Social Worker, Mental Health

PACT Social Worker

The PACT Social Worker provides clinical psychosocial and case management services to eligible Veterans and their family members to meet biological, psychological, social, and environmental needs. Major duties and responsibilities of the position:

• The incumbent interviews Veterans and family members/significant others to establish facts about the Veteran's situation, presenting problems, causes, contributing factors, and the impact of such problems on the Veteran's functioning and health as part of a comprehensive psychosocial assessment. Interprets and explains VA's treatment and referral to services and programs.
• Reviews all data, subjective and objective, and makes a clinical assessment identifying needs and strengths. Effectively uses professional skill, objectivity, and insight. Uses advanced clinical training, insight, and experience to interpret data and to identify viable treatment options. Assesses high risk factors, acuity; and need for services of veterans.
• Evaluates the client's situation, including the Veteran's social, medical, and personal barriers, and arrives at a reasoned conclusion. Based on the psychosocial assessment; use professional judgment and advanced practice skills to make a psychosocial diagnosis.
• Performs insightful assessment of serious and complicated cases involving psychiatric illness, catastrophic medical conditions, dementia, and other high-risk diagnoses. Make independent professional decisions and recommendations to treatment team for action.
• Develops psychosocial treatment plans in coordination with interdisciplinary team members, including goals for psychosocial clinical treatment. Using known available resources and the initial assessment of the Veteran's likelihood to accept differing types of assistance, the incumbent makes initial and continuing decisions regarding use of VA and non-VA services and referrals.
• Provides independent consultation and makes recommendations to interdisciplinary team on course of treatment. The incumbent coordinates screening of patients for specific medical treatments, mental health issues, and specialty clinics and programs. The incumbent adjusts the psychosocial treatment plan and interventions based on changing needs and response to interventions.
• Evaluates his/her practice on an ongoing basis through participation in professional peer review, case conferences, research studies, or other organized means. The incumbent is active in and accepts responsibility for the development and maintenance of professional standards of treatment.
• Provides clinical services to Veterans and family members/significant others in support of the Veteran's treatment; gives advice, guidance, emotional support, and other assistance. Assists and encourages Veterans and significant others in facing problems, thinking them through, evaluating the situation realistically, considering alternative courses of action, and arriving at plans for using resources to resolve problems.
• Receives and completes requests for services (consults) from interdisciplinary team members and from other Primary Care Providers and Social Workers. Also provides consultation to Social Workers, other Primary Care Providers, and interdisciplinary team members. The incumbent is responsible for the development and maintenance of professional standards of practice and educating others about them.

Work Schedule:

Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm

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…