Psych Social Worker-Senior Behavioral Health Full Time 40 hours

Bristol Hospital Group•Bristol, CT

About The Position

The Senior Behavioral Health Psych Social Worker assesses adult patients’ psychiatric and other mental health service needs using intake data, interviews, history, and other clinical information. The role selects appropriate therapeutic modalities and develops and implements treatment plans and goals to relieve symptoms and support patient and family well-being on the Adult Behavioral Health Unit. The social worker provides direct patient care, individual and group interventions, crisis intervention, and discharge planning. The position works closely with patients, families, community contacts, and a multidisciplinary treatment team to coordinate care, referrals, transfers, follow-up appointments, and transportation. It also includes clinical documentation, support for team operations and program improvements, assistance with staff orientation and training, and ongoing professional development. This is a 40-hour-per-week position, Monday through Friday, with occasional Saturdays. The work takes place in a normal office environment, with occasional travel to other agencies and institutions, and frequent interaction with patients and staff in a stressful psychiatric milieu.

Requirements

Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW).
At least an internship in a psychiatric setting as part of a Master of Social Work program.
Connecticut State Social Work Licensure: LMSW or LCSW.
Perform group leadership and psychotherapeutic interventions.
Attend at least 75% of both group supervision and clinical supervision.
Complete general orientation at hire and annual Fire/Safety/Infection Control training, along with other hospital-mandated programs.
Excellent comprehension, written, and verbal skills; ability to organize, synthesize, and use data.
Highly developed ability to assess, analyze, and interpret complex patient information within a theoretical framework for treatment.
Ability to make professional and ethical judgments and demonstrate emotional stability and maturity.
Ability to perform frequent walking, standing, and sitting; occasional bending, stooping, stair climbing, kneeling, and light lifting.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with other disciplines to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate adult patient care.
Complete clinical and psychosocial assessments for assigned patients within 24 hours of admission or within unit guidelines, and complete family assessments within one week of the treatment team’s recommendation.
Collaborate with the team on treatment plans, participate in their development and ongoing revision, and communicate changes based on patient status.
Coordinate other disciplines’ treatment approaches with the current treatment plan.
Provide direct care using therapeutic and supportive techniques to relieve symptoms and help patients regain independent, family, and social functioning.
Evaluate interventions and communicate their effects to the treatment team; individualize care to patient and family needs.
Provide assigned group interventions and appropriate milieu-based interventions, and evaluate patients daily for needed interventions.
Maintain continuity of care with other disciplines and respond appropriately to crises.
Build therapeutic and supportive relationships with patients and families in accordance with professional standards.
Use therapeutic modalities informed by patient and community contacts.
Plan for discharge with patients, families, and community contacts; coordinate inter-agency transfers, follow-up appointments, transportation, instructions, and resource referrals.
Maintain records and document assessments, interventions, group sessions, and treatment-plan recommendations at the time they occur, in accordance with policy and procedure.
Follow unit, hospital, and regulatory policies, procedures, and standards; take accountability for performance and actions and work independently with little or no direct supervision.
Adjust work schedule to workload and evaluate the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of patient care; recommend monitoring or evaluation tools and procedures.
Assist with orientation and training of new or inexperienced staff.
Keep current on departmental and unit changes by attending meetings and reviewing policies, procedures, and notices.
Assist with program management development, propose solutions to problems, act as a change agent, and take responsibility for projects, studies, or work groups; update the supervisor on their status.
Provide in-service education when program changes require additional staff knowledge or skills.
Support multidisciplinary team functions, foster cooperative work toward objectives, help resolve conflicts, and communicate respectfully and constructively with coworkers.
Maintain professional development by evaluating strengths and weaknesses, planning to address learning needs, attending relevant workshops and training within budget limits, staying current in the field, and seeking constructive feedback.