Chicago City Wire

Social workers at Rush University Medical Center are actively engaged in addressing mental health challenges from various perspectives. Their efforts include aiding psychosocially vulnerable patients on Chicago's West Side and assisting faculty, staff, and students in managing stress.

Rebecca Lahey, MSW, LCSW, director of integrated mental health and wellness with the Department of Social Work and Community Health, emphasizes the commitment to improving access to resources. "We’re committed to improving access to resources to reduce disparities in mental health outcomes across different groups, and at RUSH, our social workers are leading the charge on pathways toward that goal," she states.

Rush has established an outpatient psychotherapy clinic staffed by 15 licensed social workers to improve access for patients on Chicago’s West Side. Half of the clinic’s patients identify as Black, while one-quarter identify as Latinx. The team offers trauma-informed individual and group psychotherapy using methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic psychotherapy, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), along with relational and mindfulness-based approaches. "We leverage evidence-based interventions and try to work with each person where they are," Lahey says.

Advocacy for under-resourced patient populations is also emphasized. Lahey adds that social workers possess a lens for social justice and understanding individuals within their environmental context.

Creating diversity within the profession is another priority. In 2022, Rush founded the Legacy Mental Health Fellowship to support emerging minority social work clinicians. This fellowship is a collaboration between the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, Rush’s Department of Social Work and Community Health, and Chicago State University’s MSW program. It receives funding from Rachel Kohler and Mark Hoplamazian, the ITW Foundation, and the Hemmelstein Endowment for Health Equity.

Social workers also collaborate with the Center for Clinical Wellness to provide free mental health services to all Rush staff, faculty, and students. Five full-time social workers offer psychotherapy both in-person and via telehealth. They are available 24/7 for immediate support.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Rush social workers provided counseling for frontline healthcare workers among others dealing with stress. Additionally, several social work faculty participate in interprofessional education initiatives for Rush University students. They have developed curricula that help students from various disciplines collaborate better in providing care for older adults with mental health issues.

Lahey explains that these efforts demonstrate the versatility of social work in addressing mental health needs: "Not only can social workers provide these services, but we’re often taking the lead to support our patients."