The Therapist/Social Worker is an integral part of a multidisciplinary team working with patients in an acute inpatient mental health setting. While promoting the health and wellness of patients, Therapist/Social Work staff provide comprehensive services, which include therapy (individual, group and family), discharge planning, case management, care coordination, crisis intervention as well as addressing psychosocial and other needs of patients and their families.Under the direction of department leadership, therapist/social work staff provides services consisting of therapy, comprehensive case management, care coordination, continuing care services, and clinical social work services including crisis intervention. In addition, the Therapist/Social Worker is responsible for providing education addressing physical, psychosocial, financial, environmental and other needs of patients and families and/or significant others. The Therapist/Social Worker is part of an interdisciplinary team who promotes health and addresses medical and non medical barriers.

Essential Job Functions

• Supports and models behaviors consistent with the mission and philosophy of Billings Clinic and department/service.
• Assesses patient medical records for treatment plan, identifies actual and potential discharge needs at the time of admission for assigned patients.
• Identifies, screens and assess patients, families and/or significant others who require therapy/social work services in a timely manner.
• Integrates social work plan into overall patient care plan through participation in interdisciplinary team collaboration may include RN care management, physicians, nurses and other members of the health care team as service area dictates. Promotes collaboration and communication among team members.
• Provides patient, family, significant other education, and emotional support utilizing individual, family and group modalities (care conferences).
• Meets with patient, family, significant other as appropriate to develop plan of care taking into consideration choice, support network(s), resource needs (financial, housing, transportation, etc.), and appropriate level of care.
• Provides crisis intervention, therapeutic support and coping skills on adjustment to illness/disability.
• Identifies physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs and incorporates them into the plan of care.
• Demonstrates sensitivity and awareness about population specific needs or special issues related to culture, race, gender, age religion, sexual orientation, etc.
• Demonstrates the ability to identify symptoms/indicators of abuse, neglect, and exploitation in specific patient populations and provide appropriate interventions, including mandated reporting.
• Assess and responds to legal issues such as Living Wills, Durable Power of Attorney, guardianship, etc.
• Supports patients to ensure they can function to the best of their ability and maintain optimal health related to their medical condition. Provide education and information to patient’s identified support systems.
• Supports patients to stabilization using individual and group therapy techniques.
• Utilizes interviews and patient medical record reviews to identify actual or potential barriers and care needs.
• Interacts with patients, support systems, healthcare professionals, community, and state agencies. Serves as a liaison between hospital, clinic, and community agencies to facilitate the exchange of clinical and referral information.
• Identifies high-risk patients from a medical/psychosocial/financial perspective, assesses the needs of patients and support systems.
• Discusses evaluations, goals and treatments with patients and support systems to enhance patient and support system engagement.
• Collaborates with the multidisciplinary team to identify needs of patients and their support systems.
• Understands and utilizes hospital and community based financial resources and entitlements such as SSD, SSI, Medicaid, charity care, mental health, HCFS, Patient Financial Representatives, Public Health and other outside resources as needed.
• Coordinates and implements discharge/transitional planning activities within expected length of stay in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team.
• Accountable for appropriate and patient focused discharge planning; including placement in alternative living environments.
• Advocates on behalf of patients and takes a lead role assisting patients with complex psychosocial needs.
• Keeps supervisor informed of barriers to discharge, patient/family dissatisfaction, and/or agency conflicts.
• Coordinates with referral agencies as indicated to ensure services are in place before discharge. This includes providing necessary paperwork in a timely manner to process the referral and enhancing positive working relationships with community agencies.
• Demonstrates and utilizes knowledge of internal and external agency services/resources related to the needs of specific patient populations and the ability to be creative in coordinating services.
• Refers patients, families, and significant others to appropriate services to ensure continuity and quality of care (information and referral).
• Monitors the need for revisions in the care plan and makes recommendations to physician(s) and interdisciplinary team when indicated. Demonstrates resourcefulness when collaborating with the interdisciplinary team.
• Modifies treatment plans to reflect changes in patients or their support system status and needs.
• Demonstrates the ability to evaluate compliance with medical/psychiatric treatment protocols and intervene to address barriers.
• Helps navigate patient through the healthcare system.
• Provides timely referral and coordinates with agencies/facilities to ensure services are in place to meet the patient’s and organizational needs to achieve continuity and quality of care.
• Demonstrates and utilizes knowledge of services/resources related to the needs of specific patient populations.
• Maintains current knowledge regarding insurance benefit reimbursement, community resource and ancillary clinical services to meet the needs of internal and external customers.
• Serves as a resource to staff on psychosocial needs of patients and families, resources, and discharge/transitional planning.
• Documents care management interventions in medical record including patient, family and/or significant other communication, discharge/transition plan, support system and disposition status.
• Documentation is timely, reflects professional practice and is consistent with departmental/organizational policy.
• Monitors, evaluates and documents patient progress related to the plan of care.
• Maintains data and reporting information as required by department and other programs.
• Provides utilization review functions as required by the department.
• Identifies service gaps and participates in hospital and departmental programs to address and improve quality of care.
• Adheres to department and organizational policies addressing confidentiality, infection control, patient rights, medical ethics, advance directives, disaster protocols and safety.
• Maintain competency in organizational and departmental policies/processes relevant to job performance.
• Adheres to regulatory, legal, compliance, and professional licensure/certification requirements in day-to-day practice.
• Participates in continuing education, department planning, work teams, and process improvement activities.
• Demonstrates the ability to be flexible, open minded and adaptable to change
• Maintain competency in organizational and departmental policies/processes relevant to job performance.
• Performs other duties as assigned or needed to meet the needs of the department/organization.

Minimum Qualifications

 Level II

• Masters degree in social work preferred; Masters degree in a related field may be considered
• Three (3) years of clinical experience preferred

Therapist/Social Worker III

• Masters degree in Social Work, preferred; other comparable clinical Masters program may be considered
• Current Montana Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Licensed Professional Counselor (LCPC), or if entering from a different state, must be licensed in practicing state
• Three (3) years experience in a clinical setting with the same or similar duties and expectations of this position, preferred