All new University of Iowa applicants and former employees who accept an offer on or before May 15, and begin employment within 90 days of offer, will be eligible to receive a sign-on incentive of $7,500.

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Department of Psychiatry is seeking a Social Work Specialist 1 to provide advanced social work practice skills on the Addiction Medicine Consult Service. Bilingual in Spanish/English is highly desired. This position works with an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professional trainees and staff clinicians to provide advanced social work practice skills in areas of individual, group and family psychotherapy, program development, teaching and training, research and public education. Will collaborate with a variety of health care professionals to affect treatment options and assist in the coordination of social work activities related to the treatment of patients with substance use and/or mental health disorders. Will contribute to the social work profession, building on social work education and experience to enhance department initiatives and patient experience.

Position Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive intervention including assessments, individual, group and family psychotherapy symptom monitoring, social and independent living skill building, problem-solving assistance, supportive counseling for clients and families, and crisis intervention.
• Collaborate within the multi-disciplinary Addiction and Recovery team to provide services to clients.
• Participate in weekly team meetings to review and plan client services.
• Work collaboratively with clients, their families, and community partners to assist clients in achieving their treatment and recovery goals.
• Conduct clinical assessments of violence risk, suicide risk, substance use, and trauma.
• Conduct evidence-based therapies and treatments to address client needs (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, harm reduction, motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, and supported employment)
• Provide services to assist clients with needs such as family support, housing, entitlements, employment, education, vocational interests, community integration, and connection to physical health care.
• Provide services to assist clients with needs such as legal advocacy, navigating the criminal justice system, coordination with legal agencies and required supervision.
• Serve as a role-model for students in a variety of health science fields by exposing students to the Addiction and Recovery Collaborative of Iowa program.
• Document patient care activities in the patient’s medical record according to established standards
• Initiate and maintain correspondence between providers and local community agencies as needed.
• Develops and implements plan of care, responsive to patient/family concerns, health care status, available resources, age specific problems, and clinical impressions.
• Obtain Bio-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.
• Assist in the medical or clinical treatment of the patients and clients.
• Assess for mandatory reporting concerns when needed.
• Consult with community social agencies regarding medical-social or other social functioning problems of patients and clients and their family members.
• 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.
• Maintain required skills in CPR, violence management training, safety and infection control.
• Operate University of Iowa community outreach vehicles in a safe and lawful manner.
• Perform other functions as requested.

Percent of Time: 50-100%
Staff Type: Allied Health Professional