BWH Social Worker - LCSW Per Diem

Meadows of Wickenburg•Brookline, MA

About The Position

Provides direct clinical services to assigned inpatients, including individual and family treatment interventions, case management, disposition planning, and care consultation. Completes psychosocial assessments for assigned patients and attends treatment team meetings, consulting with other team members as needed on areas of expertise, including case management and disposition planning. May be assigned to a unit or float to units as needed. The social worker develops and documents individualized interventions and aftercare plans; coordinates with patients, families, outpatient therapists, agencies, and other providers; recommends discharge care levels and helps identify resources and obtain services. The role includes patient and family education, discharge planning, required documentation, and compliance with reporting obligations when abuse or neglect is suspected. An LICSW may be required to provide clinical supervision to MSW/LCSW staff.

Requirements

Master's degree in Social Work or equivalent.
Must be licensed or license eligible. If license eligible, must file a licensure application with the Board of Registration and provide proof to the Social Work Supervisor upon completion of the initial appraisal period.
Knowledge of major mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, and the impact on families.
Knowledge of developmental stages and clinical implications related to trauma-informed and patient-centered care.
Knowledge of biological and sociocultural changes affecting geriatric patients, adults, and adolescents.
Knowledge of substance use disorders and treatment issues.
Knowledge of family systems dynamics.
Competence in delivering trauma-informed, patient-centered care, including compassionate and collaborative care; defusing power struggles; assessing trauma history and trauma-related behaviors; and implementing trauma-sensitive interventions.
Ability to walk up and down stairs, use a telephone, and sit for up to 8 hours.

Nice To Haves

Inpatient field placement experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

Complete written psychosocial evaluations within 48 hours of case assignment and meet with patients on the day of assignment; contact family within one day when indicated.
Assume responsibility as social worker for assigned patients and work on an assigned unit or float to units as needed.
Facilitate assigned patient or family groups and document participation.
Communicate findings and progress from individual sessions, family therapy, and disposition planning to the treatment team and document progress in the medical record.
Provide consultation to outpatient providers and involved agencies as needed.
Advocate for and educate patients and families about resources and agency involvement to support recommended services after discharge.
Provide individual and family interventions consistent with assessment findings and maintain progress notes twice weekly.
Present assessments and interventions at treatment planning meetings, collaborate with other disciplines, and initiate planned interventions.
Involve families in aftercare planning and educational interventions when indicated; document when interventions are not possible and why.
With patient permission, contact outpatient therapists and coordinate during the inpatient stay at a mutually agreed frequency.
Contact providers for patients involved with an agency or private treatment program within one business day of initial assignment and document the contact.
Recommend the level of care and structure needed after discharge, educate patients and families, identify resources, and advocate for agency involvement when necessary.
Initiate applications for needed services within 24 hours of identifying the need, send completed applications within 48 hours, retain copies in the client record, and follow up with the agency.
Notify the supervisor when assistance obtaining services from external agencies is needed.
Organize meetings with outpatient service providers before discharge when needed and document outcomes; notify the team and supervisor of conflicts in discharge plans with outside agencies.
Notify proper authorities when child abuse or neglect, or abuse or neglect of a disabled or elderly person, is suspected or disclosed, following Massachusetts law and professional standards.
Coordinate and document communications and interventions with psychiatry, nursing, rehabilitation services, and other providers across the continuum of care.
Establish aftercare appointments and communicate them to patients and families; ensure a pharmacology appointment is arranged when a patient is discharged on medication, or alert the supervisor and attending physician when it is not in place.
Complete psychosocial assessments for assigned patients; when assigned an intern, cosign the student's evaluation and complete the diagnostic summary as needed.
Provide psychosocial education on diagnosis, symptom management, and recovery resources; document patient and family understanding, learning barriers, and plans to address barriers.
Use assessment and subsequent information from patients, families, and outpatient providers to develop aftercare plans; complete discharge planning and document patient understanding.
Attend all treatment team meetings and document planned interventions and problems identified through assessment.
Complete required discharge forms and managed-care quality-improvement initiatives within specified time frames.
Provide clinical supervision to MSW/LCSW staff if licensed as an LICSW and required.