Job Description
Working at Yale means contributing to a better tomorrow. Whether you are a current resident of our New Haven-based community, eligible for opportunities through the New Haven Hiring Initiative, or a newcomer, interested in exploring all that Yale has to offer, your talents and contributions are welcome. Discover your opportunities at Yale! Overview Yale Health, the multidisciplinary healthcare organization of Yale University serves more than 50,000 members—including students, faculty, staff, and their families. Yale Health has been a trusted provider to the Yale community for over 50 years. Comprehensive care is delivered at its state-of-the-art facility located at 55 Lock Street, where more than 150 providers offer comprehensive services. The 144,000-square-foot medical center has over 90 exam rooms, an Acute Care Department, and a 15-bed inpatient unit full diagnostic imaging suite—offering MRI, CT scans, X-ray, and ultrasound services—as well as a full-service retail pharmacy. Bridge Care is a high acuity, short term mental health service within the Acuity Team of the Yale University Mental Health & Counseling Center designed to support students experiencing significant emotional distress, safety concerns, and acute functional impairment. The program provides rapid assessment, intensive stabilization, and skills-based interventions while assisting students in transitioning to or from longer term community-based care.
Schedule:
Full-Time; 37.5 HRS; Weekdays 8:30-5:00 Flexible Schedule. Early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays/recess periods may also be required. May include occasional urgent coverage or extended hours based on student needs. The Social Worker / Therapist in Bridge Care provides clinical assessment, crisis intervention, and DBT informed therapeutic services to high-risk university students. This clinician plays a critical role in suicide risk assessment, safety planning, and short-term stabilization, while collaborating closely with the Bridge Care team, University Mental Health & Counseling staff, campus partners, and external providers to ensure continuity of care. This position is ideal for a clinician experienced in high acuity mental health work who is skilled at brief treatment models and passionate about supporting students in a university setting. Responsibilities include:
Clinical Assessment & Crisis Response Conduct comprehensive intake, psychosocial, and risk assessments within a high acuity student population Perform suicide and self-harm risk assessments and determine appropriate levels of care Develop, implement, and revise individualized safety plans in collaboration with students Provide crisis intervention and stabilization services consistent with counseling center protocols Participate in urgent response and consultation with on‑call or multidisciplinary teams as needed Therapeutic Services Provide short term, DBT informed individual therapy focused on stabilization and skill development Facilitate DBT informed, skills-based group therapy (e.g., distress tolerance, emotion regulation, mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness) Utilize brief, goal focused interventions aligned with Bridge Care's bridge to care model Maintain timely, accurate, and ethically sound clinical documentation within the counseling center's electronic health record Program & Professional Responsibilities Participate in clinical consultation, team meetings, supervision, and training activities Collaborate with Acuity Team members (Care Managers, psychiatry, Chief of MHC) Communicate effectively while maintaining student privacy and adhering to FERPA, HIPAA, and ethical standards Contribute to program development, quality improvement, and outcome evaluation for Bridge Care Engage in ongoing professional development related to DBT, suicide prevention, and college student mental health Provide culturally responsive, trauma informed, and developmentally appropriate care to a diverse student population Required Skills and Abilities 1. Experience conducting suicide risk assessments and safety planning. 2. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with high‑acuity or crisis‑presenting clients. 3. Demonstrated sound clinical judgment in high‑risk and time‑sensitive situations. 4. Strong group facilitation and skills‑based therapy competence. 5. Cultural humility and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 6. Excellent communication, organizational, and documentation skills. Preferred Skills and Abilities Training or experience in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) or DBT‑informed interventions. Experience in a university counseling center or college student mental health setting. Familiarity with brief therapy models, stepped care, or bridge‑to‑care frameworks. Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary or campus‑based systems of care. Principal Responsibilities 1. Plans, coordinates and implements individual, group, and couples' therapy for students in University outpatient clinic. 2. Conducts patient evaluations and assesses patients' acceptability for psychotherapy programs and develops initial disposition planning. 3. Establishes positive relationships with patients in order to administer the appropriate treatment. 4. Manages and provides therapy for complex cases involving patients with significant mental health concerns. 5. Provides mental health outreach to Yale community. 6. Develops materials for educational programs and seminars for professional staff. 7. Provides family meetings as appropriate. 8. Maintains patients' charts and reports. 9. Participates in mental health 24-hour emergency coverage. 10. Provides educational and consultation services to undergraduate residential colleges and professional schools. 11. Interacts with internal contacts such as patients, patients' families, clinicians, medical staff, and administrators regarding treatment of individual patients and implementation of clinical programs. 12. Interacts with external contacts such as clinicians in private practice, mental health institutions, university deans, hospital psychiatrists and clinicians and hospital administrators. 13. Provides clinical supervision to trainees as well as staff members. 14. Performs administrative duties as directed by the Chief of Mental health and Counseling. 15. May perform other duties as assigned. Required Education and Experience Master's Degree in Social Work and three years providing clinical care post licensure. Required License(s) or Certification(s) State of Connecticut Clinical Social Worker License or Connecticut Clinical Social Worker license eligible. Job Posting Date 06/10/2026 Job Category Professional Bargaining Unit NON Compensation Grade Clinical & Research Compensation Grade Profile Social Worker 2, Yale Health (25) Salary Range $82,000.00 - $131,500.00 Time Type Full time Duration Type Staff Work Model On-site Background Check Requirements All candidates for employment will be subject to pre-employment background screening for this position, which may include motor vehicle, DOT certification, drug testing and credit checks based on the position description and job requirements. All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of the background check. For additional information on the background check requirements and process visit "Learn about background checks" under the Applicant Support Resources section of Careers on the It's Your Yale website. Health Requirements This role is a healthcare worker position. Healthcare workers (HCW) are defined as university employees working a healthcare setting who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients, human research subjects or infectious materials including body substance, contaminated medical supplies, devices and equipment, surfaces, or air. HCW have specific health requirements that must be met prior to starting work, including MMR vaccine or immunity, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine or immunity, TB screening, COVID vaccine according to University policy, hepatitis B vaccine or immunity, and annual flu vaccination. Posting Disclaimer Salary offers are determined by a candidate's qualifications, experience, skills, and education in relation to the position requirements, along with the role's grade profile and current internal and external market conditions. The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the essential functions that will be required of the position and should not be construed as a declaration of specific duties and responsibilities of the position. Employees will be assigned specific job-related duties through their hiring department. The University is committed to basing judgments concerning the admission, education, and employment of individuals upon their qualifications and abilities and seeks to attract to its faculty, staff, and student body qualified persons from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. In accordance with this policy and as delineated by federal and Connecticut law, Yale does not discriminate in admissions, educational programs, or employment against any individual on account of that individual's sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, disability, status as a special disabled veteran, veteran of the Vietnam era or other covered veteran. Inquiries concerning Yale's Policy Against Discrimination and Harassment may be referred to the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA). Note Yale University is a tobacco-free campus. Working at Yale means contributing to a better tomorrow. Whether you are a current resident of our New Haven-based community—eligible for opportunities through the New Haven Hiring Initiative—or a newcomer, interested in exploring all that Yale has to offer, your talents and contributions are welcomed. Discover your opportunities at Yale.
