Behavioral Health Social Worker

Mercy Health System Corporation•Janesville, WI

9h•Onsite

About The Position

This role involves working in close collaboration with physicians and other healthcare personnel to evaluate and treat patients, focusing on the social and emotional factors underlying their behavioral or mental health issues. The position requires assessing patients for continuing care needs, preparing patient histories and discharges, and creating treatment plans in collaboration with the patient. Responsibilities include facilitating transitions between care levels, making referrals, assisting patients with advance directives, educating them about resources, and documenting all activities. The role may also involve providing behavioral health services in the Emergency Department and on medical floors to identify appropriate service levels and dispositions, working closely with discharge planners and Rock County Crisis. The social worker will assess patient needs, develop dispositional plans, coordinate care, and provide emotional support to help patients and families understand medical recommendations. They will utilize community resources, offer information, referral, supportive counseling, crisis intervention, and coordinate discharge planning. The position also includes facilitating educational groups and individual sessions, potentially engaging in psychotherapeutic counseling under supervision, and working with an interdisciplinary team to maintain a safe and therapeutic environment. Documentation in the EMR and completion of related paperwork are also key aspects of the role.

Requirements

Master's degree in Social Work required
APSW or LSW
TACT certification within 90 days
Approved CPR or BLS certification within 90 days
Knowledge of Database software, Internet software; Word Processing software and Microsoft Outlook.
Must be able to work independently with minimal guidance.

Responsibilities

Works in close collaboration with physicians and other health care personnel in patient evaluation and treatment to further their understanding of significant social and emotional factors underlying patient's behavioral/mental health problem.
Assesses patients for continuing care needs, prepares patient histories, discharges, and creates treatment plan of care (reviews with the patient) for providing continuing care, communicating information with physicians, multidisciplinary team, patients, families and staff, facilitating transition between levels of care, making appropriate referrals, assisting patients to complete advance directives; educating patients about resources/options, and documenting all activities in a timely and concise manner.
May be responsible for providing behavioral health services to patients presenting in the Emergency Department and on medical floors for purposes of identifying appropriate level of service needed and appropriate disposition.
Works closely with discharge planners and Rock County Crisis to meet these patient needs.
Assesses patient needs and develops appropriate dispositional plans and coordinates care with the appropriate departments or outside agencies.
Maintains strong communication, works in close collaboration with physicians and other health care personnel in patient evaluation and treatment to further their understanding of significant social and emotional factors underlying patient's health problem.
Provides emotional support that helps patients and families understand and accept medical recommendations; utilizes community resources to assist patients to resume live in the community or to learn to live with their unique limitations.
Provides information, referral, supportive counseling, crisis intervention, and coordinates discharge planning to ensure continuity of care.
Facilitates education groups and individual sessions to address treatment plan goals with patients (and families as appropriate).
May engage in psychotherapeutic counseling of individuals, families and groups under supervision of a person authorized by the board of licensing.
Work with interdisciplinary team to maintain a safe and therapeutic milieu.
Assesses patient needs, creates goals and interventions in a plan of care in collaboration with the psychiatrist and treatment team.
Coordinates dispositional plans to next level of care.
Documents in EMR.
Completes paperwork and/or computer data collection and reporting.
Facilitates educational groups.
May directly supervise Social Work Students/Interns as assigned.
Communicates the progress of each student on a regular basis to supervisor.
Carries out supervisory responsibility in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws.