Clinical Social Worker (LICSW)

Mass General Brigham; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 67,538 - 98,238; Full time

Job summary

Mass General Brigham Community Physicians, Inc. seeks a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) to join a high‑risk, high‑cost complex care management program in a hybrid role within the Boston area.

The role involves leadership in behavioral health integration, SDOH navigation, crisis intervention, and collaboration with an interdisciplinary team to prevent avoidable ED visits and hospitalizations. Travel to patient homes and sites is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited institution.
• LICSW licensure.
• 1+ years of medical social work experience.
• Experience with an EHR (Epic preferred) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Conducts comprehensive behavioral health assessments using validated tools (PHQ-9, GAD-7, CAGE, ACEs).
• Develops integrated behavioral health care plans with medical and social interventions.
• Provides brief evidence-based therapies and psychoeducation for stress management.
• Identifies social barriers with comprehensive SDOH assessments and interventions.
• Reduces unnecessary ED visits and hospital admissions through risk stratification and outreach.
• Performs post-hospitalization outreach within 24–48 hours to address recovery barriers.

Skills

Behavioral health

Crisis intervention

SDOH navigation

Interdisciplinary teamwork

Patient advocacy

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work

LICSW licensure

1+ years medical social work experience

Tools

Epic EHR

Job description

Site: Mass General Brigham Community Physicians, Inc.

Mass General Brigham relies on a wide range of professionals, including doctors, nurses, business people, tech experts, researchers, and systems analysts to advance our mission. As a not-for-profit, we support patient care, research, teaching, and community service, striving to provide exceptional care. We believe that high-performing teams drive groundbreaking medical discoveries and invite all applicants to join us and experience what it means to be part of Mass General Brigham.

Job Summary

The Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) is a key clinical member of the High-Risk, High-Cost Complex Care Management Program, operating at the top of their license as part of a highly collaborative interdisciplinary team.

• This program is dedicated to preventing unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations by delivering proactive, patient-centered care that improves health outcomes, reduces healthcare costs, and supports patients in achieving their personal health goals.
• The Social Worker brings expertise in behavioral health, crisis intervention, social determinants of health (SDOH), and patient advocacy within an interdisciplinary care team consisting of:
• Registered Nurses (RNs): Medical care management, disease education, and transitions of care.
• Pharmacists: Medication reconciliation, polypharmacy management, and adherence support.
• Non-Clinical Care Coordinators: Administrative support, appointment scheduling, and resource coordination.
• Community Health Worker.
• Operational Improvement Associate: Data analysis, documentation oversight, quality improvement, and tracking of key performance indicators (KPIs).
• The Social Worker plays a leadership role in behavioral health integration, social determinant of health barriers, and crisis intervention, ensuring that the care team keeps patients stable in the community and prevents avoidable ED visits and inpatient admissions.
• This role will conduct patient visits and check-ins utilizing all modes of intervention: face-to-face, video, telephone, home/community visits, and Patient Gateway.
• This role will require regular travel to practice sites, emergency departments, hospitals, and patient homes as needed based on the care for the patient.

Primary Responsibilities

• Conducts comprehensive behavioral health assessments. Conducts in-depth behavioral health evaluations using validated tools such as PHQ-9, GAD-7, CAGE, and ACEs to identify mental health concerns, and develops behavioral health care plans integrated with medical and social interventions.
• When appropriate, provides brief, evidence-based therapeutic interventions, including Motivational Interviewing (MI), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)-informed techniques, and Solution-Focused Therapy. Also offers psychoeducation on stress management, coping strategies, and behavioral activation to help patients manage anxiety, depression, or trauma.
• Provides substance use disorder support and harm reduction, including comprehensive SDOH assessments and interventions. Conducts comprehensive screenings to identify social barriers impacting health, including housing instability, food insecurity, transportation issues, and financial stressors.
• Works to reduce unnecessary behavioral health emergency department visits and behavioral health hospital admissions by identifying high-risk patients using real-time ED visit alerts, hospital discharge data, and predictive analytics to provide early intervention. Conducts outreach to patients with a history of frequent ED visits or inpatient stays, ensuring they have access to primary care, behavioral health support, and community resources.
• Focuses on crisis prevention and de‑scalation by providing early intervention for patients with escalating behavioral health or social crises, ensuring appropriate community-based support is in place, offering same-day or next-day behavioral health support for patients experiencing acute distress, avoiding the need for ED visits, and working with community behavioral health agencies and law enforcement alternatives to divert patients from unnecessary ED use.
• Collaborates with primary care providers (PCPs), behavioral health specialists, urgent care clinics, and community mental health programs to ensure patients access lower-acuity care settings instead of the ED. Also works with pharmacists to resolve medication-related ED visits, such as withdrawal symptoms, medication side effects, or adherence challenges.
• Provides post-hospitalization support by conducting post-discharge outreach within 24–48 hours to assess social, behavioral, and logistical barriers to recovery, identify patients at high risk for readmission, and ensure they have intensive post-hospital support.
• Works with each member of the care team to serve as the behavioral health and SDOH expert, ensuring medical, behavioral, and social care are seamlessly integrated.
• Provides patient education on substance use disorder and mental health concerns and assists clinical teams in evaluating a patient’s need for behavioral health services.
• Able and willing to travel and meet with patients at practice locations, hospitals, emergency departments, and patient homes within a defined region of care. This is a hybrid role requiring travel and onsite work at least four days a week.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Required:
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited institution
  • LICSW licensure
  • 1+ years of medical social work experience
• Preferred:
  • Master’s Degree in Social Work from an accredited institution
  • Expertise in trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, and SDOH navigation.
  • Familiarity with HEDIS measures, NCQA case management documentation, and Medicaid/Medicare care models.
  • Experience with an EHR (Epic preferred)

Schedule and Work Model

• Full-time, Monday through Friday, standard business hours.
• Hybrid work model: In the community (ER, patient homes) and/or on-site at Staniford Street and/or Cambridge Street in Boston, MA up to 4 times per week; remote work on other days.
• On remote workdays, employees must use a stable, secure, and compliant workstation in a quiet environment. Teams video is required and must be accessed using MGB-provided equipment.

Remote Type

Hybrid

Work Location

50 Staniford Street

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Employee Type

Regular

Work Shift

Day (United States of America)

Pay Range

$67,537.60 - $98,238.40/Annual

EEO Statement

6010 Mass General Brigham Community Physicians, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. To ensure reasonable accommodation for individuals protected by Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Vietnam Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974, and Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicants who require accommodation in the job application process may contact Human Resources at (857)-282-7642.

Mass General Brigham Competency Framework

At Mass General Brigham, our competency framework defines what effective leadership “looks like” by specifying which behaviors are most critical for successful performance at each job level. The framework is comprised of ten competencies (half People-Focused, half Performance-Focused) and are defined by observable and measurable skills and behaviors that contribute to workplace effectiveness and career success. These competencies are used to evaluate performance, make hiring decisions, identify development needs, mobilize employees across our system, and establish a strong talent pipeline.