Social Work Specialist I - Department of Psychiatry - Substance Use Disorders and Liver Disease

The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Department of Psychiatry is seeking a Social Work Specialist 1 to provide advanced social work practice skills to individuals with substance use disorders and liver disease. The Social Work Specialist 1 will provide individual and group services to individuals with substance use disorders and liver disease, utilizing both telehealth and in-person who are seeking specialty medical care at the University of Iowa and other statewide liver specialty clinics.  We are seeking a Licensed Independent Social Worker (LISW) or a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) with leadership skills and an understanding of working with patients who have substance use disorders.

This position provides leadership and advanced social work practice skills in areas of individual, group psychotherapy, program development, teaching and training, research, and public education. Collaborates 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. Contributes to the social work profession, building on social work education and experience to enhance department initiatives and patient experience.   

Duties and Responsibilities
•    Demonstrates initiative in problem solving and program development and/or identifies, conducts, and documents research and special projects.
•    Work with other members of the team to contribute ideas, initiate problem solving and program development, and seek ways to improve processes.
•    Develops services that improve patient care and benefit the clinical service, department, and hospital. 
•    Consciously uses self and professional skills to achieve goals. 
•    Demonstrates knowledge of practice area, techniques, and theory, and applies this knowledge effectively to service. 
•    Seeks and completes further education or professional development related to job/assignment. 
•    Evaluates own professional practice and improves care based on results.
•    Continues to build relationships with patients and families to develop and implement care plans, using clinical impressions to address treatment adherence and access to care concerns.
•    Serves as a practicum instructor for social work students or acts as a job shadow guide for short term placements. 
•    Serves as a mentor for new staff, teaching core and advanced competencies and/or evaluation.
•    Provides education on social work skills, including diagnostic and treatment, and provides information on specialized areas of practice. 
•    Understands and applies recovery principles to all aspects of care. 
•    Includes identification of unique needs, strengths, and assets in patient assessments. 
•    Includes individualized treatment plans: goals that reflect patient/family participation, strategies to support/build patient strengths, assets and goals, strategies that will help patients and all staff minimize coercive interventions.
•    Provides high-quality, proficient care utilizing telehealth formats, including audio-video and audio-only.
•    Involves family/support system in care to the extent possible by: encouraging visitation, allowing assessment participation, treatment planning, education and discharge planning, communicating an understanding of the impact of mental illness on families, therapeutic approaches to explore and possibly reduce reluctance to involve support system.
•    Functions as a member of an interdisciplinary team that provides services, resources, and support to people who have substance use disorders and liver disease.  
•    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.

Classification Title: Social Work Specialist I – Substance Use Disorders

Department: Psychiatry - University of Iowa Addiction and Recovery Collaborative

Percent of Time: 80-100%

Staff Type: Allied Health Professional