Crisis Clinician

Here at Wellpath, everything that we do is about taking care of people – our patients, our staff and our partners. We are committed to making a difference by providing hope and healing to vulnerable patients in challenging clinical environments. Our talented, compassionate team thrives in an autonomous environment, is empowered and supported by education, training and the resources to practice healthcare the way it is meant to be and strives to “Always Do The Right Thing!”

Overview

Our Crisis Social Worker functions as a resource for patients in crisis or in need of care, in addition to the care they are receiving from their core multidisciplinary team. Based on the needs of the patient, identified through the assessment or treatment process, treatment services may include case management services, crisis intervention, counseling, motivational interviewing, and skills training that encompasses the principles of effective psychiatric rehabilitation. The Crisis Social Worker provides on call coverage and is liaison to university practicum students.

Additional Details

$1,000 signing bonus available.

Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s Degree in Social Work or Mental Health Counseling

Experience:

• Two (2) years’ experience with the severe and persistent mentally ill preferred.
• Experience in acute settings or in crisis intervention.
• Must have strong knowledge of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
• Able to participate in weekend/evening on-call, and available to rotate/flex schedule to allow for early evening shifts (up to 7pm) and occasional Saturdays.
• Ability to implement intervention strategies based upon analysis of information from verbal, non-verbal, collateral and narrative resources.
• Experience in ethical decision-making and utilizing strengths based and trauma-informed clinical practices with individuals and groups.
• Ability to engage, maintain and appropriately terminate helping relationships with diverse client groups.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• High degree of empathetic listening, tact and kindness toward others.
• Ability to work well under pressure, be flexible, be detail oriented, adapt and respond to changing situations.

Licenses/Certifications:

• Current license with the Colorado State Board of Social Work Examiners

Responsibilities

1. Serves as the primary on-call staff member, in conjunction with the on-call psychiatrists, with back up from the Program Director and Assistant Director.
2. Provides services to the most acute care patients across all multidisciplinary teams and coordinates care with the patient’s team.
3. During the day, the Crisis Social Worker will manage crisis situations, will see patients discharged from the Behavioral Control Unit and Booking w/psychiatry, and will ensure that the treatment plans for these patients are individualized and revised to fit current needs. This includes facilitating treatment team meetings, as needed until the patient is stabilized.
4. While the patient is stabilizing, the Crisis Social Worker will work with patients on Crisis Response Plans and will follow them with the multidisciplinary team until they have stabilized.
5. Overnight the Crisis Social Worker will consult w/deputies, psychiatry, and The Company/ASCO mental health staff during crises/lockdowns. He/she will notify the Program Director, The Company Vice Presidents, and OBH of crises after hours and provide related documentation for review.
6. Responsible for managing the crises and then handing back to the team or primary clinician for resumed care management, bridging those duties with collaboration.
7. Coordinates training for social work practicum students and communicates with the students’ university.
8. Carries a reduced case load as their primary social worker.
9. Serves a back-up for group coverage.
10. Facilitates and encourages patient’s positive engagement with their treatment team, unit rules and program resources available for assisting with coping
11. Coordinates care with the patient’s team and reports patient needs to Program Director or Assistant Director.
12. Independently provides all care activities and appropriately seeks direction for unusual situations.
13. Monitor patients for changes in clinical symptoms and treatment side effects or complications.
14. Provide brief solution focused interventions using evidence-based techniques such as motivational interviewing or other relevant techniques, reassess current level of need and document patient progress, interventions and treatment recommendations in patient record.
15. Conduct post crisis evaluation debriefing and support services to patients as needed.
16. Seeks to enhance the capacity of patients to address their own needs. Utilize all patient contact as opportunities for therapeutic intervention.
17. Participates in regularly scheduled caseload consultation with the treatment team.
18. Facilitate patient engagement in mental health care and assist in implementation of treatment plan changes for patients who are not improving as expected, in consultation with treatment team.
19. Maintains medical records in compliance with Performance Improvement, the Joint Commission (TJC), the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH), the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and jail policies. Updates all discharge information and documents direct and collateral contacts into medical record.
20. Cooperates with colleagues to serve the well-being of patients. Participates in and contributes to decisions that affect patients’ well-being. Determines when consultation with colleagues is in patients’ best interests and determines best practices based on such consultation. Maintains professional and effective relationships with staff members.
21. Independently promotes self-knowledge and professional growth by attending educational offerings and achieving and maintaining state mental health licensure.
22. Independently prioritizes assignments and workload on a continual basis.
23. Applies sensitivity to cultural diversity issues, treats patients as an individual, and considers the culture of the patients when providing care and treatment.
24. Must be able to apply principles of critical thinking to a variety of practical and emergent situations and accurately follow standardized procedures that may call for deviations.
25. Must be able to apply sound judgment beyond a specific set of instructions and apply knowledge to different factual situations.
26. Must be alert at all times; pay close attention to details.
27. Must be able to work under stress on a regular or continuous basis.
28. Perform other duties as assigned.

Wellpath is an EOE/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disability Employer