Clinical Social Worker

Clinical Social Worker, LICSW IIAs a member of the multidisciplinary oncology team, the Clinical Social Worker, LICSW II, provides highly skilled patient and family centered care through clinical psychosocial assessment and intervention, including crisis response, individual, couples, family, and group interventions, and short-term bereavement support. Located in Boston and the surrounding communities, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a leader in life changing breakthroughs in cancer research and patient care. We strive to create an inclusive, diverse, and equitable environment where we provide compassionate and comprehensive care to patients of all backgrounds, and design programs to promote public health particularly among high-risk and underserved populations. We conduct groundbreaking research that advances treatment, we educate tomorrow's physician/researcher, and we work with amazing partners, including other Harvard Medical School-affiliated hospitals. Primary duties and responsibilities include: Providing biopsychosocial assessment and intervention, crisis intervention, coordination of psychosocial services, and consultation, to reduce cancer-related distress and improve quality of life for patients, families, and caregivers across the trajectory of cancer care. Assessing adaptation of families and caregivers to patient's illness and ensuring maximum participation of patients/families/caregivers in the continuum of care process. Providing clinical interventions that are focused on cancer-related distress, evidence based, goal oriented, strengths based, and short-term and episodic in nature to ensure patient equity and accessibility to social work interventions. Identifying and addressing high-risk psychosocial factors as well as psychosocial strengths of patients/families/caregivers that impact health status, coping and adjustment. Facilitating complex serious illness and goals of care conversations to ensure shared treatment decision-making and effective patient-physician communication. Identifying and communicating systemic inequities, their impact on patients, families, caregivers, and the community at large and providing recommendations for systemic change. Demonstrating commitment to diversity and equity efforts, including advocacy and self-education to advance knowledge base of the needs and concerns of underserved and marginalized populations. Communicating clinical assessment and recommendations and providing consultation and support to interdisciplinary health care team. Initiating collaboration with interdisciplinary team to manage psychosocial barriers that limit patients'/families'/caregivers' ability to access and/or engage in recommended medical care. Providing education/consultation regarding impact of cancer on patients and families/caregivers to community, and providing consultation, education, and program development within the disease-based or service-based team and in collaboration with the interdisciplinary team. Facilitating patient and/or family and/or caregiver support programs or groups. Providing in-person and/or telehealth services to patients and families/caregivers. Providing clinical coverage in other social workers' absence(s).Knowledge, skills, and abilities required include: Highly skilled in knowledge of interventions for patients with psychosocial needs inclusive of mental health, behavioral health, emotional, relational, and other social needs. Highly skilled in various behavioral health interventions related to common issues and needs across the oncology continuum of care. Highly skilled in knowledge of interdisciplinary teamwork and team dynamics, scope of key partnerships and interprofessional roles. Highly skilled in knowledge of social work clinical psychosocial care concepts, practices, and policies with demonstrated ability to use them in varied situations. Highly skilled ability to facilitate understanding and resolution of problems related to patient/family/caregiver interpersonal conflict, mental health and/or substance use concerns or disorders. Highly skilled ability to provide guidance/consultation to the team around complex patient management, including ethical issues. Highly skilled ability to facilitate patient and family/caregiver participation in oncology care, and to recommend and contribute to team and/or family/caregiver meetings. Highly skilled ability to make clinical decisions guided by experience, policies, consultation, and evidence-based practice. Highly skilled in actively facilitating team meetings related to care planning in the setting of disruptive/challenging patient/family/caregiver/support person behavior. Highly skilled in ability to understand and communicate information to interdisciplinary team, patients, families, caregivers, and community partners. Highly skilled in ability to be sensitive, responsive to, and advocate for the needs of diverse populations in the setting of serious illness. Highly skilled ability to adjust to change within a fast-paced working environment and to be a role model for LCSW and LICSW I roles. Highly skilled ability to integrate professional ethical principles and adhere to relevant professional, departmental, and organizational standards for patient and family care. Highly skilled ability to write clear and complete biopsychosocial assessments, progress notes, and other forms of documentation in the EMR, keeping with Divisional and Institutional policies. Strong adherence to Social Work Division practice and administrative standards and policies. Minimum job qualifications include: