Christine K. Mitchell

The Pediatric Oncology Social Worker and Program Manager provides specialized psychosocial services to children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with cancer, as well as their families. This position combines direct clinical care with leadership and program management responsibilities aimed at improving the patient and family experience, supporting staff, and strengthening community partnerships. The role emphasizes trauma-informed, family-centered, and developmentally sensitive care within a multidisciplinary oncology team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Clinical / Direct Services

• Conduct comprehensive psychosocial assessments for pediatric oncology patients and their families at diagnosis and throughout the treatment continuum.
• Provide counseling, crisis intervention, and emotional support to patients and caregivers coping with diagnosis, treatment, relapse, survivorship, or end-of-life care.
• Collaborate with physicians, nurses, child life specialists, psychologists, and other members of the oncology care team to coordinate individualized care plans.
• Facilitate family meetings to support communication, decision-making, and care planning.
• Connect families with community resources, financial assistance, and support programs.
• Provide anticipatory guidance and education about coping, resilience, and developmental needs during treatment and beyond.
• Support transitions to survivorship or palliative/hospice care, offering continuity and bereavement follow-up as appropriate.
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation in the electronic medical record and ensure compliance with institutional standards and ethical guidelines.

Program Management and Leadership

• Develop, implement, and evaluate psychosocial support programs specific to pediatric oncology (e.g., parent support groups, sibling support, survivorship activities).
• Supervise social work interns, support staff, and/or volunteers engaged in oncology-related programming.
• Lead initiatives to enhance psychosocial care quality, equity, and accessibility within the oncology service line.
• Partner with hospital administration and community organizations to expand supportive resources for patients and families.
• Coordinate special events, such as patient celebrations, memorials, and educational workshops.
• Collect and analyze outcome data to support quality improvement, accreditation, and research initiatives.
• Provide staff education and consultation on psychosocial oncology care, grief, and resilience.

The Cancer Resource Center Program Manager is responsible for:

• providing leadership
• program development and coordination
• sound operational direction for the Caring Ways Cancer Resource Center
• working with physicians and staff to assist and guide oncology patients and their caregivers through the continuum of care, the development and assimilation of appropriate oncology educational materials, and the coordination of patient/family/community support and education programs
• In collaboration with the Director of Essentia Health Volunteer Services, the Cancer Resource Center Program Manager is responsible for the overall development, program planning and supervision of the Cancer Center Volunteer Program
• high level of customer service skills to establish and enhance positive relationships with individuals with cancer, their families, physicians, co-workers, the community and the Miller-Dwan Foundation.

• Ability to work with a wide range of individuals, families, and groups from diverse educational, cultural, and generational backgrounds.
• Working knowledge of common medical terminology, end-of-life and palliative care, advance care planning, public health, and public/health policy
• Introduce the importance of ACP as an ongoing process
• Assist in the selection and preparation of a qualified agent/proxy
• Explore the individual’s goals for life-sustaining treatment in the event of a severe, neurologic illness where a full cognitive recovery is unlikely
• Complete an AD (i.e., power of attorney for healthcare)
• Be attentive to possible obstacles to making advance care planning decisions

• Provides services to respond to the emotional needs of patients and their families.

• Provides psychosocial assessments, intervention, and/or treatment and discharge planning to patients and families to assist them in coping with their hospitalization, illness, diagnosis, and/or life situation and meet the continuing needs of patients post hospitalization.

• Assists patients and families to resolve personal, financial and environmental difficulties which interfere with the care management process. 

• Provides crisis intervention, individual and family therapy where skilled social work judgment is required.

• Directs access to appropriate community and adjunct resources that foster improved quality of life.​

• Provides individual counseling and family support as necessary

• May also assist with patient admission and referrals.

Humana At Home Field Care Managers visit members in their home and use a compliment of instruments that will help identify gaps in care and implement strategies for patient success. FCMs guide and facilitate interaction with resources appropriate for their patient's care and well-being. FCMs work in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team, employing a variety of strategies, approaches and techniques to enable each member to manage their physical, environmental and psycho-social health issues.

Other responsibilities include:

•  Evaluate patient needs and implement appropriate interventions with Humana At Home participants in their place of residence (Home, Assisted Living or Long Term Care Facility)
• Complete physical, psychological, emotional and environmental reviews of  assigned patients in order to provide appropriate, timely interventions to optimize care
• Develop plan of action with assigned patients based on identified needs and recommend and/or coordinate interventions that may include information, education, resources and referrals
• Work collaboratively with all staff to ensure appropriate intervention implementation with advocacy organizations and healthcare facilities
• Manage and maintain all assessment data in appropriate software applications
• Comply with all reporting requirements as defined by Humana At Home
• Conduct ongoing face to face outreach to Humana At Home members participating in Humana At Home's Chronic Care Program
• Coordinate community care and services as deemed appropriate
• Act as a patient's advocate and liaison by completing or facilitating face to face or telephonic contact with providers as well as private, non-profit, and governmental agencies, and the Humana At Home multi-disciplinary team
• Understand clinical program design, implementation, management, monitoring, and reporting
• Visit patient's residence a minimum of 2 times per month
• Refer patients to other programs and community agencies to enhance treatment processes.
• Guide patients in understanding illnesses and treatment plans. 
• Provide a supportive, recovery model and strengths based perspective with all patients
• Collaborates with the patient to develop an individualized treatment plan, inclusive of the patient's goals and treatment recommendations which will enhance the patient's quality of life with regard to mental health and other medical issues

• upholding quality standards related to ESRD regulatory requirements as set forth by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS)
• enforcing all FMC clinical quality policies and procedures;
• acting as a resource for dialysis patients to address concerns and questions;
• coaching, developing, and overseeing performance of 10 clinical managers and other support staff;
• directing, orientating, and training new clinical managers and all other personnel that report to the Area manager;
• completing performance evaluations;
• implementing all human resources policies and procedures;
• developing strong medical director and physician relationships;
• profit and loss management for each assigned facility;
• ensuring efficient and economical performance of each assigned clinic
• supervision of clinical managers and other personnel as assigned (85+ area employees)
• negotiation and execution of a union contract;
• Primary liaison between the dialysis company and medical directors, attending physicians and other medical staff;
• Ensuring that all employees receive appropriate learning and education for their particular role in the company
• Ensures a strong and robust communications process between all managers and staff within the area and clinics, and across the division as needed by leading communications sessions and meetings with managers and ensuring the appropriate dissemination of communications to direct patient care and support staff within the area.
• Ensures and promotes the development of the area management team/succession planning through coaching, training and leadership development.
• Responsible for aggressively addressing and acting upon adverse events and action thresholds in area of responsibility

• Assess patient's psychosocial status, strengths and areas of need that may affect optimal patient outcome.
• Participate in care planning with the patient, in collaboration with the treatment team. Identify effective interventions that will help the patient improve the quality of their life
• Use Quality of Life measurement instruments as part of the assessment and care planning process
• Provide supportive and goal directed counseling for patients seeking a kidney transplant
• Assess patient's awareness regarding Advanced Directives and assist with accessing forms for patients. Work with the patient, their family, care providers and multi-disciplinary care team regarding discussions and decisions for end of life care.
• In conjunction with the physician, assist with the discussion of the patient's DNR status
• Provides information and assists the patient with referral to community resources to fascilitate optimal treatment outcomes
• Provide on-going education to patient and family regarding psychosocial issues related to end stage renal disease and all support services that are available
• Collaborate with the team on Continuous Quality Improvement initiatives
• Address patient issues related to insurance
• Provide training to staff on psychosocial topics as needed
• Provide training to outside agencies as appropriate
• Maintain skills to work with renal patients of all ages (mean age in Northern MN is 74 years of age).
• Practice Team building skills and sound decision making

• securing insurance
• conducting psychosocial assessments on all patients at time of admission and annually
• providing a full range of case management services
• providing ongoing counseling and support to maximize adjustment to the end stage renal disease diagnosis
• providing counseling as needed in a group, family or individual setting
• supervising BSW social workers and reviewing and cosigning assessments as required by statute
• providing referrals for financial and vocational services
• utilizing all possible resources to address client needs
• Collaboration with patient, family and interdisciplinary team about end of life decisions
• Coordinating admissions and transfers of dialysis patients providing short term MSW social work coverage for vacancies and/or leaves of absence

Responsible for assessing clients to determine psychosocial needs. Develop recommendations and methods to implement possible changes based on assessment. Complete written reports and documentation. Communicate with home care staff.

Minnesota Sex Offender Program, full-time: Clinical Social Worker Duties: Responsible for facilitation of therapy groups, group curriculum development, training of employees and members of the community, case management for 25 clients, community liaison for clients, contact for outside agencies, writing court reports and testifying as requested.

macro practice rotation, 480 hours Duties: Participated as a member of several work-related committees; assisted with policy and procedure writing and rewriting; acted as a liaison with community members around issues related to client population; participated and conducted training regarding civil commitment of sex offenders

micro practice rotation, 480 hours Duties: Provided case management and outreach services to serious and persistently mentally ill clients in the community. Provided in-house services as needed for 15 clients residing in crisis housing; participate as a member of multi-disciplinary team assessing needs of special needs psychiatric clients in the community and in placement (team included psychiatrist, pharmacologist, psychologist and social worker).

Duties: Provided supervision and counseling to 12-14 adolescents residing on a residential treatment unit. Member of a multi-disciplinary team that planned, coordinated and implemented complex treatment plans; responsible for planning and supervising all activities of daily living; participated in reviews to evaluate client progress; member and co-coordinator of diversity task force; had increasing levels of responsibility with each advancement; as a senior counselor, trained new staff and supervised interns.

Duties: Responsible for the supervision of staff and residents in a residential group home setting; provided supervision for six adult developmentally disabled residents; coordinated and implemented complex treatment plans; responsible for planning and supervising all activities of daily living; participated in Staffing to review client progress; assisted with special behavioral programs in accordance with Licensure requirements; trained and supervised six employees; completed necessary charting and staff documentation.

Provided supervision and counseling to 12-14 adolescents residing on a residential treatment unit. Member of a multi-disciplinary team that planned, coordinated and implemented complex treatment plans; responsible for planning and supervising all activities of daily living; participated in staffing to review client progress; member and co-coordinator of diversity task force

Position: Child Protection Worker, 120 hours Duties: Responded to reports regarding allegations of child abuse and neglect; documented actions taken; implemented interventions in accordance with agency policy and state law.

City of Bloomington, part-time, summers 1988-1990 Position: Teen Center Coordinator, Duties: Coordinated Teen Center activities, participated in staffing meetings and training regarding program, developed individualized programs for adaptive participants; worked as an integration specialist at area parks integrating special needs children into already existing recreational programming; organized and supervised participants on community outings; adaptive softball coach, integrating special education students with varying abilities into recreational softball activities; team leader and/or staff member for specialized one- or two-week camps involving autistic, down syndrome, and/or emotional and behaviorally disturbed students

Assisted in outdoor recreation activities; assisted in adaptive physical education classes; behavior management aide; assisted in conducting adventure-based programming curriculum