Job Description
988 Chat & Text Counselor (Olympic Suicide Prevention Center)
This role is a fully-remote. Schedule will vary with multiple shifts available. Part time & full time applicants encouraged to apply. The pay for this position is $24.00 per hour with a $3.00 overnight differential.
About Didi Hirsch
Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services has been a national leader in whole-person mental health, crisis care, and substance use services since 1942 and is home to the nation’s first Suicide Prevention Center. We are a nonprofit organization providing care to nearly 200,000 people annually across our programs. Didi Hirsch has deep roots in community-based mental health and a commitment to providing culturally responsive services that are just and equitable.
As an organization, we value equity, diversity, and inclusion. More than 1,000 dedicated employees and volunteers make Didi Hirsch’s work possible. We intentionally recruit and retain a workforce that is reflective of the communities we serve and strive to cultivate a sense of belonging for them. We embrace employees and candidates from all backgrounds who want to help make this vision a reality.
Summary
Chat/Text Counselors will be responsible for utilizing Crisis Chat and Text services to provide crisis intervention, emotional support, and resources to all help-seekers. The position will be fully remote, with the option to work on-site. A high emphasis is placed on quality assurance for this role.
Primary Duties
- Offers crisis-counseling services via chat and text
- Completes risk assessment, safety planning, de-escalation, and follow-up with Chat/Text visitors.
- Serves as a mandated reporter in cases of suspected abuse or neglect.
- Is familiar with resources and providing information and referrals to visitors as appropriate.
- Maintains accurate and detailed chat/text reports. Documentation must be completed in real time.
- Completes 1.5 chats/texts per hour (on average).
- Fulfills continuing education requirements as requested or required for the agency and the Suicide Prevention Center program.
- Assists in the training process of new counselors.
- Participates in community outreach events such as resources tables and presentation about suicide prevention as needed.
- Attends routinely scheduled meetings for the Suicide Prevention Center.
Position Requirements
- Possess a high school Diploma or equivalent.
- Must be 18 years of age or older.
- Have high speed internet with an active Ethernet connection, and a quiet/confidential workspace.
- Be empathetic, flexible, and adaptable to varying situations.
- Have open availability and flexibility to work within the Chat/Text program’s operating hours, including weekends and holidays.
- Be reliable and able to adhere to schedules based upon Chat/Text program needs
- Complete yearly trainings as required by Lifeline.
- Have knowledge of all job specific skills including risk assessment, data collection, and chat/text triage.
- Possess strong interpersonal skills and can positively interact with others.
- Have outstanding communication skills with the ability to engage any individual regardless of background.
- Exceptional at multi-tasking and time management, able to drive multiple pieces of work forward simultaneously while meeting all deadlines.
- Goal-oriented team player with strong experience working in large and complex systems.
- Current California driver’s license and a driving record acceptable to the Agency’s insurance carrier.
- A commitment to team objectives and Didi Hirsch philosophies.
- Successfully pass our pre-employment screening, including a background check and live scan fingerprinting.
Our Vision
A future where everyone has equitable access to care and is empowered to achieve optimal mental health and well-being.
Our Mission
Didi Hirsch provides compassionate mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention services to individuals and families, especially in communities where discrimination and injustice limit access.
Core Values
Excellence: We are constantly innovating, learning from the communities we serve, and applying the latest research to advance best practices. We uphold the highest ethical standards to ensure we are providing compassionate and excellent care.
Diversity & Inclusion: We value diversity of background, experience, and ideas, committing to a workforce representative of the communities we serve. We celebrate differences and prioritize creating a sense of belonging.
Equity: We are dedicated to maintaining equitable practices in our healthcare delivery and workplace culture, and we work to dismantle disparities and discrimination within both systems of care and society.
Well Being: We are devoted to the well-being of our staff, volunteers, and communities, and believe healthy teams lead to healthy clients.
Advocacy: We advocate across all levels of government and use our voice to reduce barriers to care, including stigma, systemic racism, and parity across payers, with the goal of access to high quality, integrated healthcare for all.
Community Engagement: We build partnerships in the community and across sectors to create a more inclusive and responsive mental health ecosystem and enhance greater accessibility to care and support.
Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)