Social Worker- Mental Health Clinic

Summary

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

This posting is for The Villages location. The Mental Health Clinical Social Worker conducts psychosocial/mental health assessments of Veterans independently and/or in collaboration with interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members, caregivers, and/or significant others. The Social Worker is knowledgeable of a range of treatment modalities and has the skills required to provide the appropriate level of care/treatment through psychosocial treatment and evidence-based clinical/psychosocial therapeutic interventions. At the GS-09 level, under supervision for clinical licensure, the Social Worker conducts psychosocial/mental health assessments of Veterans in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veterans family members, caregivers, and/or significant others. At the GS-11 level, the licensed clinical Social Worker conducts psychosocial/mental health assessments of Veterans independently and/or in collaboration with the interdisciplinary treatment team, the Veteran, family members, caregivers, and/or significant others. Major Duties include but are not limited to: Conducts psychosocial/mental health assessments to identify needs and formulate a patient centered treatment plan with the Veteran to meet needs and goals. Responsible for the development of patient centered treatment plans and developing achievable treatment goals with the Veteran and other significant others. 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. Provides individual, group, and family evidence based psychotherapies and treatment (i.e. PST, MI, MET, CPT, PE, CBT, Seeking Safety, etc.) appropriate to level of licensure to Veterans and their families/caregivers. Evidence based therapeutic interventions are reviewed regularly during clinical supervision. Responsible for planning and organizing work, coordinating with clinical interdisciplinary team members, other professional and clinical staff, and management personnel. Responsible for providing, reviewing and coordinating all phases of continuing care for Veterans in the Mental Health Clinic Provides patient education to Veterans and family members on the available services and assists them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the Veteran's preference or other decision maker Responsible for developing, updating and using current social worker resources within VA and community social service programs to ensure that Veterans are receiving education, information and referrals to current and viable resources to meet their needs. Develops and executes crisis management treatment plans in a timely, effective and efficient manner. Responsible for educating the Veteran and family members/caregivers on the available services and assisting them in establishing the appropriate referrals based on the Veteran's preference or that of his surrogate decision maker. Preferred experience: Working on a multi-discipline team with experience using evidence based treatment modalities Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00AM to 4:30PM Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Functional Statement #: 55606F / 50626F Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized EDRP Authorized: May be authorized to highly qualified candidates. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Additional Benefits 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) Pay: Competitive salary and regular salary increases 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) 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.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet the requirements by the closing date of this announcement. 09/30/2026 BASIC REQUIREMENTS. The basic requirements for employment as a VHA social worker are prescribed by statute in 38 U.S.C. § 7402(b)(9), as amended by section 205 of Public Law 106-419, enacted November 1, 2000. To qualify for appointment as a social worker in VHA, all applicants must meet the following: 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. Social workers must be proficient in spoken and written English in accordance with VA Handbook 5005, Part II, chapter 3, section A, paragraph 3j, this part. 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). Licensure. Persons hired or reassigned to social worker positions in the GS-185 series in VHA must be licensed or certified by a state to independently practice social work at the master's degree level. GS-9 Exception. 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 and 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, master's 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 the Social Worker Qualification Standard - GS-0185 - September 10, 2019 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title, series and grade held, including positive education and licensure or certification that are part of the basic requirements of the occupation. 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. In addition to the basic requirements for employment, the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates. Social Worker, GS-09: Experience, Education, and Licensure. None beyond the basic requirements. Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs). In addition to the experience above, you must demonstrate all of the following KSAs on their resume and in their experience. Please ensure your resume/CV/application contains sufficient information to support the level of experience/education/training listed below; otherwise, we will not be able to award you credit for the experience/education/training you claim. If selected, you may be required to submit narrative responses then. (a) Ability to utilize a Veteran centric approach when providing interventions and counselin