Social Worker II - Addiction Medicine

The Department of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is seeking a part-time temporary Social Worker II. This position will provide support to UI Addiction and Recovery Collaborative on the LIVER-SUD-IA project. This position works with an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professional trainees and staff clinicians to assist patients and their primary medical teams in addressing issues related to substance use and how it may be complicating a patient’s health or treatment. The Social Worker II will provide social work treatment, individually or in groups, to patients and their families to facilitate their understanding and resolution of problems related to Services are offered utilizing both telehealth and in-person sessions at Iowa Health Care and other statewide liver specialty clinics. This position is responsible for obtaining psychosocial histories from patients or their relatives, sharing and interpreting information with appropriate staff, and including written histories or summaries for clinical records. Will coordinate referrals to substance use treatment programs, providing direct service to patients and relatives through psychotherapeutic interventions to facilitate harm reduction and recovery from substance use disorders.

Responsibilities to Include:

• Serve as a social worker on the UI Addiction Medicine LIVER project team. Functions as a member of an interdisciplinary team that provides services, resources, and support to people who have substance use disorders and liver disease.

• Obtain psycho-social histories from patient or clients and their relatives, share and interpret information with appropriate staff, and include written histories or summaries for Clinical Records.

• Confer with clinical staff to assess the medical, psychological, and social condition and needs of patients and clients.

• Provide information to other clinical staff regarding patient, client and family members psycho-social functioning and needs.

• Provide information regarding other patient and client services.

• Provide direct service to patients and clients and their relatives through the evaluation of social and psychological data and select appropriate social work methods for treatment.

• Provide indirect service to patients and clients through participation in program development, teaching and research.

• Consult with community social agencies regarding medical-social or other social functioning problems of patients and clients and their family members.

• Assist in conducting social group/family sessions for patients and clients or their family members.

• Characterizes interactions with others in all work settings by respectful, person-centered language, recovery-enhancing relationships with patients, conversations that communicate an understanding of the impact of stigma, discrimination and social isolation, and attempts to reduce it.

• Comply with grant funding documentation guidelines and requirements, including but not limited to entering required documentation into the electronic project database (REDCap) and participant files.

• Maintain documentation and progress notes within specified timelines.

• Provide weekly updates about participants to supervisor and other members of the project team.

• May perform other duties as assigned.

• Attend and participate in training, meetings, conferences, and workshops.

• Maintain effective working relationships with faculty, staff, students, and the public.

• Identification of unique needs, strengths, and assets in patient assessments.

• Create individualized treatment plans: goals that reflect patient/family participation, strategies to support/build on patient strengths, assets and goals, strategies that will help patient and all staff minimize the use of coercive interventions.

• Involves family/support system in care to the extent possible by encouraging visitation, allowing participation in assessment, treatment planning, education, and discharge planning, communicating an understanding of the impact of mental illness on families, therapeutic approaches to explore and possibly reduce patient reluctance to involve family/support system.

• Characterizes interactions with others in all work settings by respectful, person-centered language, recovery-enhancing relationships with patients, conversations that communicate an understanding of the impact of stigma, discrimination and social isolation, and attempts to reduce it.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with a major concentration in social work. A master’s degree is desirable.

• 6 months to1 year of clinical social work experience.

• Experience working with adult and adolescent patients and their families, providing counseling and crisis intervention.

• Experience working with patients who have substance use and/or mental health disorders.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Social work experience in a health care setting with the appropriate patient population and their families.

• Experience with identifying and navigating financial resources, including insurance coverage options, changes related to the federal and state health programs, and the disability process.

• Experience working with community resources, home healthcare, nursing facilities and other options available for patients in outpatient settings.

• Experience in a fast paced, high-volume work environment.

Note:

This is a temporary, short-term and less-than one-year position.

Successful candidates will be required to self-disclose any conviction history and will be subject to a criminal background check and credential/education verification.