To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 03/28/2024.

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.
• English Language Proficiency: Social Science Specialists (Crisis Responders) must be proficient in spoken and written English. See 38 U.S.C. § 7403(f).
• Education and Experience: Applicants must meet at least one of the basic requirements below:
  1. Successful completion of a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university. The degree must be in a behavioral health or social science related field appropriate to the work of the position (e.g., psychology, social work, sociology, family counseling, mental health counseling, nursing, ministry and criminal justice); OR,
  2. Two years of specialized experience as a first responder (e.g., Police, Medic, Emergency Medical Technician, Emergency Dispatch, etc.) or in a social science related field that included behavioral health crisis response, and two years of higher education (i.e., above the high school level) from an accredited college or university in a behavioral health or social science related field appropriate to the work of the position (e.g., psychology, social work, sociology, family counseling, mental health counseling, nursing, ministry and criminal justice); OR,
  3. Successful completion of a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in any field and, one year of specialized experience that included behavioral health crisis response or mental health counseling.

Grade Determinations for Social Science Specialist (Crisis Responder), GS-11:

• Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirements, you must have one year of creditable experience equivalent to the GS-9 grade level, which is directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience is defined as: Performing crisis intervention work in a clinical behavioral health setting; conducting risk assessments with contacts experiencing an emotional crisis and as a result, may harm themselves or others; coordinating with team members to initiate emergency services or create facility transportation plans, as clinically appropriate; and engaging multiple entities, including law enforcement, medical and mental health providers, and third parties; OR
• Education: Ph.D. or equivalent degree from an accredited college or university in a behavioral health related field appropriate to the work of the position (e.g., psychology, social work, sociology, or family counseling).

Demonstrated Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities. In addition to meeting the specialized experience or education above, the candidate must demonstrate the following KSAs:

• Ability to provide an evidenced based crisis intervention through a variety of modalities (e.g., telephone interviews, chat/text services, or social media forums).
• Ability to carry out crisis management steps while withholding judgment on controversial behaviors and not imposing one's values during the contact.
• Ability to effectively prioritize complex problems quickly and respond appropriately in a crisis situation.

References: VA Handbook 5005,Part II, Appendix G64, Social Science Specialist (Crisis Responder) Qualification Standards.

Physical Requirements: Work is primarily sedentary, but requires extreme patience and controlling ones emotions.