Home / FAQs / Online Degrees / Certificate Courses / Admission Policies / Class Rooms / Request Info .

Canyon College



Keith F. Harris, M.S.W., C.S.W., BCD

E-Mail

Biographical Information


PERFORMANCE EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL SOCIAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Nov. 2008 - Present
Social Work Care Manager, OEF/OIF Program, VA Medical Center, Atlanta, GA
As OEF/OIF Social Work Care Manager, My Major Duties includes Interviewing patients, family members and significant others to assess psychological needs, determine treatment plan for discharge, and provide follow-up care. Determines appropriate level of care in relation to available community care facilities and coordinate with community hospitals, VA Mental Health Services and community agencies. Work with a wide range of complicated mental, emotional, behavioral, physical, psychosocial, and environmental problems. Maintain effective liaisons with intra-hospital, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, Mental Health Services, community agencies to ensure continuity of care. Assess individuals as to history and present Mental Health Status to determine if they are experiencing suicidal and/or homicidal ideations. Maintain documented assessments, treatment plans with treatment goals and clinical outcomes. Provides consultation to other disciplines; facilitates teamwork as a member of the interdisciplinary team. Develops, plans, implements, and evaluates the interdisciplinary treatment plan. Educates and assists OEF/OIF service members and/or veterans and their families with advance directives for healthcare, guardianships, and applications for home care and extended care services. I facilitate efficient and appropriate delivery of care across episodes of care within the VA Medical Center and Community Based Outpatient Clinics including Mental Health Services. As Social Work Care Manager I independently provide clinical psychosocial and case management services to veterans with complex problems and needs requiring a high degree of clinical oversight and creative problem solving to include community outreach to manage high risk severely injured and/or severely ill veterans.

May 2007 – Oct 2008
Social Work Officer, Captain US Air Force Reserve, Barksdale AFB, LA
Licensed Masters Social Worker, I managed the Life Skills Support Program using civil service and contract guidelines, DoD Directives and Air Force Family Advocacy Standards. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO) and Health Services Inspection (HSI) requirements were also followed. As the Family Advocacy Officer I am responsible for protection, proper use of, and availability of Family Advocacy Program resources and supplies, including all expenditures of AFMOA/SGOF funds. I currently ensure that there is a range of prevention services appropriate to community need. Overseeing and/or performing assessments and interventions with, maltreatment clients by ensuring the Family Advocacy Program clinicians receive appropriate clinical supervision. Ensured all appropriate documentation is completed, peer review of records and customer satisfaction is measured through feedback such as client surveys.

Sep. 2003 – Apr. 2007
Licensed Masters Social Worker, VA Medical Center, Tucson, AZ
As Social Worker for the Mental Health Care Line my responsibilities included providing a wide range of mental health care services for veterans and social services to their families. Individual and Group Psycho-Therapy was provided to address psychosocial issues related to patient and family adjustment, environmental, abuse and neglect, relationship issues, behavioral, psychological and cognitive/mental disorders; Attends Multidisciplinary Treatment Team meetings including the patients and their families to develop appropriate treatment and or discharge plans that were acceptable and understandable. Made Clinical Diagnosis and provided psycho-educational and caregiver support services; Serves as the Homeless Veterans Program Coordinator and the Grant and Per Diem Program Manager. Coordinated programs to serve homeless veterans consistent with strategic goals and part of the broader HCHV program to meet the needs of homeless veterans throughout the Tucson Veterans Administration Healthcare System. Provided outreach and case management to veterans in VA-funded and community-funded housing programs, shelters, and the streets. Utilized various treatment modalities of individual and group work, casework, community organization, and community outreach activities to alleviate and/or remove problems that interfered with the veterans ability to achieve independence. Monitored clinical care and assessed the compliance of the programs receiving per diem as described in the grant recipient's original grant application. Intervened, when necessary, to facilitate compliance or corrective actions. Provided services and oversight of the VA-funded HCHV Programs. Maintained admission and discharge dates of veterans for billing purposes. Reviewed and approved/disapproved readmissions to and extensions of care. Collected and submited veterans information to the HCHV Program Director. Coordinated care including serving as an advocate on behalf f the veterans to ensure comprehensive service delivery, and linking and referring veterans to the VA Medical Center, VA Regional Offices and/or community agencies. Engaged in coordination with community agencies, organizations, and groups to learn of services and/or resources available to veterans, as well as, provided current information on services and benefits available in the VA Benefits Administration and HCHV Program. Worked with VA Medical Center multi-disciplinary teams and community agencies. Established a continuing relationship with the client, evaluating progress towards goals, performing follow-up after referral. Developed appropriate treatment plan. Provided clinical services to veterans to include individual and family counseling.

