• They are assigned to all program areas - including Medicine and Surgery - Primary and Specialty Care - Mental Health and Substance Abuse - Extended Care - Homeless Services - Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) - Health Care Centers (HCCs) and other community based VA programs and clinics
• Preferred Experience: Experience working on an interdisciplinary team
• Clinical experience (i.e
• brief psychosocial assessments - treatment planning - brief individual and group psychotherapy) in outpatient clinic/ setting
• Certifications or use of evidence based therapies
• Working knowledge and experience using medical and mental health diagnosis - provision of crisis intervention - and licensed to bill independently
• Loss of Licensure or Certification: Once licensed or certified - social workers must maintain a full - valid and unrestricted independent license or certification to remain qualified for employment
• Loss of licensure or certification will result in removal from the GS-185 social work series and may result in termination of employment
• Failure to Obtain License or Certification
• In all cases - social workers must actively pursue meeting state prerequisites for licensure or certification starting from the date of their appointment
• At the time of appointment - the supervisor - Chief Social Work or Social Work Executive will provide the unlicensed/uncertified social worker with the written requirements for licensure or certification - including the time by which the license or certification must be obtained and the consequences for not becoming licensed or certified by the deadline
• Failure to become licensed or certified within the proscribed amount of time will result in removal from the GS-185 social work series and may result in termination of employment
• For the GS-09 - VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment - the incumbent must become licensed or certified at the independent - master's level within 3 years of their appointment as a social worker
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11
• Physical Requirements: There are no special physical qualifications to perform the work
• The work requires the ability to move around an office and/or the facility
• The work is performed in offices and meeting rooms.

Duties

• VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional DUTIES INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TOO: Independently performs case finding functions and outreach - identifying and screening patients for psychosocial needs
• Incumbent must possess the knowledge and ability to independently implement treatment modalities - provide counseling or psychotherapy for individuals - families and groups
• Psychotherapy will be evidence-based in nature whenever available for a particular condition and the incumbent will utilize best practices to the extent possible in all patient care interactions
• Independently conducts psychosocial assessments - utilizes most current edition of the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as the basis for diagnostic impressions and conclusions
• Develops treatment plans in collaboration with the veteran/family and with the interdisciplinary treatment team
• Incumbent possesses the skills to offer psychosocial interventions and measures outcomes to interventions
• Incumbent can coordinate community-based services - including information and referral for additional services from other VA programs - other government programs and community agency programs
• Independently identifies high-risk patients and provides case management services
• Incumbent provides crisis intervention services - seeking to address the cause as well as the presenting complaint - coordinates family conferences and serves as liaison to family members
• Has working knowledge and experience in use of medical and mental health diagnoses - disabilities and treatment procedures
• This includes acute - chronic and traumatic illnesses/injuries - common medications and their effects/side effects - and medical terminology
• Coordinates contact with the facility Suicide Prevention Coordinator where clinically warranted for a veteran patient under his/her care
• Establishes and maintains effective therapeutic relationships with veterans and their families
• Incumbent independently works with patients and families who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric - medical and social problems utilizing individual - group and family therapy skills
• Incumbent will operate from a psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery model of care in all veteran patient and family interactions
• Independently provides consultation services to other staff regarding the psychosocial needs of veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to treatment plan - Ability to evaluate incumbents own practice through professional peer review - case conferences and other organizational means
• Incumbent communicates effectively - both orally and in writing - with people from varied backgrounds
• General knowledge of Veterans' benefits and services relating to special programs - service-connected compensation - non-service connected pension - facilitates referrals based upon Veterans' needs and eligibility
• Provides training to students - residents - interns - and fellows from other disciplines
• Instructs them on psychosocial treatment and on the services available from Social Workers
• Helps them understand family dynamics and the impact of psychosocial issues and problems on the veteran's health and response to treatment
• Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year) Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Telework: (Adhoc) at the supervisors discretion Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized