Palliative Psychosocial Specialist (LCSW) - $5,000 Sign-On Bonus presso Salinas Valley Health Clinics

This position is eligible for a $5,000 sign-on bonus. Bonus eligibility and payout details will be provided during the offer process.

SUMMARY

The Palliative Psychosocial Specialist provides emotional, psychological, and social support to patients with serious, life-limiting illnesses and their families. Their primary role is to help individuals navigate the complex challenges that come with serious illness, including end-of-life care, by offering counseling, facilitating communication, and helping with decision-making. They work as part of a multidisciplinary team to ensure that the patient's emotional and social needs are met, advocating for the patient and their family within the healthcare system and society at large.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Includes but is not limited to, the following:

• Providing counseling, emotional support, and existential care to patients and families, helping them cope with the emotional, social, and psychological impact of serious illness.
• Facilitating communication between the healthcare team, patients, and families to ensure that care goals are understood and aligned.
• Supporting advance care planning, including helping patients and families make informed decisions about treatment options, and discussing issues like living wills, power of attorney, and Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders.
• Crisis intervention, including managing situations where patients or families are experiencing significant distress or anxiety.
• Assessing family dynamics and providing referrals for additional services, such as grief counseling, financial assistance, or support groups.
• Educating and supporting family members, helping them understand the stages of illness, caregiving, and bereavement.
• Provide anticipatory grief interventions and bereavement support for patients and families before and after patient death.
• Advocating for the patient’s psychosocial needs within the broader healthcare system, ensuring they receive the appropriate resources and care.
• Educate and support caregivers, recognizing the physical, emotional and financial strain of caregiving. 
• Participate in team education, staff resilience efforts, and quality improvement initiatives. 
• Collaborate with the team to develop legacy initiatives to enhance the family experience of loss and remembrance. 
• Adheres to all department/facility policies.
• Must behave ethically and professionally.

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

• Have a master's degree in social work from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education
• Prefer at least three years of full-time social work experience in palliative care

QUALIFICATIONS  

• The role requires strong interpersonal skills, a deep understanding of human behavior, and expertise in the psychological aspects of chronic illness and end-of-life care. 
• Knowledge and abilities essential to the successful performance of the duties assigned to the position
• Demonstrates resourcefulness, effective written and oral communication, diplomacy, organizational, and analytic skills.
• Self-directed, assertive and creative in problem solving, systems planning and patient care management in a high-volume work environment. 
• Must be capable of working with diverse populations.
• Must have emotional resilience and stability since the work often involves dealing with crises, loss and death in the context of close relationships with patients and families. 
• Must have knowledge in caring for patients in different developmental stages throughout the life cycle, including terminal illness.
• Demonstrates emotional and psychological resilience and ability to manager high-stakes, emotionally charged situations. 

PREFERRED

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES 

This job has no supervisory responsibilities.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT:

Salinas Valley Health Clinics requires you to provethat you have received the COVID-19 vaccine or have a valid religious ormedical reason not to be vaccinated. 

Proof of identity and legal authority to work in theU.S. is a condition of employment.  Cypress Healthcare Partners/SalinasValley Health Clinics will not sponsor applicants for work visas.

The range displayed in this job posting reflects the target salary for new hires for this position.