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This position has closed. Northwestern Medicine removed this listing from their careers page on Sep 29, 2026. The interview prep below is still useful, and there are similar open roles at the bottom of this page.

Intake Social Worker Behavioral Health Casual Days

Northwestern Medicine · Palos Heights, IL · Part time · Health Care Provider

Posted Sep 21, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 28, 2026

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

This is casual days at Palos Heights. How does that fit your life?

What they are checking: Honest fit with the arrangement and location the posting states.

What do you do with what you carry home from this work?

What they are checking: Whether they have a practice for it, which decides how long they last.

What would you do

Tell me about providing crisis intervention to a family rather than the patient.

What they are checking: The posting names crisis intervention to the family of the psychiatric patient specifically.

A patient on a medical floor is behaving in a way the staff cannot manage. How do you help?

What they are checking: The posting names psychosocial consultation to hospital personnel dealing with psychiatric patients.

There is no bed available and the patient cannot go home. What do you do?

What they are checking: The defining practical problem of behavioral health intake.

How do you talk to someone who does not want to be here and does not want your help?

What they are checking: Most psychiatric intakes are not voluntary in spirit, whatever the paperwork says.

About the work

Walk me through an intake assessment for someone in psychiatric crisis.

What they are checking: The posting is an intake role, and the assessment sets the whole disposition.

How do you decide where a patient should go: inpatient, partial, outpatient or home?

What they are checking: The posting names facilitating the appropriate disposition of patients.

Walk me through a screening and brief intervention for high risk drinking.

What they are checking: The posting names screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment by name.

How do you hand over at shift change so nothing is lost?

What they are checking: The posting names comprehensive shift to shift communication.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Northwestern Medicine from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Northwestern Medicine.

See what our staff have to say about working at Northwestern Medicine! It Takes a Team ! The Intake Social Worker reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. The Intake Social Worker is responsible for enhancing the psychosocial care of the psychiatric patient and his/her family and considering the specific needs and behaviors of specific age groups. The Intake Social Worker assists in the assessment of patients entering the Palos Community Hospital system for mental health/chemical dependency services, taking into consideration the special needs and behaviors of the specific age of the unit population. Responsibilities: • Provides and/or supervises crisis intervention to the family of the psychiatric patient. • Provides psychosocial consultation to hospital personnel in dealing with psychiatric patients and to the psychiatric patient in the general hospital as is necessary. • Provides screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment services to patients identified as possibly engaged in high risk drinking or alcohol abuse. • Facilitates the appropriate disposition of patients in need of mental health/chemical dependency services. • Provides comprehensive shift to shift reporting on the status of intake. • Organizes intake data in an appropriate manner. • Reports all significant concerns/patient issues to the 2 North Director of Nursing/Assistant Vice President of Nursing • Consults with the physicians in order to obtain the appropriate disposition for mental health/chemical dependent patients. • Communicates with Insurance Coordinator /Insurance Nurse to provide appropriate disposition of mental health/chemical dependency patients. • Assesses appropriateness of admissions for patients in need of mental health/chemical dependency services. This is a casual (non-benefited) day position, 7:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. who is available during weekdays. Required: • Master’s degree from accredited school of social work • Registered in the state of Illinois • Licensed Social Worker (LSW) • Current CPR certification through the American Heart Association (BLS for Healthcare Providers) required. Preferred: • N/A Northwestern Medicine is an equal opportunity employer (disability, VETS) and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. Background Check Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If you are offered a position with us, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form that gives Northwestern Medicine permission to run the background check. Results are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and we follow all local, state, and federal laws, including the Illinois Health Care Worker Background Check Act. Artificial Intelligence Disclosure Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools may be used in some portions of the candidate review process for this position, however, all employment decisions will be made by a person. Benefits We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Click on or copy and paste URL to your browser to view detailed benefits information NorthwesternMedicine Career Page https://jobs.nm.org/benefits Please refer to the Benefits Eligibility by Employment Classification to determine benefits eligibility for job postings. If sign-on bonus is included in a job posting eligibility is as followed: Internal employees and rehires who left Northwestern Medicine within 1 year are not eligible for the sign-on bonus. Exception : New graduate internal employees seeking their first licensed clinical position as a Registered Nurse at NM may be eligible.