Heather Anderson Tesen

Tesen 1
Lam Nguyen
Social Work 1010
12/9/15
Psychiatric Social Workers
Study.com describes the field, and work of a psychiatric social worker
as this Psychiatric social workers help mental health patients and their
families in a similar way to counselors and psychologists. Their main job
function is to assess patients and develop individualized plans of care. They
may also provide therapy or counseling services to patients, as well as help
family members learn to deal with mental illness in the family.
A few weeks ago I was able to interview Sandra D. Ehninger. She works
for Intermountain health care at the Psychiatry and Counseling Service
center. She graduated with her masters degree from Utah State University in
1983. It was interesting to be able to meet someone in a field of social work I
didnt know much about, and I felt like I learned a lot. I was able to learn a
little more about the Intermountain Healthcare facilities and what they
provide. She was able to share some of the responsibilities of a psychiatric
social worker and what is to be expected of them. I was also able to learn
some of the educational requirements and the salary of this specific field.
About Intermountain Health Care: Stated on the website of the hospital
it gives a little back story of the system. Intermountain Healthcare is a Utahbased, not-for-profit system of 22 hospitals, 185 clinics, a Medical Group with

some 1,400 employed physicians, a health plans division called Select

Health, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives

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possible, Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in clinical
quality improvement and in efficient healthcare delivery. Their health care
system is pretty renowned in Utah and everyone knows about it. Therefore it
is a very respectable place for a social worker. They provide many services in
the psychiatric unit but some of the specifics that Ehninger worked with are
mental health issues, ADHD, Anorexia, OCD Bulimia, Substance Abuse,
Schizophrenia, PTSD, Anxiety Disorders, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorders,
Adjustment Disorders, and Trauma.
Duties of a Psychiatric Social Worker: Some of the responsibilities that
Ehninger had were to perform psychosocial assessments. Lots of therapy work,
assess the patients emotional and mental health needs. Create a care plan
and goals/outcomes for the patients. Occasionally if the patient is involved in
any legal procedures, the social worker will have a part in gathering
information for the patients case. They communicate between families,
patients and doctors. They provide support services. Are in frequent contact
with the family members of patients. Along with educating the patients and
the families about their illness. They are essentially the life line that connects
the patients, families, nurses and doctors together.

Educational requirements and salary: While some of the responsibilities

can be done by someone with a bachelors degree, the majority of work done
by a psychiatric social worker requires a masters. Ehninger noted that all of
the social workers at Intermountain hold a masters degree and are licensed.
Overall it is just smarter to obtain your bachelors degree.

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There are more options to choose from, employers will be more likely
to hire you, and the overall starting salary is a lot higher. That brings us to
the salaries of psychiatric social workers. The pay varies greatly depending
on what degree you have, your experience level, and the number of years
employed by the institution. However the average salaries range from
$40,000 to $57,000. There arent to many opportunities to move up in this field and
specifically at Intermountain. Pay increases are dependent on experience, work
ethic, and time employed.
Overall Satisfaction and job Outlook: Socialworklicensure.org states that The
Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that mental health/ substance abuse social
workers employed in psychiatric and substance abuse hospitals had a mean wage
of $48,960 in 2011. There were 10,800 employed in such settings. Social workers in
outpatient care averaged $42,220. The overall employment here was higher:
23,050. The BLS projected 31% growth in jobs for mental health social workers over
the course of the 2010 to 2020 decade. Overall it is a growing field and is always

requiring new trained social workers. Ehninger commented that she was satisfied
with her job there were some downfalls. She stated that there are high workloads
and that she was usually stressed about something, however she did comment that,
that might just be because shes 66!
Reaction: Overall I had a very neat experience. I learned a lot about the field
and got to hear it from an incredible lady. I learned that even though I liked all the
therapy work that is involved in psychiatric social work, I am not fond of all the
medical side. I learned that it was not the place for me and to keep looking for a
different area of social work to be involved in. I respect the people involved in
psychiatric social work and wish that they received more credit for the work they do.
They are so critical to the medical field and I was glad I got to be a part of it, even if
was just for a day.
Works Cited
Sandra D. Ehninger, LCSW, Interview 10/23/15
Intermountain Healthcare." Home | Intermountain Healthcare. Intermountain
Healthcare, Web. 9 Dec 2015. <http://intermountainhealthcare.org/>
Psychiatry and Counseling Service - Union Park 1225 E Fort Union Blvd Ste
215 Midvale UT, 84047
"Psychiatric Social Worker: Job Description, Duties and Requirements." Study.com |
Take Online Courses. Earn College Credit. Research Schools, Degrees &
Careers.Http://study.com/, Web. 7 Dec 2016.
<http://study.com/articles/Psychiatric_Social_Worker_Job_Description_Duties_and_Re
quirements.html
What is a Psychiatric Social Worker? | Mental Health Social Work Education and
Resources." Social Work Licensure Requirements . SocialWorkLicensure.org, Web. 8
Dec 2015. <http://www.socialworklicensure.org/types-of-social-workers/psychiatricsocial-worker.html>.