Bereavement Care Provider

The mission of the Health Federation of Philadelphia is to promote health equity for marginalized communities by advancing access to high-quality, integrated, and comprehensive health and human services. Health equity is at the heart of all our work. We believe in and are firmly committed to equal employment opportunity for employees and applicants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, age, religion, disability, sex or gender, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, military or veteran status. This commitment applies to all aspects of the Health Federation of Philadelphia’s employment practices, including recruiting, hiring, training, and promotion.

JOB SUMMARY

The Bereavement Care Provider is a full-time position with the Philadelphia Dept of Public Health, based 3 days/week with the Division of Substance Use Prevention and Harm Reduction and 2 days/week with the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office (MEO). The Bereavement Care Provider will provide telephonic and in-person crisis intervention, grief counseling, and other support as needed primarily to individuals affected by drug-related deaths as well as individuals affected by other sudden or traumatic deaths. This position requires a high level of clinical responsibility, integrity, and initiative.

Ideal candidates will have clinical experience and expertise in grief and loss. Clinicians and practitioners of color, LGBTQIA+ people, those with disabilities, and others with lived experience as part of marginalized communities are encouraged to apply.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Responsibilities/Duties:

• Provide initial telephonic outreach and offer bereavement support and counseling to individuals whose loved one has died from an accidental drug intoxication or other causes as assigned and follow up as needed;
• Offer support to bereaved individuals presenting in-person to the Philadelphia MEO;
• Identify any bereavement, health-related, or social service needs of grieving families and help connect them to the proper interdepartmental and community resources;
• Enter all case notes into the MEO database in a timely fashion;
• Assist families with connecting to other Medical Examiner’s Office departments (e.g., forensic investigators and pathologists);
• Help organize, update, and maintain MEO bereavement support services documents, protocols, handouts, and folders;
• Help collect and maintain current information about health-related and social service resources within Philadelphia;
• Offer bereavement support and counseling to grieving individuals whose loved one has died from an accidental drug intoxication;
• Start up and facilitate at least one peer-support group for grieving individuals who have suffered a drug-related death;
• Develop and facilitate at least one psychoeducational workshop on a topic related to grief following the loss of a loved one to substance use;
• Assist with community outreach and engagement events;
• Closely collaborate with all SUPHR and MEO staff, including providing cross-coverage for other bereavement staff as needed and helping train any new bereavement staff hires;
• Complete all tasks as assigned, including related duties not specified above.

Education:

Master of Social Work (or equivalent) degree from an accredited college/university or Bachelor of Social Work from an accredited college/university plus a minimum of five years’ relevant work experience.

Skills/Experience:

• Experience working directly with individuals from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds;
• Ability to flex clinical style/approach to serve clients of diverse backgrounds;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to present to diverse audiences, specifically racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse communities;
• Knowledge of social and cultural factors that contribute to attitudes and behaviors common to trauma and grief and principles, practices, and techniques related to working with bereaved individuals;
• Familiarity with trauma-informed service provision and the ability to work effectively with clients experiencing acute and historical trauma;
• Ability to observe, recognize, analyze, and report on individuals’ and families’ behavioral, attitudinal, emotional, and social presenting problems and to help provide useful information and links for future support;
• Ability to work within scope and standards of the provision of bereavement care;
• Ability to be self-motivated and work independently yet also function under the direct supervision of an administrative supervisor;
• Sound computer skills and good experience in the use of Microsoft Office Suite;
• Must be fluent in English and have an ability to clearly communicate information both orally and in writing;
• Previous experience providing grief counseling to bereaved individuals or crisis intervention services to individuals experiencing trauma is highly preferred;
• Experience working with individuals with substance use disorders (or with their loved ones) is highly preferred.

Work Schedule:

Standard office hours (ex. 9-5pm) and potential evening hours (ex. 12-8 pm) once a week to accommodate client’s schedules.

Travel:

Work will be conducted on-site at the MEO and SUPHR office locations (Center City and Kensington).

Physical Demands:

None apart from standard office work.

Salary and Benefits:

$63,855, with a comprehensive benefits package that can include:

• Medical with vision benefits;
• Flexible spending accounts;
• Life, AD&D and long-term care insurance;
• Short- and long-term disability insurance;
• 403(b) Retirement Plan, with a company contribution;
• Paid time off including vacation, sick, personal and holiday;
• Employee Assistance Program.

Eligibility and participation is handled consistent with the plan documents and HFP policy.

DISCLAIMER:

The Health Federation reserves the right to modify, interpret, or apply this job description in any way the Company desires. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by an employee assigned to this position. This job description in no way implies that these are the only duties, including essential duties, responsibilities, and/or skills to be performed by the employee occupying this position. This job description is not an employment contract, implied, or otherwise. The employment relationship remains “at will.” The aforementioned job requirements are subject to change to reasonably accommodate qualified disabled individuals.