WHAT DOES A CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER DO?
Updated: Nov 24, 2024 - The Clinical Social Worker operates within a structured team environment, reporting directly to the Clinical Care Manager and receiving supervision from a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for both case management and clinical interventions. This role demands punctuality and readiness to perform duties as scheduled, maintaining focus throughout the entirety of assigned shifts. Adherence to ethical standards, confidentiality practices, and legal regulations is paramount, ensuring a professional representation of Gulfside Healthcare Services and a compassionate, patient-centered approach to care.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Clinical Social Worker
1. Clinical Social Worker Duties
- Staff Coverage: Provide coverage for other social work staff as needed, including weekend rotation coverage.
- Patient Intake: Perform patient psychosocial intake activities and disseminate information regarding GHS.
- Crisis Assistance: Assist in identifying and works with high-risk and/or suicidal patients/families and with patients/families experiencing other kinds of non-medical crisis.
- Interdisciplinary Assessment: Participate in on-going psychosocial, spiritual, and bereavement assessment of the patient/family in cooperation with the interdisciplinary team.
- Care Plan Development: Assist with the development and implementation of a patient/family personalized care plan, which may include counseling, support information and/or referral to GHS and/or other community resources.
- Case Management: Provide case management services relating to psychosocial needs for patient/family.
- Software Proficiency: Function with proficiency using electronic health record software.
- Documentation Timeliness: Complete clinical documentation, psychosocial assessments, clinical notes, and secondary reports on time, including Bereavement Assessment and cards.
- Volunteer Coordination: Provide input to Volunteer Coordinator regarding patient/family needs to promote volunteer assignment and match.
- Bereavement Support: Provide individual support services to the bereaved.
2. Clinical Social Worker Details
- Professional Development: Demonstrate continued professional growth and development through participation in educational and in-service training programs for professional staff, providing a record of programs attended to Human Resources.
- Literature Review: Be responsible to review current health care literature relating to duties.
- Meeting Attendance: Attend Interdisciplinary Group, case conferences, and staff meetings.
- Licensure Compliance: Maintain and meet requirements of LCSW Board for CEU, as well as GHS requirements.
- Volunteer Training Assistance: Assist in the volunteer training process.
- Safety Conduct: Be individually responsible to conduct safely during the performance of all job-related duties.
- Safety Reporting: Be responsible to bring unsafe conditions to the attention of the person within the organization responsible for safety issues.
- Project Leadership: Assume responsibilities for project/program development and implementation.
- Role Flexibility: Perform duties/tasks as deemed appropriate for the positions of the social worker as requested/delegated or assigned by the immediate supervisor or Executive Director.
- Policy Support: Address and supports all GHS policies and procedures.
- Inequality Awareness: Awareness of the impact of structural/social inequalities on wellbeing, emotional development, and the mental health industry.
3. Clinical Social Worker Responsibilities
- Team Collaboration: Work within the clinical team, reporting to the Clinical Care Manager.
- Supervised Practice: Be supervised by a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for case management and clinical intervention.
- Punctuality: Report for work at the scheduled time, ready to perform work functions.
- Task Focus: Remain on task while completing an entire scheduled shift.
- Professional Representation: Represent Gulfside Healthcare Services professionally and responsibly.
- Ethical Practice: Practice social work/counseling in a manner that is a model for professional and agency ethics, values, and integrity and that complies with the letter and spirit of legal aspects.
- Confidentiality Adherence: Adhere to the practice of confidentiality regarding patients, families, staff, and GHS.
- Legal Compliance: Comply with all applicable laws and regulations for collaborative agreements.
- Compassionate Care: Be sensitive and compassionate with a patient-centered attitude towards accepting death as a part of life and enhancing the quality of life for patients, assigned to care.
- Weekend Participation: Participate in the weekend duty schedule of social workers.
- Self-Reflection: Be reflective about the use of self in counseling and interpersonal dynamics.
4. Clinical Social Worker Accountabilities
- Dual Diagnosis Management: Working with dual diagnosis clients.
- Advanced Diagnostics: Apply advanced professional psychological diagnostic methods and evidence-based intervention strategies to a full range of patient problems in the work setting.
- Complex Case Consultation: Provide direct psychological patient care/treatment and consultation services on difficult or complex cases.
- Pain Management Services: Provide a full range of pain management psychosocial assessments and treatment services, using individual and group modalities, and using evidence-based psychotherapies as available and applicable.
- Treatment Plan Development: Develop, implement, and document the psychotherapeutic treatment recommendations for patients, including prompt completion of clinical assessments and treatment plans.
- Referral Coordination: Make referrals as needed to outside mental health and/or addiction treatment programs.
- Crisis Support: Assist other providers in crisis intervention and completes suicide assessments.
- Confidential Reporting: Report on department results and outcomes in a confidential manner.
- Service Feedback Monitoring: Monitor patient service feedback and assists with resolving complaints and service issues.
- Interdisciplinary Teamwork: Work as a member of various interdisciplinary teams in the clinic setting.
- Racial Equity Commitment: Commitment to racial equity in values and has a strong passion to practice in these values.
5. Clinical Social Worker Functions
- Referral Coordination: Provide referrals for mental health services and follow up on those referrals
- Training Delivery: Provide training that increases staff knowledge in effectively meeting clients' needs
- Trauma-Informed Practice: Ensure the use of trauma-informed interventions and methodologies throughout by all staff
- Documentation Maintenance: Keep accurate, up-to-date documentation on all clients, including but not limited to, treatment plans, case notes
- Group Facilitation: Facilitate skills building groups and counseling for residents
- Efficiency Collaboration: Collaborate with administrative staff and providers to optimize efficiency
- Professional Collaboration: Work in collaboration with appropriate licensed professionals
- Policy Implementation: Establish and implement policies, objectives, and procedures for the department
- Continuity of Care: Provide continuity of care to patients/families by providing a Leave Request regarding anticipated absences
- Patient Engagement: Maintain a rolling monthly minimum average of twenty (20) patient, client and/or caregiver visits per week
- Cultural Competence: Familiarity with culturally responsive practice, and development of/engagement with an anti-oppressive clinical perspective