Social Worker PTSD Clinical Team

• Provides specialized treatment of PTSD & associated mental health needs in the Mental Health Programs.
• Incorporates complex multiple causation in differential diagnosis & treatment of Veterans patients including making psychosocial & psychiatric diagnoses.
• Evaluates the clients situation including the Veterans reaction & ability to deal with it & arrives at a reasoned conclusion.
• Provides individual group & family psychotherapy interventions used in the treatment of Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder & comorbid mental health needs.
• Implements use of Measurement-Based Care for measuring effectiveness of clinical practice & services in specialty areas utilizing outcome evaluations to improve treatment services.
• Develops treatment plans in coordination with appropriate PCT & BHIP Team Members including goals for treatment.
• Provides independent consultation & makes recommendations to interdisciplinary team on course of treatment.
• Demonstrates the ability to make treatment plan changes based on empirical findings as well as to provide a flexible work schedule to accommodate emergency or urgent care matters.
• Interviews Veterans & their family members/significant others to establish facts about the Veterans situation presenting problems & their causes & the impact of such problems on the Veterans functioning and health.
• Uses subjective & objective data in making clinical assessment of the Veterans needs. Effectively uses professional skill objectivity & insight. Uses advanced clinical training & experience to identify viable treatment options & makes appropriate referrals for care.
• Works with Veterans who are not able to engage in the detailed depth of PCT care by aiding in their return to Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) where they will gain coping skills in effort to improve the success rate in future Evidence-Based Psychotherapies (EBP).
• Assesses at-risk factors and develops a preliminary disposition plan involving the Veterans & family or significant others.
• Assesses serious & complicated cases involving psychiatric illness catastrophic medical conditions dementia & other high-risk diagnoses.
• Makes independent professional decisions & recommendations for treatment.
• Finds a suitable means of treatment to help Veterans and/or significant others cope with stressful situations.
• Provides quality therapy by utilizing Evidence Based Psychotherapies (EBP) in the treatment of Veterans served and utilizes nationally provided EBP templates to properly capture care provided.
• Concludes the appropriate action even in instances where actions can have serious impact on the life of the Veterans.
• Evaluates his/her practice as a clinician on an on-going basis through participation in professional peer review case conferences or other organized means.
• Acts as a community & family liaison by initiating and maintaining necessary contact with the patient his/her family VA Healthcare System service programs and personnel mental health agencies & other related resource agencies.
• Provides support & consultation to these varying individuals programs & agencies as necessary or in the best interest of the patient.

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.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7 2025 drivers licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• 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.

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Qualifications

*** This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT & will remain open until March 31 2026 or until the position is filled. The initial cutoff date for referral of eligible applications will be October 28 2025. Eligible applications received after that date will be referred at regular intervals or as additional vacancies occur on an as needed basis until positions are filled. ***

Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred & tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met.

Basic Requirements:

Citizenship - You must be a citizen of the United States.

English Language Proficiency- You must be proficient in spoken & written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7403(f).

Education - Have a masters degree in social work from a school of social work fully accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the masters degree in social work.

Licensure - Persons hired or reassigned must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the masters degree level. Current state requirements may be found by going to - VHA may waive the licensure or certification requirement for persons who are otherwise qualified pending completion of state prerequisites for licensure/certification examinations. This exception only applies at the GS-9 grade level. For the GS-11 grade level & above the candidate must be licensed or certified. VHA social workers who are not licensed or certified at the time of appointment must become licensed or certified at the independent masters level within three years of their appointment as a social worker.

Grandfathering Provision. All persons employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard (9/10/2019) are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title series & grade held including positive education & licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation.

Grade Determinations:

Social Worker GS-9 (Entry level)
Experience Education & Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities (KSAs). In addition to meeting the basic requirements you must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions & counseling for Veterans their family members caregivers & survivors.
• Ability to assess the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans & their family members & to formulate and implement a treatment plan identifying the Veterans problems strengths weaknesses coping skills & assistance needed.
• Ability to implement treatment modalities in working with individuals families & groups to achieve treatment goals. This requires judgment & skill in utilizing supportive problem solving or crisis intervention techniques.
• Ability to establish & maintain effective working relationships & communicate with clients staff & representatives of community agencies.
• Fundamental knowledge of medical & mental health diagnoses disabilities & treatment procedures. This includes acute chronic & traumatic illnesses/injuries; common medications & their effects/side effects; & medical terminology.

Individuals assigned as GS-9 grade level duties may include but are not limited to: identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives & advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an advocate with appropriate VA & community service providers/agencies when it serves the best interest of the Veteran & family members/caregiver; assessing the psychosocial functioning & needs of Veterans & their family members identifying the Veterans strengths weaknesses coping skills & psychosocial acuity in collaboration with the Veteran family & interdisciplinary treatment teams; maintaining a current network of internal & external resources to educate the Veteran &/or family members/caregivers & assist with the appropriate referrals.

Social Worker GS-11 (Full-performance)

Licensure Requirement.You must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the masters degree level.

Experience or Education Requirement. In addition to meeting the basic requirements to qualify for the GS-11 you must possess a minimum of 1 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) & licensure or certification in a state at the independent practice level.
OR
A doctoral degree in social work from a school of social work may be substituted for the required 1 year of professional social work experience in a clinical setting.

Examples of specialized experience include but are not limited to: Identifying behaviors or symptoms of abuse neglect or exploitation; providing education on advance directives & advanced care planning; providing social work case management; acting as an patient/family member/caregiver advocate with community service providers/agencies; assessing the psychosocial functioning & needs of patients & their family members.

Demonstrated Knowledge Skills & Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above you must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Knowledge of community resources how to make appropriate referrals to community & other governmental agencies for services & ability to coordinate services.
• Skill in independently conducting psychosocial assessments & treatment interventions to a wide variety of individuals from various socio-economic educational & other backgrounds.
• Knowledge of medical & mental health diagnoses disabilities & treatment procedures (i.e. acute chronic & traumatic illnesses/injuries common medications & their effects/side effects & medical terminology) to formulate a treatment plan.
• Skill in independently implementing different treatment modalities in working with individuals families & groups who are experiencing a variety of psychiatric medical & social problems to achieve treatment goals.
• Ability to provide consultation services to new social workers social work graduate students & other staff about the psychosocial needs of patients & the impact of psychosocial problems on health care & compliance with treatment.

• Extensive experience in working with PTSD including familiarity with cognitive behavior therapy (CPT) for PTSD prolonged exposure (PE) written exposure therapy (WET) for PTSD & other evidence-based protocols (EBPs).
• Proficient in suicide prevention & capable in mental health crisis care.
• Completion of evidence-based protocols (EBPs) training with certification.