Intervention Specialist

Advocate Health Care; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Advocate Health Care in Chicago seeks a compassionate Social Services Specialist for the Trauma Recovery Services team. You will support trauma survivors, link them to the clinical team, assist discharge planning, and help run psychoeducation groups and safety plans.

You will perform outreach to connect patients with outpatient resources, collaborate with hospital and community partners, and document interactions to ensure continuity of care.

Qualifications

• Minimum of a High School Diploma or GED.
• Preferred Associate’s Degree.
• Minimum of one year experience in social services.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Bilingual Spanish/English is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provides immediate trauma-informed emotional support, advocacy, and resources to hospitalized patients after trauma.
• Connects patients with the clinical team and assists with discharge planning.
• Leads psychoeducation groups and safety planning; facilitates warm hand-offs to outpatient providers.

Skills

Strong communication

Teamwork

Microsoft Office

Organizational skills

Difficult conversations

Adaptability

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Associate’s Degree

Tools

Epic

Red Hat

Job description

Collaborates within the Advocate Health system as a representative of the Advocate Trauma Recovery Services team to support our trauma survivors. This role involves engaging with patients who have recently experienced intentional trauma, serving as a vital link between the patient, trauma medical team, TRC, and community resources. These teammates conduct extensive patient outreach to ensure connections to appropriate services, deliver trauma-informed psychoeducation, and offer informal emotional support in both hospital and community settings. Additionally, they act as community liaisons and patient advocates, partnering with violence prevention organizations to gather information about incidents, mitigate retaliation, and coordinate wraparound services for patients and their families.

Major Responsibilities

• Patient Support:Provides immediate trauma-informed emotional support, advocacy, and resources to hospitalized patients following trauma, including connecting them with the clinical team when appropriate,assistingwith discharge planning, leading support and psychoeducation groups, and safety planning.Also, complete assessments and facilitatewarm-handoffsto outpatient providers for ongoing care.
• Resources Navigation:Responds to trauma alerts,safety calls, pre-escalation needs andcollaborates with street outreachteams andfacilitates mediation tomitigateretaliationrisks.
• Outreach:Providespatient support, collaborating with teams, andengaginginintensivecommunity outreach.In addition, this includes makingfollow-up calls, connecting to resources,andsendingletters to patients that have been dischargedtoconnectthemto outpatient resources.
• Continuity of Care:Schedules patient appointments with the TRC, other Advocate internal resources, or community partners before dischargeto ensure ongoing care, which requires strong collaborationwith other providers. Participate in the facilitation of psychoeducational and support groups.
• Assessments:Conducts intakes and needs assessments, linking patients to appropriate resourcesand outpatient services.It may also require notifying other hospital providers of unmet needs to be addressed while in the hospital.
• Record Keeping:Maintainsaccuraterecords of patient interactions and action plans.
• Collaboration:Works with the hospital treatment team and community partners to ensure comprehensivetreatment, discharge planning,and continuity of care.

Minimum Job Requirements

Education

• High School Diploma or GED

Certification / Registration / License

• N/A

Experience

• Minimum of one year experience in social services

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team and independently.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Ability to handle difficult conversations and maintain professionalism.
• Willingness to adapt to evolving job responsibilities.

Physical Requirements And Working Conditions

• Full-time position (40 hours per week), with flexibility to cover all shifts as needed.
• Reliable transportation to work several in the community and several days on site.
• Availability to work days, evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Reliable, punctual, and open to learning. Familiarity with and experience working in the designated service area.
• Adaptability to evolving hospital expectations to meet site needs and ensure quality patient care.
• Passion for and dedication to serving the community. Excellent communication, collaboration, and rapport-building skills.
• Empathy-driven, service-oriented attitude.
• Ability to engage in meaningful conversations, motivate patients, and communicate effectively with diverse populations, including seniors. Ability to lift up to 35 pounds unassisted; for heavier lifts, assistance from at least one other team member will be required.

Preferred Job Requirements

Education

• Associate’s Degree

Experience

• 2 or more years related experience in social services.
• Epic or Red Hat experience
• Relationship building with community partners

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Previous supervisory experience.
• Experience working with trauma-affected populations.
• Bilingual - Spanish / English

All responsibilities and requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

This job description indicates the general nature and level of work expected of the incumbent. It is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the incumbent. Incumbent may be required to perform other related duties.