Crisis Service Specialist-Front Desk

Oakland Community Health Network; Pontiac (MI); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Oakland Community Health Network is seeking a Crisis Service Specialist – Front Desk to greet individuals at the Resource and Crisis Center, document intake data, and route to crisis services. The role supports de-escalation, coordinates with internal teams and partners, and upholds a trauma-informed environment on site.

The position requires an associate degree in human services with preferred bachelor’s and at least 1 year in behavioral health or crisis settings; training in crisis

Qualifications

• Associate degree in human services (psychology, social work or related field).
• Bachelor's degree in human services preferred.
• Minimum 1 year of experience in behavioral health or crisis setting.
• Experience with electronic health records and customer service preferred.

Responsibilities

• Greet individuals with warmth, empathy and professionalism in a trauma-informed manner.
• Document demographic and service information accurately at intake.
• Coordinate communication between crisis departments to connect to services.
• Use crisis intervention techniques to de-escalate distressed individuals.
• Answer incoming calls and route to appropriate internal/external entities.
• Maintain a clean, welcoming lobby environment.
• Collaborate with community partners including law enforcement and medical staff.
• Report security concerns to relevant crisis departments.
• Support safety efforts and evacuation procedures as needed.
• Assist access to shelters, transportation and basic needs.
• Monitor, restock and distribute resources for persons served.
• Participate in meetings, supervision and planning with supervisors.
• Complete required agency trainings and other duties as assigned.
• Perform basic vitals when needed.

Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Strong Organizational Skills

Data Analysis

Strategic Planning

Written and Oral Communication

De-escalation & Conflict Resolution

Clinical Knowledge of Mental Health &S

Time Management

Education

Associate degree in Human Services

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft 365

Job description

The Crisis Service Specialist – Front Desk works under the direct supervision of the Crisis Service Supervisor and serves as the initial point of contact for individuals arriving at the Resource and Crisis Center (RCC). This position is responsible for greeting individuals with empathy and professionalism, ensuring timely and seamless warm transfers to appropriate crisis services, and providing crisis intervention support when needed. The specialist plays a key role in maintaining a safe, welcoming, and trauma-informed environment while coordinating communication between internal teams and community partners. This is an on-site position, scheduled for three 12-hour shifts per week, including rotating weekends and holidays.

Essential Functions

• Greet all individuals arriving at the Resource and Crisis Center (RCC) with warmth, empathy, and professionalism, using a trauma-informed and HIPAA-compliant approach
• Collect and accurately document demographic and service-related information including name, date of birth, age, sex, time of arrival, requested service, mode of arrival, and transition time to service
• Facilitate timely and effective communication between crisis departments to ensure individuals are connected to appropriate services without delay
• Utilize evidence-based crisis intervention techniques to de-escalate individuals experiencing emotional or behavioral distress
• Answer incoming phone calls and route them to the appropriate internal or external entity
• Maintain a clean, organized, and welcoming lobby environment
• Collaborate with community partners, including law enforcement and medical personnel, to support individuals in crisis
• Communicate any known or suspected security concerns—including contraband, threats, or behavioral risks—to all relevant crisis departments
• Take a proactive role in guiding and managing all safety efforts- overhead pages, facilitating evacuation of the lobby, etc.
• Assist individuals in accessing community resources such as shelters, transportation, and other basic needs
• Monitor, restock, and distribute resources and supplies designated for persons served
• Participate in team meetings, scheduled supervision, and collaborative planning with supervisors and colleagues
• Complete all required agency training in a timely manner
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the mission and operations of the RCC
• Completing basic vitals

Job Requirements and Qualifications

Education:

Associate degree in human services (psychology, social work or related field)

Bachelor's degree in human services (psychology, social work or related field), preferred

Training Requirements (licenses, programs, or certificates):

• BLS
• Crisis intervention
• Trauma-Informed care

Experience Requirements:

• Minimum 1 year of experience working in a behavioral health, hospital or human service setting directly engaging with individuals experiencing behavioral health or substance use concerns
• Previous experience in a clerical or administrative support role within a crisis setting preferred

Preferred Experience:

• Experience in working with electronic health records
• Experience in customer service
• Experience with data entry
• Experience in crisis de-escalation
• Experience working with adults with severe mental illness, substance use disorder or intellectual/developmental disabilities
• Experience working with children with serious emotional disturbance

Job Specific Competencies/Skills:

• Interpersonal Skills
• Strong Organizational Skills
• Data Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Strong written and oral communication
• De-escalation and conflict resolution
• Clinical knowledge of mental health and suicide prevention
• Strong time management

Knowledge Requirements:

• HIPPA
• Microsoft 365
• Mental Health Code
• Medicaid Manual

Oakland Community Health Network’s Core Competencies:

• Interacting with others in a way that gives them confidence in one’s intentions and those of the organization; demonstrating loyalty to the organization and its mission and values; maintaining social, ethical, and organizational norms; firmly adhering to codes of conduct and ethical principles. (Integrity/Building Trust)
• Making customers and their needs a primary focus of one’s actions; developing and sustaining productive customer relationships, recognizing that the ultimate customer is the person served. (Customer Focus)
• Actively identifying new areas for learning; regularly creating and taking advantage of learning opportunities; using newly gained knowledge and skill on the job and learning through their application. (Continuous Learning)
• Setting high standards of performance for self and others; assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks; self-imposing standards of excellence in addition to consciously adopting organizational standards of excellence. (Work Standards)
• Clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message. (Communication)

Additional Information

(Travel required, physical requirements, on-call schedules, etc.):

Must be available for meetings and events which may occur outside of standard office hours.

• Work performed primarily in a crisis center environment
• The ideal candidate must be able to complete all physical requirements of the job with or without a reasonable accommodation

OCHN is committed to building a diverse team and fostering an inclusive and equitable culture. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer that embraces and encourages our employees’ differences. This includes (but is not limited to) ability, age, color, family type, gender expression and identity, individual expression, medical conditions, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sexual orientation, veteran status, and all other diverse and wonderful characteristics