988 Crisis Services Clinician

Crisis Connections; United States; Remote; USD 117,096,000 - 119,851,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid Time Off

12 Paid Holidays

Discount on ORCA transit pass

Free Parking

Growth opportunities

Self-care tools

Job summary

Crisis Connections is hiring a Crisis Services Clinician for the 988 Lifeline, working remotely with candidates in WA, AZ, OH, or TX. The role includes risk assessment, clinical decision-making, and supervising a multidisciplinary team delivering phone, chat, or text support.

Requirements include a Master’s degree in a relevant field and WA licensure. The position offers graveyard shift coverage with a $37.24 hourly rate plus $4 shift differential, remote work, and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in psychology, counseling or social work.
• Active WA credential/licensure as LICSW/LMHC/LMFT or AA Counselor.
• Two years’ crisis experience preferred.
• Excellent verbal, written, and typing skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline interactions via phone, chat or text.
• Monitor risk assessment and provide clinical decision-making.
• Coaching and supervision of staff during shifts.
• Ensure proper documentation in the EHR and referrals to appropriate care.
• Provide quality assurance for safety assessment forms.

Skills

Crisis intervention

De-escalation

Remote team collaboration

Verbal communication

Written communication

Typing skills

Education

Master’s degree in psychology/counseling or social work

Active credentials/licensure in WA (LICSW/LMHC/LMFT/AA Counselor)

Tools

Electronic Health Record (EHR)

Job description

All Jobs > 988 Crisis Services Clinician

Description

Position Title: Crisis Services Clinician

Reports to: Clinical Supervisor of 988 Crisis Services

Location: Remote work (Candidates must be located in WA, AZ, OH, or TX to be considered for this role)

Pay rate: $37.24 per hour + $4.00 per hour Shift Differential for Graveyard Hours

Schedule/Shift; Call Team: Graveyard/Nights Shift - Call Team

PROGRAM SUMMARY:

Crisis Connections provides a variety of telephone-based support services that are free and easily accessible to anyone in our community experiencing crisis. Our service area includes King County and WA State. Our passion is to foster resilience and wellbeing for all by connecting people to accessible and compassionate support.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Crisis Services Clinician for 988 is a qualified Mental Health Professional who is trained to oversee 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline contact interactions via phone, chat, or text. This position is responsible for providing risk assessment and clinical decision-making while overseeing all activities of a multidisciplinary team comprised of clinical and paraprofessional staff.

This selected candidate must bring clinical expertise in the areas of crisis intervention, de-escalation, and mental health. Responsibilities include monitoring the delivery of services via phone, chat, or text. The Crisis Services Clinician will ensure that callers receive appropriate emotional support and referrals to the appropriate level of care, such as mobile crisis teams, designated crisis responders, and other mental health services.

CRISIS SERVICES CLINICIAN RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Responsible for the direct oversight of Crisis Specialists plus general oversight and guidance of other staff working the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline during scheduled shifts. This will include close monitoring and coaching of Contact Specialists responding to call, chat, and text services, assigning and reviewing tasks of the Crisis Intervention Specialist (CIS), while providing consultation and direction to other clinical staff when engaged in crisis work.
2. Responsible for supporting Crisis Specialists in assessing for risk of harm, suicidality, and/or mental illness to ensure that best clinical intervention practices are provided to the person in crisis.
3. Ensures completion of appropriate screening and linkage to Next Day Appointments, Children's Crisis Outreach and Response System, Mobile Crisis Teams, Geriatric Regional Assessment Team, Designated Crisis Responders, and other outreach services for 988 callers.
4. Supports the CIS and Crisis Specialist staff with ongoing and immediate feedback.
5. Ensures that all policies and procedures are followed by staff answering the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline contacts via phone, chat, or text.
6. Assists Crisis Specialists in identification of familiar contacts who are known and may have case plans on file.
7. Ensure that all calls are documented accurately and completely using the assigned electronic health record.
8. Provide Quality Assurance to the National Suicide Safety Assessment forms.
9. Ensure that all services delivered are consistent with compassionate, respectful, professional, and recovery-oriented best practices.
10. Contributes to a virtual team atmosphere that is professional, congenial, and respectful.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE NEEDED:

• Master’s degree in psychology/counseling or social work or related field required.
• Mental Health Professional (MHP) status as defined by Washington Administrative Code (WAC 246-341-0515) and Revised Code of Washington (RCW 71.05 and 71.34).
• Independent or associate licensure in counseling or social work preferred.
• Individuals must hold one of the following active credentials or licenses in the State of Washington:
• Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) or Associate (LSWAIC)
• Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) or Associate (LMHCA)
• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) or Associate (LMFTA)
• Psychiatrist, Psychologist, or Licensed Psychological Associate
• Certified or Licensed Agency Affiliated Counselor (per RCW 18.19.210)
• Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) credential through the WA Department of Health required by the end of the probationary period. Applications must be submitted within 30 days of hire. Crisis Connections will reimburse the cost of obtaining the credential.

