Social Worker-MSW LCSW Senior

IU Health•Indianapolis, IN

9h•Onsite

About The Position

IU Health is seeking a Senior Social Worker MSW, LCSW to join our Palliative Care team. This role involves providing direct psychosocial support to patients and families, while also serving as a clinical supervisor, field instructor, and educator. The Senior Social Worker is responsible for teaching and supervising students and supervisees, establishing a foundational approach to palliative medicine practice, and integrating clinical, evidence-based social work interventions. Responsibilities include clinical supervision, specialty certification, service line metric leadership, student education, and cross-specialty palliative medicine education. The role also involves collaborating with hospital administrators and medical teams to drive quality improvement and leading crisis intervention, complex discharge planning, and community resource coordination.

Requirements

Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) from an accredited institution required.
Permanent LCSW licensure in Indiana required.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in child welfare, mental health, addictions, health, school, or community/organizational settings.
Specialty certification in palliative care social work required (or obtained within a defined period of hire).
Certification in Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) or an approved alternative de-escalation training required within 6 months of hire.
Evidence-based psychosocial assessment, short-term therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention for mental health and substance use disorders.
Strong understanding of disease processes, human behavior, and health-related social needs.
Proven complex discharge planning skills for safe patient transitions to the next level of care.
Knowledge of state and county child and adult protective legal mandates.
Understanding of growth and development principles across the lifespan, including end-of-life care.
Experience adapting services to geographically, culturally, and financially diverse populations.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with hospital staff, law enforcement, community agencies, schools, and probation.
Proficiency in electronic medical records and documentation.
Flexibility to work on-call and holiday rotations as needed.

Responsibilities

Serve as a preceptor and clinical supervisor for MSW-level social workers working toward their LCSWs, providing structured supervision and professional development support.
Function as a field instructor for Masters-level social work students, guiding practical learning and establishing a foundational approach to palliative medicine practice.
Integrate and model clinical, evidence-based social work interventions to help students and supervisees deliver expert palliative care.
Obtain and maintain specialty certification in palliative care social work, serving as a recognized subject matter expert on the team.
Lead the team in meeting service line metrics and contribute to quality improvement and process enhancement initiatives.
Educate other specialties and disciplines about palliative medicine within the IUH system, elevating system-wide understanding of the role of social work in palliative care.
Develop educational materials for team members, patients, and families to support informed, compassionate care.
Collaborate with hospital administrators and medical teams to improve quality and care processes.
Meet face-to-face with patients and families to assess psychosocial needs and provide expert support.
Assess psychosocial risk factors, including prior functioning levels, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping skills.
Counsel patients and families on the emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness and/or disability.
Conduct mental health assessments upon physician referral and provide therapeutic interventions.
Provide specialized services including crisis intervention, addiction assessments, and recommendations for psychiatric referral or community resources.
Support end-of-life care, guardianship (temporary/permanent).
Serve as the point person for cases involving child abuse/neglect, adult/elderly abuse/neglect, institutional abuse, and domestic violence.
Act as liaison between IU Health and state and county child and adult protective services teams.
Utilize crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques in dangerous or high-risk situations; take a leadership stance to prevent episodes of physical violence.
Conduct effective interviews with alleged victims, perpetrators, family members, and significant others.
Communicate and collaborate effectively with all healthcare team members to ensure patients receive safe, timely, and resource-appropriate care.
Participate in development of treatment plans to resolve psychosocial issues; consult for other providers on mental health diagnoses.
Interpret complex patient and family needs, modeling caring and professional practices to other caregivers.
Access and mobilize community and family resources to meet identified patient needs.
Identify decision-makers and coordinate goals-of-care conversations to provide excellent care and manage throughput.
Develop and maintain strong collaborative relationships with hospital administration, law enforcement, community agencies, APS/DCS, schools, and probation.
Maintain proficiency with electronic medical records and documentation standards.