Senior Social Worker - PTSD Clinical Team

Senior Social Worker - PTSD Clinical Team

Department: Department of Veterans Affairs

Location(s): Houston, Texas

Salary Range: $112045 - $145665 Per Year

Job Summary: This Senior Social Worker is assigned to the Outpatient Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Clinical Team (PCT). The Advanced Practice level Sr. Social Worker within the PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) and has specialized knowledge of PTSD and trauma recovery-oriented interventions and uses this knowledge and skillset to provide recovery oriented treatment to Veterans served.

Major Duties:

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional This Senior Social Worker is assigned to the Outpatient Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Clinical Team (PCT). The PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) was established in the MEDVAMC Mental Health Care Line to provide care for Veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder and related anxiety disorders, and is assigned to work with highly complex mental health problems requiring expert level therapeutic and psychosocial interventions in a traumatized Veteran population. Duties of the Senior Social Worker include, but are not limited to: Functions as an Advanced Practice level Sr. Social Worker within the PTSD Clinical Team (PCT) and has specialized knowledge of PTSD and trauma recovery-oriented interventions and uses this knowledge and skillset to provide recovery oriented treatment to Veterans served. Utilizes sound clinical skills to offer evidenced based interventions and measurement based care to monitor the impacts of interventions. Incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis and treatment of Veteran patients, including making psychosocial and psychiatric diagnoses within approved clinical privileges/ scope of practice. Utilizes information obtained from the assessment to identify recovery-oriented clinical interventions and develop treatment plans in collaboration with the Veteran, their family or support system and with the interdisciplinary treatment team. Actively participates in regular PCT team meetings and is responsible for sharing his/her clinical impressions, observations and information with the purpose of enhancing Veteran's treatment. Leading services provided which include individual and group therapy, psychoeducational groups, crisis intervention, advocacy, high quality case management services, outreach activities, and coordination of linkages to other appropriate VA or community service providers / agencies as needed by the Veteran. Identifies high-risk patients and provides case management services if the Veteran is receiving services within PCT. 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 as the Veteran allows. Providing consultation services to other VA staff members regarding the psychosocial needs of Veterans and the impact of psychosocial problems on health care and adherence to recovery plans. Participating in quality improvement initiatives such as Strategic Analytics for Improvement and Learning (SAIL) that analyze professional practice, outcomes and efficiencies and also participate in: peer reviews, chart reviews, staff education, clinical guideline development, and other continuing education and quality assurance activities to demonstrate compliance with standards, regulations, policies, and procedures. Work Schedule: Alternate TOD, including evenings and Saturdays Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases. When setting pay, a higher step rate of the appropriate grade may be determined after consideration of higher or unique qualifications or special needs of the VA (Above Minimum Rate of the Grade). 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: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 580-02257-F Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized

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. In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), no person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. 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. Note: 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/. 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). GS 12 Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. 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: Providing evidence-based psychotherapies including but not limited to: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Working in an outpatient mental health setting on an interdisciplinary mental health team providing individual and group psychotherapy to patients with PTSD and related disorders. Adapting technology and computer assisted programs to deliver treatments and improve treatment outcomes. Experience completing diagnostic mental health intakes. Administrative tasks including but not limited to: consult management, staff development/mentoring of staff, committee work. 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-12. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is GS-12. Physical Requirements: Physical aspects associated with work required of this assignment are typical for the occupation, see Duties section for essential job duties of the position. May require standing, lifting, carrying, sitting, stooping, bending, puling, and pushing. May be required to wear personal protective equipment and undergo annual TB screening or testing as conditions of employment. Work Environment: Work is performed in an office/clinic setting with minimal risks that requires normal safety precautions; the area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. However, the work environment requires someone with the ability to handle several tasks at once in sometimes stressful situations.

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 12/05/2025 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12837031. 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: 2025-12-05