Senior Social Worker (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program - BHIP)

Quick Facts

• Role: Senior Social Worker (Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program - BHIP)

• Setting: On-site; telework only ad-hoc

• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–4:30 pm

Description

The Mental Health Senior Social Worker provides specialized evidence-based mental health treatment to Veterans enrolled in BHIP. The role functions as a licensed independent provider, including DSM-V psychosocial diagnostic evaluations and advanced screening, assessment, treatment planning, and discharge planning. The position also supports program development, community outreach, care tracking, and measurement of treatment outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a licensed independent mental health provider
• Conduct full psychosocial diagnostic evaluations using DSM-V
• Perform advanced-level screening, assessment, treatment planning, clinical care provision, and discharge planning
• Maintain expertise in VA and community psychosocial resources
• Participate in program development and community outreach
• Track Veteran care through the treatment process and measure outcomes using testing and other measures
• Support clinical program development and service pattern modifications; improve mental health service delivery
• Partner with local universities, community colleges, and other agencies to increase utilization
• Coordinate with the Veterans Justice Outreach Coordinator for Veterans in Veterans Treatment Court
• Teach and mentor staff and students; provide supervision for licensure or specialty certifications
• Independently plan and provide treatment services for assigned case-management cases
• Identify high-risk patients; provide safety planning, crisis intervention, and coordinate staffing/family conferences when clinically indicated

Benefits

• Competitive salary with regular salary increases (potentially higher step based on qualifications)
• 37–50 days of annual paid time off per year (annual leave, sick leave, and paid federal holidays)
• Up to 12 weeks paid parental leave after 12 months of employment
• Child care subsidy after 60 days of employment (income-eligible; up to 25% of eligible costs)
• Federal retirement pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% contributions
• Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care insurance options

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Selective Service registration (males born after 12/31/1959)
• Proficiency in written and spoken English
• Background/security investigation required
• Complete online onboarding and pre-employment requirements (including acceptable identification for I-9)
• Pass pre-employment physical evaluation
• Participate in the seasonal influenza vaccination program
• Complete all application requirements in the “Required Documents” section
• Serve a 1–2 year trial period as a condition of employment

Qualifications (GS-12 Senior Social Worker)

• Master’s degree in social work from a CSWE-accredited program (doctoral degree cannot substitute)
• State licensure/certification for independent practice at the master’s level and advanced practice level for this role (unless eligible under grandfathering provisions)
• At least 2 years of experience post advanced practice clinical licensure; 1 year equivalent to GS-11 specialization
• Demonstrated KSAs: specialized interventions/treatment modalities (individual, group, and/or family counseling/psychotherapy), complex differential diagnosis and treatment within scope, outcome measurement methods, specialized consultation and role modeling, and ability to write policies/procedures/practice guidelines

Preferred Experience

• Experience and interest in treating substance use disorder (SUD) and SUD with challenging co-morbid conditions; interest in outpatient/residential care and case management