Jul. 1996 - Aug. 2003
Licensed Masters Social Worker, VA Medical Center, Bay Pines, FL
As Social Worker for the Geriatrics and Extended Care and Community Living Center Health Care Line.

I collaborated with the Geriatrics and Extended Care and Community Living Center (CLC) staff and developed a comprehensive psychosocial treatment and discharge plan which included medical, psychiatric, interpersonal, economic, and other social factors. I served as a consultant to the rest of the staff in all areas requiring social work expertise.

Ensured that all veterans had timely and complete social work assessments highlighting the veteran's strengths, limitations, and internal/external supports and service needs in order to optimize the veteran's functional status and determine safe and appropriate discharge plan and needs. Demonstrated an understanding of the wide range of treatment and skills needed for all patients including geriatric patients related to their physical limitations, psychological needs and age associated illnesses and conditions. Proven advanced understanding of the problems of advancing age and displayed respect for the diversification of the aging veteran population, while being sensitive to human growth and development, age-appropriate needs and concerns of the geriatric veteran, and provided current and advanced techniques to the treatment of this special veteran population. Maintained the responsibility for working within the multi-interdisciplinary treatment team to develop a treatment plan with the veteran based on the assessment.

Completed 100% of the assessments, and ensured that discharge plans were completed prior to veteran leaving the VA Medical Center. Provided community resources and referrals, education on Advance Care planning, including advance directives, living wills and powers of attorney, diagnostic workup, helping the veteran resolve multiple interpersonal and psychosocial problems, while assisting the veteran in obtaining funds and services to which he/she is entitled from the VA, state and local agencies, to include when appropriate, assisting the veteran in obtaining and accepting placement at other approved community agencies in line with the veterans appropriate level of care. Providesd clinical treatment in areas to include family therapy, group therapy, individual therapy, crisis intervention, and long-term care. Therapeutic modalities used to reduce the stresses of hospitalization for veterans and their families and friends to help them gain a better understanding of the veterans problems and the ways in which they can work constructively with the veteran both during his/her hospitalization and after discharge.

PROFESSIONAL ADJUNCT FACULTY TEACHING EXPERIENCE

1998 - Pres.
I have instructed the following courses at Grand Canyon University; Saint Leo University & Canyon College in the Graduate and Undergraduate Programs:
SW 104 - Social Work as a Profession
SSC 222- Social Problems
SSC 320- Methods of Social Research
SSC 322- Race and Ethnicity in American Culture
SSC 324- Marriage and Family
LS 362 - Family Law
JC 395 - Public Relations Management
SW 402 - Macro Social Work Practice
SW 410 - Social Work Practice with Individuals
SW 440 - Social Work Practice with Groups
SW 506 - History and Philosophy of Social Work
PCN 527 - Psychopharmacology and Addiction
PCN 529 – Co-Occuring Disorders
PCN 535 – Counseling Chemical Dependency
SW 552 - Clinical Social Work
SW 585 - Social Work Practice with Geriatrics
SW 590 – Psycho-pathology
MILITARY AND PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE EXPERIENCE

- United States Air Force Reserves
- United States Air Force
- United States Public Health Service
- United States Army Reserves
- United States Marine Corps

AWARDS AND HONORS PROFESSIONAL LICENSES/CREDENTIALS

- Licensed Master’s Social Worker-Clinical/Macro - 1999 – Present
- Board Certified Diplomat in Clinical Social Work - 2001 – Present
- Realtor State of Georgia Real Estate Commission - 2005 – Present
- Commissioned Officers Association of the USAF - 1999 – Present
- Georgia Notary Public Forsyth County - 2007- Present