Career Center

Penn State Health - Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Location: US:PA:Hershey
Work Type: Full Time
FTE: 1.00
Shift: Day
Hours: 9:00a - 5:00p

SUMMARY OF POSITION:

Responsible for providing psychotherapy to patients, screening admission referrals, and providing ongoing treatment planning

PURPOSE OF THE POSITION:

• Provide emotional, social and counseling support that promotes health and wellness among patients and their families followed by the Hummingbird Program (pediatric palliative care)
• Provide emotional, social and counseling support that promotes improved well-being to bereaved families
• Provide confidential emotional, social and counseling support that promotes wellness among staff and faculty caring for patients followed by the Hummingbird Program 

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsibilities are divided between providing psychosocial and counseling support to staff, patients, and families of the Hummingbird Program (0.5 FTE) and overseeing and coordinating the bereavement program for the children's hospital (0.5 FTE)
• Proactively seek opportunities to establish relationships and provide psychosocial support to patients and families. Support should be offered during the hospital stay, in the outpatient clinic, or via telephone as appropriate based on patient and family needs. Outpatient and telephone follow up should be on a short-term basis only
• Proactively coordinate the provision of staff support on a routine and situational basis depending on the needs of the unit/program including formal debriefings
• Prioritize delivery of psychosocial support to patients, families and staff based on clinical acuity and situation through collaboration with nursing and ancillary staff
• Perform comprehensive and ongoing assessment of child and family coping, and family system integrity
• Provide short-term individual, family, or group counseling as appropriate to patients, families and staff within scope of practice. Assist with navigation of adult counseling resources and facilitate referrals to the Employee Assistance Program for staff as appropriate
• Provide anticipatory guidance and training to patients and families on topics, including: coping with disease process, stress reduction, ripple effect of illness on the family unit and coping with grief and/or anticipated loss, or bereavement
• Provide education and training to staff and faculty on topics, including: communication, self-care, moral distress, collaborating with challenging patient/families, work/home stress, compassion fatigue, grief and loss- particularly child loss
• Collaborate with family and teams to identify treatment options, goals and priorities for care
• Assess patients, families and staff for risks of poor coping or complicated grief
• Communicate identified issues or concerns to the medical team or appropriate resources in a timely manner
• Lead the continued development of the bereavement program for the Children's Hospital with the mission of creating a community of support for bereaved families. Lead the bereaved parents advisory committee and recruit additional bereaved parents as appropriate
• Create an overarching connection with the various unit-based bereavement care programs. Enhance unit knowledge of bereavement support offered through the children's hospital bereavement program
• Offer individual/couple/family grief support session to bereaved families on a short-term basis. Complete assessment for ongoing support needs and make appropriate referrals to community grief resources or counseling as needed
• Develop, market and facilitate Bereavement Support Groups, workshops and other events
• Lead the development of the annual Children's Remembrance Ceremony. Utilize a multidisciplinary staff committee as well as bereaved parent volunteers
• Facilitate communication among family and team members
• Participate in quality improvement or research activities as assigned or indicated

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION(S):

Master's Degree in Social Work, Psychology or related field required

One (1) year of experience in the treatment of Psychiatric patients required

Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) or Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) or Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) required

If you discover any technical difficulties while applying, please email your resume to agalloway1@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.

This job description is a general outline of duties performed and is not to be misconstrued as encompassing all duties performed within the position. All individuals (including current employees) selected for a position will undergo a background check appropriate for the position's responsibilities.

Penn State Health is fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is unapologetically expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information. If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please call 717-531-8440 between the hours of 7:30 AM and 4:30 PM, Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday, email hrsolutions@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or download our Accommodation Instructions for Job Applicants PDF for more detailed steps for assistance.

Union: Non Bargained

About Penn State Health

At Penn State Hershey, our mission is to enhance the quality of life and serve our community through improved health, the education of health professionals, and the discovery of knowledge. For us, service excellence is not only for our patients but also our employees. It means valuing each and every employee.

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