Job Title: Social Worker – MSW / LCSW (PRN)
Location: Riley Hospital, Indianapolis, IN
Department: Psych Holding Unit
Shift: Swing Shift (1:00 PM – 1:00 AM)
PRN (as needed), with potential on-call and holiday rotations

Position Overview:

The Social Worker provides face-to-face assessments, counseling, and resource coordination for patients and families within the Psych Holding Unit. This role involves collaborating with the multidisciplinary clinical team to develop treatment plans that address psychosocial issues, facilitate safe discharges, and support mental health diagnoses. The Social Worker also serves as a resource and role model for students, interns, LBSWs, and LSWs, and acts as a liaison with protective services and community agencies, especially in cases of abuse, neglect, and domestic violence.

Key Responsibilities:

• Meet face-to-face with patients and families to assess psychosocial needs and provide counseling.
• Assist in developing educational materials for team members, patients, and families.
• Collaborate with the healthcare team to ensure timely, safe, and effective patient services, providing necessary resources and education.
• Interpret and communicate complex patient/family needs; model caring and professional practices.
• Assess psychosocial risk factors, including prior functioning, support systems, reactions to illness, and coping abilities.
• Counsel patients and families on emotional, social, and financial impacts of illness/disability.
• Access and mobilize community and family resources to meet identified needs.
• Conduct mental health assessments upon physician referral.
• Facilitate therapeutic interventions and discharge planning.
• Serve as the primary contact for cases involving child abuse/neglect, elder abuse, institutional abuse, and domestic violence.
• Act as liaison between Indiana University Health and local protective teams (APS/DCS).
• Maintain principles and techniques of crisis intervention and de-escalation.
• Provide intervention in guardianship, foster care, adoption, and mental health Level II placements.
• Offer specialized mental health services, including crisis intervention, addiction assessments, and psychiatric referrals.
• Support individuals in dangerous or potentially dangerous situations with clinical leadership.
• Utilize de-escalation techniques to manage acute crises and prevent violence.
• Conduct interviews with victims, perpetrators, families, and other stakeholders.
• Provide intervention for end-of-life, guardianship, foster care, and adoption cases.

Qualifications & Requirements:

• Education: Master’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited institution.
• Licensure: Permanent Indiana LCSW license required.
• Certifications:
  • Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) or equivalent de-escalation training required within 6 months of hire.
  • BLS certification may be required.
• Experience: 0-3 years of relevant healthcare, mental health, or community-based experience preferred.
• Knowledge & Skills:
  • Evidence-based psychosocial assessment, short-term therapeutic counseling, and crisis intervention skills.
  • Knowledge of disease processes and human behavior related to health-related social needs.
  • Complex discharge planning capabilities.
  • Familiarity with state and local protective legal mandates.
  • Principles of growth and development across the lifespan, including end-of-life care.
  • Ability to identify decision makers and facilitate goals-of-care conversations.
  • Experience working with diverse populations across geographic, cultural, and financial backgrounds.
  • Proficiency in electronic medical records and MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Core Competencies:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.
• Ability to work independently and in a multidisciplinary team.
• Commitment to confidentiality, professionalism, and HIPAA compliance.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong community and hospital relationships.

Join our dedicated team at Riley Hospital’s Psych Holding Unit and provide compassionate, expert behavioral health support to our patients. 

To learn more about our benefits, visit: IU Health Benefits

Interested?
Apply today to become part of our compassionate team committed to delivering exceptional care.

• Indiana University Health has nearly 40,000 team members, including more than 3,600 physicians and 1,200 advanced practice providers, and we’re home to the largest nursing network in Indiana with more than 9,000 nursing team members at over 800 sites of care.
• IU Health is ranked No. 1 in Indiana by U.S. News & World Report, Riley Children's Health is ranked among the top children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.
• A unique partnership with the Indiana University School of Medicine – one of the nation’s largest medical schools – gives patients access to groundbreaking research and innovative treatments, and it offers team members access to the latest science and the very best training – advancing healthcare for all.
• With 15 hospitals, including seven with Magnet designation and eight with Pathways to Excellence designation, our team members are leading the way through excellence.
• At Indiana University Health, your personal and professional growth is a top priority. You will have access to many diverse opportunities to learn and develop in meaningful ways that matter most to you, such as advanced clinical training, leadership development, promotion opportunities and cross training development.
• Indiana University Health is invested in the lives of Hoosiers, leading the transformation of healthcare to make Indiana one of the nation’s healthiest states.