Grief Counselor - Washington, DC

Grief Counselor

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The Grief Counselor provides short-term counseling support to individuals, children, and families who are coping with grief and loss issues due to a death. This may include anticipatory grief support. Services are available to hospice families as well as the larger community.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Quality Provision of Services:

1. Aligns all professional practice with Capital Caring Health's mission to provide patients and their families with advanced illness care of the highest quality and in accordance with the core values of patients and families first, always do the right thing, and respect everyone.

2. Develops the Bereavement Plan of Care based upon the IDT assessment after the time of patient death, and includes the following:

a. Assesses family/caregiver grief and loss issues related to death of patient

b. Offers short-term individual/family counseling, and access to support groups, and workshops

c. Offers phone calls, condolence cards, grief literature, and special programs to meet the needs of the grieving population

d. Provides grief interventions tailored to meet the needs of the client, factoring in age and any other factors which impacts services

e. Assesses the impact of social, spiritual, and cultural issues on the grief reaction

f. Completes community-based referrals as indicated

g. Assesses for complicated grief reactions

3. Provides community based short-term individual/family grief counseling due to issues related to death, as requested.

4. Participates in the provision of education, support, and supervision to CCH intern programs.

5. Actively seeks to provide grief support/education to residents and staff of area partner facilities (ALF/SNF/INF and ICF/IMR).

6. Develops and facilitates grief support groups, workshops and special programs to meet the needs of and within assigned regional area. Collaborates these activities with staff in other regions as well as IDT.

7. Completes all Family Service On-Call shift requirements in accordance with their regional expectations.

Organizational/Regulatory Compliance:

1. Participates in all QUAPI and organizationally sponsored in-service trainings and webinars.

2. Provides Bereavement orientation and training of new staff, volunteers, and interns.

3. Maintains clinical records of clients served within electronic medical record and in accordance with CHAP/organizational compliance standards.

4. Effectively utilizes organizational documentation and tracking tools for data collection.

People/Communications:

1. Communicates effectively through both oral and written communications across settings.

2. Protects client rights to confidentiality in accordance with Capital Caring Health and HIPAA policies and regulations.

3. Maintains a person-centered, non-judgmental approach to service provision while treating everyone with dignity and respect.

4. Maintains professional boundaries with all workplace interactions.

5. Conveys warmth, compassion, and empathy in promoting patient right to self-determination while being mindful of individual differences which includes cultural, spiritual, ethnic, and gender diversity.

6. Responds promptly to requests for grief education for the larger community and for individuals seeking services.

7. Participates in offering staff grief support related to their Hospice work.

Financial Stewardship

1. Achieves expected productivity standard as defined by the organization and in alignment with best practices. The above statements are intended to be a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. The incumbents may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those stated in this description.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

The Grief Counselor will only perform supervisory duties when recommended and educated to do so by organizational leadership.

Experience Requirements:

The Grief Counselor must have at least 3 years of clinical counseling experience in the areas of death/dying grief, loss and survivorship. Related clinical experience in varied multi-disciplinary settings and with short-term grief counseling with individuals, couples, children, families, and groups.

Education Requirements:

The Grief Counselor must have at least a Master's degree in the areas of Psychology, Social Work, Thanatology, Expressive Arts, Mental Health Counseling or Pastoral Counseling.

Required Certificates and/or Licenses:

License eligible or Board Certified based upon degree and according to jurisdiction of practice.

Overall Skills: The ability to demonstrate superlative oral and written communication skills as well as ability to organize and manage projects within defined timeframe and budget; work both independently and as part of a team; demonstrate excellent interpersonal and collaborative; demonstrate organizational skills with ability to delegate and follow up; manage multiple tasks and stressful situations with a positive attitude; demonstrate a strong work ethic and attention to detail; demonstrate skills in clinical assessment, crisis intervention and counseling. Knowledge of grief theories, relationship and family systems, and trauma informed therapies. Advocates for clients with regard to communication with external support services. Conducts effective community education that enhances understanding of the unique needs of the bereaved.

Physical/Mental/Emotional Skills:

The ability to possess exceptional leadership skills, including a faculty for conceptual thinking, peer motivation, problem solving, and who can demonstrate initiative, follow-up and follow-through; work in a fast paced environment utilizing tact, patience, and diplomacy; work independently; resolve conflict and be comfortable with conflict resolution and management; facilitate the development of trusting relationships and partnerships with physicians, payers, patients and co-workers; maintain a positive public image for Capital Caring by dealing with patients and employees; communicate respectfully, openly, honestly and directly; push and pull heavy objects; display a full range of body motion; serve as coach, mentor and a positive role model; drive extensively and navigate to new client locations, on a tight schedule, sometimes in heavy traffic.

Technological Skills:

The ability to demonstrate proficiency in Microsoft Office and internet browsers; effectively navigates client health information systems.

Reasoning Ability:

The ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written or oral form and deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; taste or smell and push, pull. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus; effectively manage work-related stress and maintain consistent customer service focus skills.

Work Environment:

The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee would normally encounter while performing the essential functions of this job in an office and within the community and home setting. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Works in a business office with computers, printers, copy/fax machines and telephones. The noise level in the work environment is usually light to moderate. The environmental conditions are that of what is to be expected in a temperature-controlled building, and client residence environment. Required to drive to alternate work locations to meet with clients, to attend organizational sponsored meetings and training opportunities, and to provide community education.

Compensation Pay Range:

$56,414.18 - $81,236.56

This position requires consent to drug and/or alcohol testing after a conditional offer of employment is made, as well as on-going compliance with the Drug-Free Workplace Policy.

All Chapters Health System employees performing services for Florida affiliates are submitted through the Florida Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse to verify eligibility after a conditional offer of employment is made as well as ongoing eligibility. For more information, please visit