Experienced Full Stack Crisis Chat & Text Specialist – Mental Health Support and Intervention

Are you passionate about making a difference in people's lives? Do you have a strong desire to work in a dynamic and supportive environment where you can utilize your skills to help individuals in crisis? If so, we invite you to join blithequark, a regional non-profit organization dedicated to preventing substance abuse and suicide, as a Remote Crisis Chat & Text Specialist.

About blithequark

blithequark is a leading organization in the field of mental health, providing 24/7 support to individuals and communities through our crisis and referral helplines. Our mission is to educate, train, and advocate for mental health awareness, prevention, and intervention. We strive to create a diverse and inclusive environment that reflects the communities we serve.

Job Summary

As a Remote Crisis Chat & Text Specialist, you will be the first point of contact for individuals in crisis, providing emotional support, assessment, crisis intervention, and treatment/support referrals. You will work closely with our team to ensure that all members of the community receive access to the care and support they need. This is a full-time, non-exempt position that requires working some holidays and weekends.

Responsibilities

* Demonstrate the culture of blithequark by modeling behavior that supports our goals and philosophies

• Respond to crisis chats and texts in a consistent and non-judgmental manner, providing emotional support, assessment, crisis intervention, and treatment/support referrals
• Assess each texter for suicide risk following assessment protocols and practices, and provide adequate and relevant safety/action planning
• Follow through on imminent risk chats to ensure emergency contact is made with texters and confirm outcomes or re-engage texters as indicated
• Document chats in an accurate and timely manner with relevant clinical information in our electronic health record system
• Conduct research on community resources in accordance with KPIs
• Place follow-up chats/texts to clients as scheduled by the shift supervisor
• Complete mandatory trainings and workshops to continue learning the latest policies and protocols and stay up-to-date on crisis intervention tools and techniques
• Answer crisis calls as part of the training process
• Perform other duties, such as administrative and organizational tasks, as needed

Qualifications

* Meet Qualified Mental Health Associate requirements (https://mhacbo.org/media/QMHA.Worksheet_PDF.pdf)

• Crisis intervention knowledge
• Mature, sensitive, emotionally stable, flexible, and adaptable to varying situations and coverage needs
• Strong empathy, communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills
• Able to handle high levels of stress
• Proficient in the use of technology, including telephones, computers, software, and email
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot common technology issues
• Understanding of and ability to apply mental health assessment, treatment, and service terminology
• Able to implement skill development strategies and identify, implement, and coordinate the services and supports identified in Individual Service and Support Plan (ISSP)
• Strong attendance and punctuality, with the ability to consistently show up on time, work the full scheduled shifts, and provide at least 2 weeks' notice for time off requests or as soon as possible in the event of an emergency

Preferred Qualifications

* Graduate degree in psychology, social work, or a behavioral science field, or CADC/Bachelor's degree in psychology, social work, or a behavioral science field and relevant crisis intervention experience

• Veterans preferred
• ASIST certification
• CADC certification strongly preferred
• Experience in a call center environment

Training and Development

* blithequark requires extensive Crisis Lines Onboarding training, which can be completed remotely

• New hires must attend 5 weeks of paid crisis lines onboarding training, which includes 3 weeks of training between 8:30am-5:00pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, plus 2 weeks of additional precepting training
• The schedule for precepting can vary, and it is likely that the 2 weeks of precepting will be a day or swing shift schedule
• Training requires participation, full engagement without distractions, and being on camera over Zoom
• Equipment is provided, and you must have private high-speed internet and a confidential place to take crisis contacts to meet security and technical requirements

Interview Process

* Interviews are conducted via Zoom with a blithequark supervisor and HR team members and are recorded so that members of the Hiring Committee who are unable to attend the live interview can watch the recording and give feedback afterwards

Work Schedule

* Our crisis lines are operated 24/7, and this position requires working some holidays and weekends

• The work schedule will be determined at the time of offer and is based upon blithequark's crisis contact volume trends
• All full-time employees are required to work at least 1 weekend shift per week
• We are currently hiring for shifts in Pacific Time, including:

+ 9 pm-8 am Sat-Mon (10.5 hr shifts, 31.5 hrs) + 9 pm-8 am Wed-Fri (10.5 hr shifts, 31.5 hrs) + 6 pm-4 am Wed-Sat (9.5 hr shifts, 38 hrs) + 5 pm-4 am Thu-Sat (10.5 hr shifts, 31.5 hrs) + 10 pm-8 am Tue-Fri (9.5 hr shifts, 38 hrs) + 3 pm-2 am Sat-Mon (10.5 hr shifts, 31.5 hrs) + 3 pm-2 am Sun-Tue (10.5 hr shifts, 31.5 hrs) + 3 pm-2 am Thu-Sat (10.5 hr shifts, 31.5 hrs) + 1 pm-9:30 am Tue-Sat (8 hr shifts, 40 hrs)

Physical Requirements

* Work is primarily conducted in an office environment and requires the ability to sit or stand and work on a computer for long periods of time

• This position requires high energy, patience, and controlling one's emotions, as well as the ability to think analytically

Remote Work

* Telecommuting requires passing a clinical evaluation, having a HIPAA-compliant workspace at home, and meeting technology requirements

• Supervisors provide support to telecommuters by listening in on acute crisis contacts and using an internal messaging system (Microsoft Teams) to communicate

Quality Assurance

* All crisis contacts are recorded, and we review them regularly to ensure safety and quality assurance and for training and supervisory purposes

• You will have crisis contacts randomly picked for review, and you will receive clinical feedback on how you are doing
• This happens every few weeks and is one way that we ensure professional growth of our team
• Another aspect of this technology is that while you are taking crisis contacts, supervisors can listen in to provide support if a crisis contact is particularly challenging or high risk

Compensation Package

* The starting wage for the Remote Crisis Chat and Text Specialist position is $24.04/hr. for individuals with graduate degrees in a related field and $21.99/hr. for individuals with bachelor's degrees

• There is a $1.75/hr. overnight shift differential when working between the hours of 10 pm-5 am Pacific Time, and time and a half holiday pay when required to work holidays
• blithequark offers a great benefits package valued at over $9,500 per year, including coverage for employee health, dental, vision, short and long-term disability, and life insurance premiums; a matching 401K plan; a flexible spending plan; an employee assistance program; and a free Fitbit

Equal Opportunity Employer

blithequark strives to create a diverse, inclusive environment to better represent the communities that we serve. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Background Check

All blithequark employees must be approved to work by the Oregon Department of Human Services' Background Check Unit. Background checks are completed after a conditional offer of employment has been extended. If you are passionate about making a difference in people's lives and have the skills and qualifications to succeed in this role, we encourage you to apply to blithequark today! Apply for this job