Senior Social Worker-Psychiatrric Emergency Clinic (PEC)

Senior Social Worker-Psychiatrric Emergency Clinic (PEC)

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Durham, North Carolina

Salary Range: $105670 - $137377 Per Year

Job Summary: Th Psychiatric Emergency Clinic (PED) Senior Social Worker provides Mental Health services to the Veteran population that present to the Emergency Department with mental health issues and/or crises or who call to the Psychiatric Emergency Clinic in crisis as part of Durham VA Health Care System.

Major Duties:

• VA Careers - Social Work: https://youtube.com/embed/enRhz_ua_UU VA Careers - Licensed Clinical Social Worker: https://youtube.com/embed/U_xC25QsN0w Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional The Psychiatric Emergency Clinic Senior Social Worker services include provision of high-quality assessment and evaluation, diagnosis, case management, clinical treatment, advocacy, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or non-VA community service providers/agencies as needed by the patient. This is accomplished in collaboration with other members of the Psychiatric Emergency Clinic (PEC) or other interdisciplinary treatment teams as appropriate. As this position is scheduled in early mornings, late evening and weekends, the social worker also assists Veterans and their families with other services including discharges, advance directives, lodging, homelessness and other issues when they are the only social worker scheduled in the medical center. Duties: The senior social worker in PEC is an assignment where they have limited access to onsite supervision as stated above due to the irregular tours of duties to offer services in the PEC from 7am to 11pm - 7 days a week. The senior social worker collaborates with the other members of the treatment team in the provision of comprehensive health care services to Veterans, ensures equity of access, service, and benefits to this population, ensures the care provided is of the highest quality. The senior social worker provides leadership, direction, orientation, coaching, in-service training, staff development, and continuing education programs for assigned social work staff. They serve on committees, work groups, and task forces at the facility, VISN and national level, or in the community as deemed appropriate by the supervisor, or Chief of Social Work Services. Screening/Assessment - The senior social worker independently evaluates Veteran referrals to PEC. Based on the clinical impressions, the senior social worker uses professional judgment and advanced practice skills, while working within the interdisciplinary treatment team, to determine best course of action in addressing the precipitants that led to the PEC referral. Treatment Planning/Goal Setting - The senior social worker is responsible for developing the treatment plan and setting achievable treatment goals with the Veteran/family as it relates to the referral to PEC. Referral to service providers - Throughout the course of treatment the senior social worker is the subject matter expert on VA and/or community resources. Resource Usage/Development - The senior social worker is responsible for using the current social work resource file of VA and community social service programs and enhancing the content to the benefit of Veterans. Advocacy - The senior social worker understands the intimidation of bureaucracy and will act as an advocate when it serves the best interest of the Veteran/family. Crisis Intervention - The senior social worker is experienced in making rapid assessments and developing crisis management plans for admission to mental health inpatient programs. Education/Health promotion and prevention - The senior social worker provides education related to VA and community resources, entitlements, Advance Directives/Living Will and will refer Veterans/families to the appropriate interdisciplinary team members and learners for identified health education needs. Coordination of non-institutional and institutional services -The senior social worker will review the progress notes from the other providers to accurately determine the strengths and limitations of each veteran being referred for emergency mental health services. Supportive counseling - The senior social worker will provide Veterans and their caregivers with ongoing supportive counseling. Administrative responsibilities - Actions of the senior social worker will follow the policies, procedures, and documentation requirements of the PEC. The senior social worker will enter all Veteran/family contacts in the electronic record using appropriate formats and templates. Work Schedule: Wed - Sat 12:30pm - 11: 00pm (4 days/10 hour shifts) Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not authorized Telework: Not eligible for telework Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 000000 Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

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. 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: Candidates must 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/. For the GS-11 grade level and above, the candidate must be independently licensed or certified. 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: 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. Preferred Experience: Two years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure providing advanced level mental health, behavioral and crisis intervention services. Expertise in emergency services, mental health, and medical social work practice. Advanced skills in psychosocial assessment/treatment/ intervention; specialized case management and Care Coordination; Health Education and Advanced Health Care Planning; and Discharge Planning. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: The physical demands of this position involve primarily walking, talking, driving, use of the telephone, etc. Strenuous physical activity is not required although the incumbent is expected to withstand pressure and stress as part of their daily activities. Light lifting and carrying - under 15 pounds. Hearing aid permitted as needed.

How to Apply: All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the full questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 01/16/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12854665. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USAJOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-16