Preferred Credentials:

Additional certifications in crisis intervention, suicide prevention, or trauma-informed care are strongly encouraged.

• Two years’ experience working with individuals in crisis is required.
• Excellent verbal, written, and typing skills are required.
• Ability to work effectively within a remote, multidisciplinary clinical team in a fast-paced environment is required.
• Experience of working within a call center preferred.
• Experience with Telephone assessment or help line preferred.
• Experience in King County Public Mental Health System preferred

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

1. 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Program Standards
   • Call Abandonment rate 5% or less.
   • Call Answer Rate within 30 seconds.
2. All staff working within the 988 Service Line share the responsibility to meet these contract metrics.

TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. Supports the Clinical Director of 988 Crisis Services in providing training and job shadowing to new staff that incorporates clinical best practices and training requirements from Lifeline Learning, Crisis Connections, and ICH Accreditation standards.

2. Maintains required licensure and keeps updated on current professional literature and trends in the behavioral health field.

3. Maintains a minimum of 12 hours of training per FTE on approved topics relevant to the job function.

QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF WORK/WORK HABITS

1. Arrives at work on time and maintains regular attendance; working assigned shifts and other shifts when needed.
2. Participates in pager duty shifts as assigned by the Clinical Director of 988 Crisis Services.
3. Follows personnel policies and procedures.
4. Written and verbal communication is clear, concise, accurate and thorough.
5. Demonstrates genuine relationships by cooperating with others, handling disagreements directly with the person(s) concerned in a truthful and open manner, and accepting constructive feedback. Shows respect to co-workers, volunteers, and customers/clients.
6. Makes appropriate use of Supervisor.
7. Promotes a healthy work environment by demonstrating collaborative decision-making and team-building behaviors; provides peer support, and motivates staff and volunteers to outstanding performance.
8. Suggests solutions to identified problems.
9. Attends all internal staff meetings as assigned.
10. All other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Working Conditions: Individuals in this position should be able to sit or stand for lengthy periods of time. Individuals will need to be able to wear a headset or earphones as they take calls and attend meetings. Individuals will need to manage several IT/software platforms at once and be able to function in an environment with moderate noise and distraction.

• This position will expose you to conversations about suicide, mental health issues and staff responding to crisis situations.

Thriving employees means a thriving mission:

We work hard to embrace diversity and inclusion. We welcome everyone's lived experiences, cultures, and expertise, at Crisis Connections because it strengthens our team and the care we provide to the community. BIPOC, persons with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community are strongly encouraged to apply.

We are dedicated to supporting our employees by offering excellent benefits and career progression opportunities.

• Generous Paid Time Off & 12 Paid Holidays
• Discount on ORCA transit pass
• Free Parking & Flexible Schedules
• Growth opportunities
• Self-care tools & weekly check ins with your supervisor

Voluntary Benefits

• Short-term and long-term disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• 403B Retirement Plan

Offers of Employment

All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check including a Criminal History Report and Reference Check.

New hires must submit an application for an Agency Affiliated Counselor (AAC) license within 30 days of employment, and certification must be received prior to the end of the onboarding probationary period (90 days).

Computer Skills Assessment

Crisis Connections requires a basic Computer Skills assessment to measure computer literacy and skills. The assessment is approximately 15 minutes in length, and timed. HR will provide a link to complete the test after screening qualified candidates.

• This assessment will be completed on the candidate's personal computer. Upon request, candidates may take the assessment at one of our 2 office locations as an accommodation. Additional accommodations for the assessment are provided upon request.
• Smart phone with ability to download the Microsoft Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) application.

For Remote / Hybrid positions

• High speed internet (wired ethernet connection preferred). No Cellular or Hotspots.
• A quiet and confidential designated working area.

DISCLAIMER

The information presented indicates the general nature and level of work expected of employees in this classification. It is not designed to contain, or to be interpreted as, a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and objectives required of employees assigned to this job. As an adaptive organization, responsibilities can and will change in alignment with greater efficiencies and mission metrics.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION

Crisis Connections (CC) is committed to equal opportunity for all employees and applicants. CC does not discriminate with regards to hiring, assignment, promotion, or other conditions of staff employment because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other status protected under local, state, or federal law.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, upon request, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of our positions.

Crisis Connections is an equal opportunity employer. We value having employees whose skills, experience and background reflect the diverse populations we serve.