Social Worker

Summary

This position is located within the Unity and Monacan Service Unit it, Department of Behavioral Health Services. Incumbent serves as a Substance Abuse Counselor providing substance abuse services but will also be required to provide clinical services to address mental health disorders and/or co-occurring disorders. A REAL ID will be required beginning May 7, 2025, in accordance with 6 C.F.R. 37.5 (2021).

Duties

Conducts comprehensive substance abuse evaluations, diagnosis, and treatment planning, along with addressing other mental health needs of patients. Provides crisis intervention for patients who present with acute clinical needs, including risk of harm to self and others and psychiatric emergencies. Offers consultation to other providers who have patients with urgent behavioral health issues and coordinates care. Assists in the coordination of care for patients with an identified substance abuse disorder. Collaborates with hospitals and other healthcare agencies to ensure proper care coordination in the treatment/discharge planning and ensure seamless transitions of care. Applies professional knowledge of rehabilitation program concepts, principles, procedures, and practices to difficult and complex case assignments, developing new strategies and procedures as needed in consultation with the departmental supervisor. Conducts case management services. Engages in patient advocacy and collaborates with physicians, social agencies, mental health, and health care facilities to bridge care and gaps in services. Total Compensation Package - Check out IHS's outstanding total compensation package for this job: Social Worker Total Compensation | Pay (ihs.gov) Requirements

Selectee may be subject to a probationary period ESEP appointees typically serve a two year trial period U.S. Citizenship is required Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 This is a designated position covered by Public Law 101-630, requiring contact or control over Indian children. Due to this requirement, the agency must ensure that persons hired for these positions have not been found guilty of or pleaded nolo contendere or guilty to certain crimes. IHS Selectees whose duties and responsibilities require them to work permanently, temporarily, or occasionally in an IHS healthcare facility must comply with the IHS Employee Immunization Policy related to vaccine-preventable diseases, consistent with recommendations for healthcare workers. Vaccine exemption requests may be available, as outlined in the IHS Employee Immunization Policy and facility guidance. The selected individual is required to obtain and maintain medical staff clinical privileges, including any licensure requirements. If privileges are not obtained or maintained during employment, the employee will be subject to adverse actions, up to and including removal from Federal service. On-call hours or standby duty may be required. Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit www.dhs.gov/E-Verify/. You will need to set up direct deposit so we can pay you. Background Investigation Requirement: This position requires the successful completion of a federal background investigation as a condition of employment. Prior to the appointment, candidates must present two valid forms of identification. If one of the documents is a state-issued ID or driver's license, it must be REAL ID-compliant. Qualifications

To qualify for this position, your resume must state sufficient experience and/or education, to perform the duties of the specific position for which you are applying. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer and part-time experience. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. BASIC REQUIREMENT(S): Individual Occupational Requirements General Schedule Qualification Standards - Social Work Series 0185 Degree: social work. Must fulfill all of the requirements for the master's degree in social work in a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education Master's degree with practicum: Applicants who complete all of the requirements for a master's degree in social work that included a practicum are eligible for GS-9. In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must also meet the Minimum Qualifications stated below. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS, GS-0185-11: Your resume must demonstrate at least one (1) year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the Federal service obtained in either the private or public sector performing the following type of work and/or tasks: Provide substance use disorder counseling; recognize and respond to deviations from normal behavior and identify problematic behaviors of patients; prepare accurate written case documentation involving multiple treatment goals; assess needs of patient, provide counseling in recognition of their substance use and misuse, and recommend techniques and goals during the treatment phase; teach therapeutic techniques in prevention and intervention for substance use disorders to assist patients in the recovery process; and review and analyze biopsychosocial history to develop treatment plans. OR; Successful completion of three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or equivalent doctoral degree, OR; Qualifying combination of education and experience that when combined fully meet the minimum qualifications for this position. The total percentage equals at least 100 percent to qualify for this GS-11 grade level Selective Placement Factor: This position requires a current, unrestricted U.S. State license as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Independent Social Worker (LICSW) or Licensed Certified Social Worker-Private Independent Practice (LCSW-PIP). Time In Grade Federal employees in the competitive service are also subject to the Time-In-Grade Requirements: Merit Promotion (status) candidates must have completed one year of service at the next lower grade level. Time-In-Grade provisions do not apply under the Excepted Service Examining Plan (ESEP). You must meet all qualification requirements within 30 days of the closing date of the announcement.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You are strongly encouraged to submit a copy of your transcripts or a list of your courses including titles, credit hours completed, and grades. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. Official transcripts will be required from all selectees prior to receiving an official offer. Only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may be credited. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following website: https://www.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/. How You Will Be Evaluated

This job announcement uses the USA Hire Assessment to evaluate applicants. There is no "pass/fail" outcome; results are used as part of the overall evaluation process to determine applicant qualifications. However, if you do not take the assessment within the assessment window timeframe you will be found ineligible for this position. For more information, visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center. You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), your responses on the application questionnaire, and your responses to all assessments required for this position. You will be assessed on the following competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics): Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Reading Comprehension Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork Overstating your qualifications and/or experience in your application materials or application questionnaire may result in your removal from consideration. Cheating on an assessment may also result in your removal from consideration. To preview the application questionnaire, click the following link: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13035687 Once the application process is complete, the first two pages of your resume and supporting documentation will be used to determine whether you meet the job qualifications. All documents above MUST be received by 11:59 pm (Eastern Standard Time) of the closing date of 09/30/2026, to be considered. Other Information

Additional selection(s) of candidates may be possible within 240 days from the date the certificate of eligibles was issued for this announcement. 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. IHS may offer newly-appointed Federal employees credit for their directly related previous non-federal experience or active duty uniformed military service. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Recruitment or relocation incentives may be authorized. At least a 1 year service agreement will be required. This position meets the criteria specified in pillar number one of the five pillars of the PHS Commissioned Corps. PHS Commissioned Officers interested in performing the duties of this position within the Commissioned Corps MUST apply online under the merit promotion announcement indicated above in order to receive consideration. For more information on PHS Commissioned Corps, visit the website at: https://www.usphs.gov/. The Indian Health Service (IHS), National Health Service Corps (NHSC), and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have student loan repayment programs for qualifying health disciplines. This is a competitive process separate from the hiring process. Opportunities for LRP are based on agency hiring priorities and availability of funds. For additional information please visit: For IHS - http://www.ihs.gov/loanrepayment/ For NHSC - https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loanrepayment/ For HRSA Nurse Corps - https://bhw.hrsa.gov/loansscholarships/nursecorps This position has no promotion potential You will be evaluated for this position in accordance with the OPM Merit Hiring Plan. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide short essay responses (200 words or less each) to the following four questions. How has your commitment to the Constitution and the founding principles of the United States inspired you to pursue this role within the Federal government? In this role, how would you use your skills and experience to improve government efficiency and effectiveness? How would you help advance the President's Executive Orders and policy priorities in this role? How has a strong work ethic contributed to your professional, academic or personal achievements? Your responses are optional and will not be scored. However, they may be reviewed by hiring managers and agency leadership (or designees) during the evaluation process. You will be asked to certify that your responses are written in your own words and that you did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) tool (such as ChatGPT or Copilot).