Behavioral Health Social Worker LMSW
Listed compensation
$27.21-$42.99/hr
The week · per this posting · Monday – FridayWeekdays only
Ask the employer about the work setting, call expectations and time off.
Job Description
- Shift: Monday - Friday, 8am to 4:30pm
- Work Arrangement: On-Site
- Department: MUPC Case Management
- Facility: Missouri Psychiatric Center – 3 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO
Compensation
- Base Pay Range: $27.21 - $42.99 per hour, based on experience
- Shift Differentials: $1.75 per hour for weekends; $2 per hour for all hours worked
About the Job
MU Health Care is looking for a compassionate and driven social worker to join our dynamic team in an inpatient psychiatric setting. The ideal candidate will be a proactive, empathetic professional with a passion for helping patients achieve stability and long-term success.
You will work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team, using your expertise to provide therapeutic interventions and create personalized care and aftercare plans.
We seek someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment, is committed to providing excellent patient care, and values building strong relationships with patients, families, and community partners.
If you are dedicated to making a real difference in the lives of those struggling with mental health challenges, we want to hear from you!
About MU Health Care
MU Health Care is proud to be named one of Forbes’ Best-in-State Employers seven years in a row, and that’s largely a result of the incredible culture and team we’ve built. At MU Health Care, we have an inspired, hard-working and collaborative environment driven by our mission to save and improve lives.
Here, we believe anything is possible and rally around solutions. We celebrate innovation and offer opportunities to be a part of something bigger — to have a voice and role in the work that is serving our community and changing the field of medicine.
Our academic health system — the only in mid-Missouri — is home to seven hospitals, including the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and region’s only Children’s Hospital, as well as over 90 specialty clinics. Here you can define your career among our many clinical and nonclinical positions — with growth, opportunity and support every step of the way.
- Learn more about MU Health Care.
- Learn more about living in mid-Missouri.
Employee Benefits
- Health, vision and dental insurance coverage starting day one
- Generous paid leave and paid time off, including ten holidays
- Multiple retirement options, including 100% matching up to 8% and full vesting in three years
- Tuition assistance for employees (75%) and immediate family members (50%)
- Discounts on cell phone plans, rental cars, gyms, hotels and more
- See a comprehensive list of benefits here.
Detailed Job Description
- Complete social service assessments of patients requiring inpatient psychiatric evaluations and care. Contact family members and community providers. Collect collateral information to contribute to a comprehensive assessment and development of the care plan.
- Apply advanced clinical knowledge and skills to provide therapeutic interventions (individual, family, and group therapies) in order to support patients in the stabilization of acute psychiatric symptoms and modulation of maladaptive behaviors that will allow them to meet their treatment goals/objectives and move quickly to the next step on the continuum of care. Provide family counseling and education.
- Work collaboratively with an interdisciplinary team (physicians, nursing, occupational therapy, and recreation therapy) to develop and implement patient treatment plans. Review of the treatment plan is done daily during the treatment team meetings. Work with other departments to coordinate services. Serve as a resource to ensure appropriate utilization of services.
- Develop individualized aftercare plans for patients, which connect each patient with mental health and other community resources as needed. Maintain documentation that meets all hospital and regulatory standards for care. Maintain regular contact with patient families, community supports, and outpatient providers with the consent of the patient.
- Gather data, compile information, and prepare reports. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing. Maintain knowledge and expertise in electronic software tools, Cerner, All Scripts/ECIN, etc. Participate in appropriate hospital committee activities.
- May complete unit/department-specific duties as outlined in department documents.
Required Qualifications
- Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) licensure by the Missouri State Committee for Social Workers board.
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) licensure by the Missouri State Committee for Social Workers board within four (4) years as a condition of continued employment in this job classification.
Preferred Qualifications
- Additional license/certification requirements as determined by the hiring department.
Physical Demands
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met with or without reasonable accommodation. The performance of these physical demands is an essential function of the job. This position is very active and requires ambulating, reaching, and moving objects weighing up to and over 20 lbs.
Equal Employment Opportunity
The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Key Responsibilities
The social worker will conduct psychiatric assessments and provide therapeutic interventions to support patient stabilization. They will also collaborate with an interdisciplinary team to develop and implement personalized treatment and aftercare plans.
Requirements
Candidates must hold a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) license from the Missouri State Committee for Social Workers. The role requires the ability to obtain LCSW licensure within four years of employment.
Qualifications
- Education
- Professional certificate or licensure
Key Skills
Work-Life Balance Analysis
WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Behavioral Health Social Worker LMSW at University of Missouri Health Care a 8.0 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as excellent. This places the position in the top 5% in Social Work — ranked against 6,205 active Social Work listings on WeekdayDoc. Contributing factors include no weekend requirements, no night shifts.
Social Worker Career Context
Of the 50 active Social Work listings this role was benchmarked against, 60% are remote, 28% have no call, 72% require no weekends.
Social Work pay on WeekdayDoc is down 6.7% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).
The cost-of-living index for Missouri is 90.8 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)), so the posted ~$73k midpoint carries the purchasing power of roughly $80k in an average-cost state. 60.1% of Missouri clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).
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