Senior Social Worker – Perinatal Social Worker

Summary The Women Veterans Program Perinatal Social Worker is a professional social worker assigned to the VA NCHCS Women Veterans Program (WVP) under the Chief of Staff. The position is located at the Stockton Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) and functions a member of the multidisciplinary Women Veterans Program including the Maternity Care Nurse Coordinator and Postpartum/Lactation Nurse Coordinator as well as the larger Women Veterans Program team. Responsibilities Provide outpatient and virtual social work services as families adjust to medical challenges, make decisions, manage the transition to parenthood, mourn idealized pregnancies, manage peri-and post- partum mood disorders, face intrinsic and extrinsic stressors, and cope with perinatal loss. The perinatal period can be complicated by such factors as medically high-risk pregnancies, fetal diagnoses, premature/sick newborns, substance use by the pregnant woman and/or her family, familial conflict, legal concerns, parents who have cognitive, behavioral and/or mental health needs, ambivalence about the pregnancy, socioeconomic status, and other social determinants of health. Even healthy pregnancies with optimal psychosocial conditions can be affected by anxiety and uncertainty as individuals make the transition to parenthood, or to life with additional children. Complete comprehensive biopsychosocial assessments at defined times during the perinatal period, providing short-term, crisis, and bridge therapeutic intervention services, identifying and monitoring those at high risk for perinatal mood disorders, providing referrals and warm handoffs to mental health teams for evidence-based psychotherapy and medication intervention, and facilitating group interventions during the perinatal period for women Veterans across VA NCHCS. Create and implement a perinatal mental health monitoring program to identify those in need of additional mental health support during the perinatal period and provide referrals for appropriate outpatient psychotherapy and/or psychiatric treatment. The incumbent will intervene with women Veterans experiencing mild to severe perinatal mental health problems, those with pre-existing mental health diagnoses, and those in need of intervention(s) related to social determinants of health, to reduce perinatal risk, and maintain stability in this vulnerable period for womens mental health. They will undertake assessments and interventions with a trauma-informed emphasis on supporting the woman Veteran in adjusting to transitions and new roles, building coping skills for psychosocial stressors, and emphasizing the adjustments within a new parent-infant relationship while building and strengthening attachment. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday 8:00am – 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Compressed tour may be available dependent on program needs Telework: Yes- as determined by the agency policy Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959. Must be proficient in written and spoken English. You may be required to serve a probationary period. Subject to background/security investigation. Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP). Qualifications Applicants pending the completion of educational or certification/licensure requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. 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. Education: Have a masters 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. A doctoral degree in social work may not be substituted for the masters degree in 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 masters degree level. 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. 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). 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: 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:- Specialized knowledge and experience in perinatal mental health, including assessment , diagnosis, and treatment of peripartum and postpartum mood disorders preferred. 2 years full-time work experience with perinatal populations preferred. Perinatal Mental Health Certification ( PMH-C) and/or active membership in the National Association of Perinatal Social Workers (NAPSW) preferred. Knowledge of VA and community resources related to perinatal Veteran patient populations across NCHCS wide catchment area. Solid clinical assessment and therapeutic skills. Internal and external customer-oriented . Strong note writing skills , especially related to thorough and accurate documentation of biopsychosocial assessments. Detailed and organized in relation to setting up implementing tracking and monitoring systems. Ability to organize , prioritize, and multi-task efficiently and work as a part of interdisciplinary team. Comfort and skill in utilizing technology in everyday work , including independently navigating virtual individual and group visits, and utilizing software and programs related to systems of care, tracking , and program evaluation. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019 Employee Occupational Health Service Education IMPORTANT: A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicants criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.