Lead Bereavement Counselor

Brief Description

What We Are Looking For

Job Title: Lead Bereavement Counselor

Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Salary Range: $63,000

Job Summary

This position is instrumental in the provision of the Bereavement Care Program provided by the agency. It requires a solid understanding of the hospice philosophy and services, the experiences of all types of grief, and effective clinical strategies for healing. This position coordinates the full scope of Bereavement Services provided by the agency, provides individual grief counseling to family members, and facilitates Bereavement support groups. The lead Bereavement Counselor works under the supervision and direction of the Director of Social Work and Bereavement and is a leader and coordinator of the bereavement services provided by the social work team.

Supervisory Responsibilities (if Applicable)

Supervises master level social work intern bereavement placement.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Provide and collaborates with the Social Work team on the delivery of grief counseling needs and services (one-to-one, groups, and ongoing follow-up) to ensure timely and appropriate services are provided to family/caregivers.
• This includes virtual and in person support groups.
• Group Facilitation Two - three evenings per week required to accommodate the evening support groups.
• Coordinates the Bereavement Program development, expansion and refinement including maintaining current list of bereavement services in the community as well as bereavement curriculum resources.
• The role will be responsible for maintaining data/metrics/detail of numerous department initiatives:
• Bereavement intake and screenings.
• Bereavement Care program tracking sheets.
• Bereavement services in the community.
• List of websites that are resources for families.
• Bereavement Support Group Curriculum.
• Social Work Bereavement Microsoft Shared Files.
• Annual Bereavement Statistics.
• Coordinate bereavement counselors case load.
• Coordinate the Bereavement volunteer team efforts and lead the volunteer’s monthly team meeting.
• Coordinates the Agency’s Coping Thru the Holiday’s Seminars/webinars/videos.
• Assists as needed in evaluating and planning services to meet hospice personnel support needs.
• Provide counseling for Hospice Family members in High-Risk Grief.
• Participate in hospice activities such as in-service education, hospice meetings, and relevant committees.
• Facilitate and provide leadership in the Thriving Family Grief Support Program, confirming each series curriculum and lesson plans are well developed.
• Supervise social work Interns.
• Advances professional knowledge and skills.
• Attend Monthly SW business meetings.
• Coordinate and facilitate Bereavement Mailings.
• Collaborate and contribute to agency department annual goals.
• Performs other related duties and responsibilities as assigned by Director of Social Work & Bereavement Services.
• Hybrid position: This office-based position can be flexed to remote; decision to be made in conjunction with reporting supervisor. As warranted by the organization’s needs, being present in the office can be required at any time.
  
  

Requirements

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Refined clinical counseling skills.
• Understanding of grief response and experience with counseling individuals, families, and groups regarding loss.
• Outstanding presentation and communication skills, ability to represent the agency to the benefit of our community.
• Highly professional and refined interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work with autonomy, as well as a team member.
• Leadership skills.
• Ability to utilize electronic communication systems; including laptop, Microsoft, Zoom, etc.
• Very comfortable with all aspects of Microsoft suite, Excel-Word-PowerPoint-etc.
• Knowledge and commitment to hospice philosophy.
• Strong organizational skills.
  
  

Education And Experience

• Required – Master’s Degree in Social Work (LMSW).
• Demonstrated experience working as a clinical grief counseling.
• Preferred candidate to be a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. (LCSW).
  
  

Physical Requirements

Patients need round-the-clock care, working hours include days, nights, weekends and holidays.

• Ability to sit for extended periods.
• Fine motor skills.
• Visual acuity.
  
  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee is frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach forward with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to sit. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Summary

Hospice of Orange and Sullivan Counties, Inc. is dedicated to building a diverse, progressive, and authentic workplace. As we continue to educate ourselves, we are continually developing ways to hold ourselves accountable and ensure our values are aligned to provide an inclusive and safe environment for all. All applicants will be afforded equal employment opportunities without discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected class. Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or future roles.