Veterinary Social Worker

The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center, a full-service, not-for-profit veterinary specialty hospital and research and teaching facility on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, is seeking a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) to oversee activities related to client support and staff wellbeing. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer and working closely with the veterinary staff and administration, the social worker’s primary responsibilities are to (1) provide crisis intervention, emotional support and short term counseling to clients, (2) consult with veterinary staff to address communication challenges, ethical dilemmas, and complex social issues affecting care, (3) oversee the organization’s Quality-of-Life Initiative and Pet Loss Support Program, and (4) collaborate with departments, teams, and individuals across the hospital to support staff wellbeing and promote a healthy workplace culture.

Responsibilities include:

Direct Client Support

• Administer Pet Loss Support Program which includes facilitating a bi-monthly acute grief support group and a monthly long term grief support group.
• Responsibilities also include managing registration correspondence and adapting the content, flow, and structure of the groups according to need.
• Provide in-person crisis intervention for clients experiencing a mental health crisis or traumatic loss.
• Provide short-term counseling to clients around end-of-life issues, grief and bereavement, making treatment decisions, and managing caregiver stress.
• Consult with medical teams to address communication challenges with clients or to make an action plan in ethically complex situations involving euthanasia, end-of-life care, or animal abuse.
• Develop written literature for clients on caregiver stress, pet loss and the grief process, euthanasia, memorialization of pets, veterinary social work services, and the human-animal bond.

Staff Support

• In collaboration with hospital leadership, maintain and expand programming for the Quality-of-Life Initiative, AMC’s staff wellbeing program. Programming includes monthly wellness breaks, employee recognition initiatives, and recreational activities as well as collaboration with administration to develop hospital policies and culture to support a healthy workplace.
• In collaboration with administration and hospital leaders, implement programming to increase employee access to and utilization of mental health services. Give regular presentations and workshops to veterinary interns and LVT externs/interns on topics such as compassion fatigue, communication skills, mindfulness, conflict management, and work/life balance.
• Acts as a professional resource for mental health support for all staff.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

• Consult as requested with any department or team seeking assistance with developing programming, events, or protocols that support staff wellbeing, client wellbeing, or the human-animal bond.
• Participate in weekly departmental meetings with the Chief Strategy Officer and Marketing Department and participate in other departmental meetings as needed.
• Maintain relationships with community stakeholders and other community organizations with missions to help pets and pet owners.
• Work with relevant departments to develop and revise end-of-life protocols and procedures that are supportive of clients’ emotional and mental health as they say goodbye to and grieve their pets.
• Host the annual Celebration of Life Pet Memorial Event in collaboration with the Usdan Institute.

Administrative Duties

• Recruit and supervise Masters-level social work intern from a New York City school of social work.
• Maintain an up-to-date referral list of mental health providers with specialties in grief and loss, compassion fatigue, and trauma so that individualized, targeted referrals may be provided to clients and staff who are seeking longer term mental health care.
• Maintain the Social Work Services website which includes updating the support group schedules and routinely expanding and updating community resource listings.
• Establish and maintain relationships with other veterinary social workers and seek case consultation as needed.
• Maintain NY State LCSW license in good standing and ensure all services are provided in accordance with the NASW Code of Ethics.

Qualified Individuals will have:

• A master’s degree in Social Work and licensing as a clinical social (LCSW) worker is required.
• 5+ years of clinical social work and counseling with experience in a setting requiring grief and bereavement counseling.
• Post-graduate training in veterinary social work or veterinary social work certificate preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to take a leadership role and to plan and manage multiple projects at a time.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Ability to respond to the needs of clients and staff in an emotionally intense, fast-paced setting.
• Understanding of, and appreciation for, the human-animal bond.
• A love for animals and the ability to work comfortably in an environment where animals are present.
• Bilingual in Spanish a plus.