Addiction Therapist at Detroit

JOB SUMMARY:

Vacancy ID: 920949 

OUR MISSION: To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise – “To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” – by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans. How would you like to become a part of a team providing compassionate care to Veterans?

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) needs employees who possess the energy, compassion, and commitment to serve those who served our Country. Whatever the job title, every position in VA will give you a chance to make a meaningful and personal contribution to the lives of truly special and deserving people - our Veterans. VA professionals feel good about their careers and their ability to balance work and home life. VA offers generous paid time off and a variety of predictable and flexible scheduling opportunities. Working for VA is one of the most emotionally satisfying and professionally rewarding ways to dedicate the best within you to your Countrys service.

If you are transitioning from the military or a Veteran already, we invite you to explore the benefits of continuing your career at the VA. The VA is committed to hiring Veterans. The VA is much more than just another employer. It is an honorable, open and welcoming community of those who care. Gratitude is our motivation and service is our mission.

The VA has adopted Core Values and Characteristics that apply universally across the Department. The five Core Values define “who we are,” our culture, and how we care for Veterans, their families and other beneficiaries. The Values are Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect and Excellence (“I CARE”).

Americas Veterans need you! To find out more, go to http://www.va.gov/jobs/.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation.

DUTIES:Back to top

These positions are is located in Mental Health Services at the VA Medical Center in Detroit, MI.  You will be required to rotate between the main VA Campus and at various off-site centers in Detroit, MI.  As an Addiction Therapist, you will serve as case manager for patients in the Intensive Outpatient Chemical Dependency Program (IOP), the Outpatient Recovery Program (ORP), the Methadone Maintenance Program (MMP), the Behavioral Health Clinic, and the Inpatient Psychiatry Unit.  These are programs of the Mental Health Service Chemical Dependency Treatment Program at the John D. Dingell VA Medical Center.  Your duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Conducts interview, uses questionnaires or other measurement devices, or observes the patient to assess emotional, functional, or psychological condition;

• Determines patient’s eligibility for outpatient chemical dependency treatment using program guidelines and eligibility criteria;

• Determines appropriate treatment or rehabilitation for individual patients;

• Provides individual and group counseling, makes appropriate referral to community or other professional resources as necessary for effective rehabilitation;

• Maintains appropriate records, charting information necessary to ensure an accurate portrayal of the patient’s activities, condition, and progress.

Work Schedule:  Full-Time; Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, & Friday from 8:00a to 4:30p and Tuesday from  10:30a to 7:00p.

DESIGNATED DRUG-TESTING POSITION: 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. Applicants will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive drug test result is received.

***RELOCATION EXPENSES AND/OR INCENTIVES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED***

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED:Back to top

To apply for this position, you must have the following qualifications:

BASIC REQUIREMENTS (In addition to the Basic Requirements, you must meet the Specialized Experience or education substitution for specialized experience as described below)

Bachelor’s Degree or higher:  behavioral or social sciences; or related disciplines appropriate to an Addiction Therapist.

OR

Combination of education and experience – that provided the applicant with knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

OR

Four years of appropriate experience that demonstrated that the applicant has acquired knowledge of one or more of the behavioral or social sciences equivalent to a major in the field.

NOTE:  A major field of study is the amount of hours specified by the college or university attended.  If this number cannot be obtained, 24 semester hours will be considered as equivalent to a major field of study.  The nature and quality of this required course work must have been such that it would serve as a prerequisite for more advanced study in the field or subject-matter area.

AND

This position includes a Selective Placement Factor (skill, knowledge, ability or other worker  characteristic basic to – and essential for - satisfactory performance of the job). Selective Placement Factors are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for a position. Applicants who do not meet it are ineligible for further consideration. The Selective Placement Factor for this position is:

“I possess a valid state issued driver’s license.”

AND

ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY

In accordance with 38 U.S.C. 7402(d), No person shall serve in direct patient care positions unless they are proficient in basic written and spoken English. You must be proficient in basic written and spoken English in order to meet the requirements of this position.

EXPERIENCE  (In addition to the Specialized Experience or education substitution for specialized experience as described below, you must meet the Basic Requirements as described above)

Candidates must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level in Federal Service.

Specialized experience is defined as experience that has provided the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of an Addiction Therapist.  Qualifying specialized experience includes:  providing assistance with counseling and rehabilitation of chemical dependency patients; collecting eligibility information and assist patients with completing forms related to chemical dependency counseling; gathering social, drug, family, and other history information for chemical dependency patient referral to another organization; contacting outside organizations to complete patient referral.

A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week.  Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities.  Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

 SUBSTITUTION OF EDUCATION FOR EXPERIENCE (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

Successful completion of two (2) years of graduate education leading to a Master’s degree, or a Master’s Degree, in a field of study directly related to an Addiction Therapist.

NOTE:  One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered an academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended.

COMBINING EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE (COPY OF TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED)

Combinations of successfully completed graduate education and specialized experience may be used to meet the qualification requirements.

A Quality Ranking Factor* has been requested by the facility to help determine which of the basically qualified applicants are likely to be better qualified for a position. The quality ranking factor for this position is:

"I have experience using Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration approved evidenced based practices/techniques.”

*Quality Ranking Factors are skills, knowledge, abilities, or other worker characteristics which could be expected to result in superior performance on the job. Quality ranking factors will not be used for screening, but may be used as ranking criteria. Applicants with higher proficiency levels may rank above those with lower proficiency levels on a quality ranking factor.

You will be rated on the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other characteristics (KSAOs) as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

Skill in chemical dependency and substance abuse techniques and practices.

Ability to provide crisis oriented counseling to include initial evaluation and short term counseling.

Knowledge of the course and development of chemical dependency problems.

Ability to utilize medical and/or appropriate community resources in addressing patient situations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:  The work requires extreme patience and control of emotions.  The work also requires advanced knowledge of verbal and physical techniques for managing disruptive patients, the ability to use computers throughout the day for data input, and the ability to perform urine drug and breathalyzer screens.  This position also requires the ability to access various treatment settings within the facility.

For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Managements website at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications .

APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Please refer to this checklist to ensure proper accreditation and for foreign education requirements.

Veterans Preference:

When applying for Federal jobs, eligible veterans should claim preference on the Occupational Questionnaire in the section provided and provide a legible copy of DD-214(s) showing all dates of service as well as character of service (honorable, general, etc.). Additionally, veterans with service-connected disability of 10% or more must also submit a copy of their official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, or from a branch of the Armed Forces, certifying their service-connected disability and/or their receipt of compensation for service-connected disability.  If the military member is within 120 days of separation and does not yet have a DD214, the member may instead submit any written document from the armed forces that certifies the service member is expected to be discharged or released from active duty service in the armed forces under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is signed.

Veterans with service-connected disability of less than 10%, non service-connected disability, and Purple Heart recipients, as-well-as those claiming derived preference for a spouse, widow or widower, or natural mother, should refer to and submit a completed " SF15, "Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference ," (go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF15.pdf) and required documentation with your application materials. For more information on Veterans Preference, please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/job/veterans.aspx.

 

HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED:

Applicants will be ranked based on four quality groups, as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Highly qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the requirements of the job;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

After the vacancy announcement closes, reviewed applications are evaluated against the questionnaire responses and placed in the appropriate quality group.  Qualified veterans will be afforded preference by being placed at the top of the appropriate quality group. The best qualified group is the first to be referred to the hiring facility for further consideration and possible interview.  The remaining groups may be referred based on the number of applicants available.

Country: USA, State: Michigan, City: Detroit, Company: Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration.