Vancouver, Washington, United States
Currently licensed as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Wisconsin. I completed my Master's degree in social work at the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration ('17) and my Bachelors degree in psychology and women and gender studies at Marquette University ('15). Presently working as a Community Living Center social worker for the VA Portland Healthcare System.
• Routinely conducts screenings/biopsychosocial assessments to evaluate veteran’s internal/external supports, strengths, limitations, and service needs for care coordination • Initiates treatment and discharge planning upon admission to the CLC, and continues to reassess goals throughout the duration of the veteran’s short-term rehabilitation • Collaborates with the interdisciplinary team (MDs, VCCs, MSAs, pharmacists, therapists, RTs, dieticians, NAs, RNs, LPNs) on a regular basis to coordinate veteran care • Provides referrals to VHA and community-based programs/partners; • Offers supportive counseling to veterans and support systems related to the psychosocial impacts of acute/chronic illness, (catastrophic) disability, mental illness, and transitions to palliative/hospice care • Advocates for veterans and their support systems as they navigate the complexities of the VA health care system • Empowers veterans to take accountability and initiative in their own lives through education, resource provision, supportive counseling, and Motivational Interviewing • Assesses veterans for safety, including suicidal ideation, plan, and intention; coordinates appropriate mental health follow-up • Assists veterans and their support systems with the completion of the VA Advance Directive/Living Will and/or state Durable Power of Attorney • Facilitates the weekly discharge planning meeting attended by up to 30 interdisciplinary team members at the CLC • Collaborates with the Portland VA Decedent Affairs department and the Chief of Social Work to implement the pilot improvement project for funeral home selection and end-of-life conversations at the CLC • Assesses veteran decision-making capacity; initiates incapacity/capacity evaluations when appropriate • Makes Adult Protective Services reports if abuse or neglect is suspected • Coordinates and facilitates care conferences with veterans, their support systems, and the interdisciplinary team
- Maintains a caseload of 12-14 short-term rehab clients and 23 long-term skilled nursing home residents - Conducts BIMs and PHQ-9 assessments with clients/residents for 5-Day, IPA, Significant Change, Quarterly, and Discharge MDS - Responsible for completing delirium, cognitive loss/dementia, communication, psychosocial well-being, mood state, behavioral symptoms, and return to the community referral CAAs and corresponding care plans - Schedules and facilitates care conference meetings quarterly and as needed for long-term residents and short-term rehab clients - Routinely assesses clients/residents for safety, including suicidal ideation, plan and intention; conducts Suicidal Ideation Risk Assessments and coordinates geropsychiatric referrals as needed - Delivers CMS forms 20014 Notice of Exclusions from Medicare Benefits Skilled Nursing Facility (NEMB-SNF), 10123 Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC), and 10055 Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (SNF-ABN) to clients/residents - Assists clients/residents and their support systems in the completion of Health Care and Financial Power of Attorney paperwork - Coordinates referrals for home health services, caregiving, meal delivery, adult day programming, medical alert systems, accessibility home modification, and the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) - Educates clients/residents and their supports systems on palliative care and hospice care, and helps initiate these services if desired - Coordinates client/resident transitions to RCACs, CBRFs, MCALs, and other SNFs - Routinely assesses for client/resident decision-making capacity; initiates incapacity/capacity evaluations by MDs when appropriate - Educates client/residents and their supports systems about disease progression for dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease; provides referrals for community resources and trainings for family and caregivers
- Conducted preliminary behavioral screenings and biopsychosocial intake assessment interviews - Employed clinical judgment to identify working psychological diagnoses for patients - Routinely assessed patients for safety, including suicidal ideation, plan, and intention, homicidal ideation, and self-harm; devised safety plans with patients at the beginning of their treatment - Obtained collateral and coordinated with patients’ support systems, including family, friends, outpatient providers, and attending psychiatrists - Maintained a caseload of 1-3 patients, meeting with them individually for 30-60 minutes once per week - Employed CBT-based interventions with patients, with additional emphasis on harm reduction, strengths-based approaches, solution-based approaches, case management, motivational interviewing, and ecological-systems - Led goals group with the entire patient census - Co-facilitated group psychotherapy - Led and co-facilitated family therapy, providing psychoeducation to patient’s support systems and facilitated collaboration within patient systems - Wrote detailed patient notes in the hospital-wide Care Connection database - Documented patient participation, behavior, and affect in daily groups - Engaged in discharge planning, including providing outpatient referrals, coordinated outpatient appointments and transfers to alternative levels of care, namely inpatient and residential programs - Wrote and presented weekly patient reports to entire interdisciplinary team - Routinely obtained pre-authorization for PHP/IOP levels of care for patients, and engaged in regular advocacy for patients to extend treatment day authorizations via clinical updates
•Managed a caseload of clients referred to the social service department by the legal department •Conducted both client pre-assessments and client in-take interviews •Wrote detailed case notes of clients on the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) database •Provided referrals and connecting clients to resources for housing, mental health services, employment agencies, education opportunities, and government assistance •Applied a client-centered approach, with attention to motivational interviewing and the acknowledgement of strengths, to weekly phone calls and in-person meetings with clients •Saw clients through their transition to new housing, following up 1, 3, and 6 months after closing their case
•Personal research concentration in sex, sexual behaviors and attitudes, gender conformity, LGBT •Prepared and organized data for statistical analyses; planned and conducted statistical analyses •Conducted literature reviews for upcoming proposals and scholarly journal submissions •Presented collaborative research at peer-review conferences and research colloquiums