Job Overview

As one of the oldest medical schools in the country, the UC College of Medicine has a reputation for training best-in-class health care professionals and developing cutting-edge procedures and research that improves the health and clinical care of patients.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience is dedicated to high quality medical student and resident education, excellence in patient care, and advancing the science in psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences through clinical trials and ongoing collaborative research. The department supports clinical care and career development in multiple disciplines, including general psychiatry, addiction psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, and neuromodulation including electroconvulsive therapy and transcranial magnetic stimulation.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience is recruiting a full time Licensed Independent Social Worker.  This position is a core member of the collaborative care team and is responsible for supporting and coordinating the mental and physical health care of patients on an assigned patient caseload with the patient’s clinical care team.

Essential Functions

• Support the mental and physical health care of patients on an assigned patient caseload.  Closely coordinate care with the patient’s medical provider and, when appropriate, other mental health providers.
• Screen and assess patients for common mental health and substance abuse disorders.  Facilitate patient engagement and follow-up care.
• Provide patient education about common mental health and substance abuse disorders and the available treatment options.
• Systematically track treatment response and monitor patients for changes in clinical symptoms and treatment side effects or complications.
• Support psychotropic medication management as prescribed by medical providers, focusing on treatment adherence monitoring, side effects, and effectiveness of treatment.
• Provide brief behavioral interventions using evidence-based techniques such as behavioral activation, problem-solving treatment, motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, or other treatments as appropriate.
• Provide or facilitate in-clinic or outside referrals to evidence-based psychosocial treatments as clinical indicated.
• Participate in regularly scheduled caseload consultations with the psychiatric consultant and communicate resulting treatment recommendations to the patient’s medical provider.  Consultations will focus on patients new to the caseload and those who are not improving as expected under the current treatment plan.  Case reviews may be conducted by telephone, video, or in person.
• Document patient progress and treatment recommendations in EHR and other required systems so as to be shared with medical providers, psychiatric consultant, and other treating providers.
• Facilitate treatment plan changes for patients who are not improving as expected in consultation with the medical provider and the psychiatric consultant and who may need more intensive or more specialized mental health care.
• Facilitate referrals for clinically indicated services outside of the organization.
• Develop and complete relapse prevention self-management plan with patients who have achieved their treatment goals and are soon to be discharged from the caseload.

Required Education

Master’s Degree must be in Social Work.

Required Trainings/Certifications

State of Ohio Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW).

Required Experience

Two (2) years of supervised social work experience.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment