Social worker - PTSD Clinic - Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration : Job Details

Summary This position is located within the Behavioral VA Care Line, with primary assignment to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Services located at the Batavia VA Medical Center. The social worker functions as part of an interdisciplinary team, providing comprehensive outpatient and/or residential assessment and treatment to Veterans, as well as clinical consultation and systemic consultation to allied clinicians and administrators. Responsibilities VA Careers - Social Work: Total-Rewards-of-an-Allied-Health-VA-Career-Brochure.pdf Social Work: vacareers.va.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/Total-Rewards-of-a-Social-Worker-Career-Flyer.pdf Social Worker, Duties include but are not limited to: Incumbent's work is primarily concerned with the welfare of patients/families with mental illness that might be at considerable risk of personal damage or emotional involvement which would require particular caution to prevent or minimize destructive consequences. Incumbent is responsible for interviewing Veterans to establish facts regarding the situation, its nature, cause, components and impact on the client. Incumbent interviews Veterans and families, interprets VHA's guidelines and eligibility requirements and completes comprehensive psychosocial history and assessment. Provides comfort, emotional support and other assistance through empirically based therapeutic interventions. Incumbent's work would also include making diagnosis of the Veteran's condition; this would include the incumbent spending sufficient time learning enough about the Veteran affected to understand correctly the present and potential consequences to the client. Incumbent is responsible for insightful assessment of cases involving Veterans with mental illness, who may react to their situations with impulsive behaviors that may be self-destructive and emotional problems that are associated with health conditions. Provide individual and group therapy to Veterans diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the outpatient and/or residential treatment setting. Incumbent provides these clinical services to the Veteran within the policies of the assigned clinical setting. Conducts psychosocial assessments; develops treatment plans in collaboration with the Veteran/family and with interdisciplinary treatment team. 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. Engage in outreach activities as needed to promote awareness of PTSD services. Incumbent is able to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, with people from varied backgrounds. Other duties as assigned. Note: Licensed Social Worker at the GS-11 will perform duties Independently. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 800am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Telework: Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position Functional Statement #: 11359F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You 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. You may be required to serve a probationary period. 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). Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See Additional Information below for details. Qualifications 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 to verify that the social work degree meets the 3 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 English Language Proficiency. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English. 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 for Social Worker, GS-11: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. NOTE: For appointment licensure or certification at this level please refer to paragraph 3c. 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. AND, Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to the experience 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, cultural, ethnic, educational and other diversified 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, 7 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. Preferred Experience: Certification/training in Cognitive Progressing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and/or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Seasoned experience in providing clinical individual and group therapy for PTSD of at least 3 years. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-11. Physical Requirements: Work is sedentary but also demands standing, walking, bending, twisting, and carrying light items. Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: Additional Information During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act. The Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act (or the Act) prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from requesting applicant criminal history record information before extending a conditional or tentative offer of employment. In accordance with 5 U.S.C § 9202(c) and 5 C.F.R § 920.201 certain positions are exempt from the provisions of the Act. Applicants who believe they have been subjected to a violation of the Act, may submit a written complaint within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged non-compliance to VA at [email protected]. Applicant written complaints should include the following: Administration name: Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA), Veterans Health Administration (VHA), National Cemetery Administration (NCA) or VA Central Office (VACO) (for example, Human Resources Service Center). Office name, employee name and contact information or contractor who made contact (if known). Date of contact. Details regarding the job opportunity announcement applied to, and copies of any documents or other evidence related to the complaint. Visit Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer (OCHCO) (va.gov) for more information.