Crisis Support Specialist, Living Room

Thresholds; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 34,000 - 43,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Generous PTO

Medical and dental plans

Vision plan

403(b) retirement plan

Employee assistance program

Public service loan forgiveness

Clinical licensure supervision

Job summary

Thresholds seeks a Crisis Support Specialist in Chicago, IL, to use lived mental-health recovery experience to support Living Room guests, provide advocacy, information, and peer support. You will engage guests, hear their stories, and encourage steps in their recovery, while maintaining a welcoming environment.

You will greet guests, help them determine their recovery path, model coping strategies, develop recovery plans, and link guests with supportive services, all in a tidy space.

Qualifications

• Lived experience with mental health recovery.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Education in psychology or related field preferred; CRSS helpful.

Responsibilities

• Provide advocacy, information, and peer support to Living Room guests.
• Engage guests in conversations to hear their stories and support recovery steps.
• Greet guests, help assess needs, and guide recovery planning.
• Prepare food and maintain a welcoming, tidy space.
• Pursue training to stay current in mental health practices and supervision for licensure.

Skills

Lived experience

Effective communication

Good writing

Time management

21 years old

Schedule coordination

Education

High school diploma

Higher education in Psychology/Social Work/Counseling

CRSS preferred

Job description

When people experience a mental health crisis, they are faced with the decision to go to the emergency department or to try to manage the crisis themselves. The Living Room offers an alternative: a community crisis center—a welcoming, accepting, and calm environment where Crisis Support Specialists provide advocacy, information, and peer support.

As a Crisis Support Specialist, you will use your personal experience with mental health recovery to support and educate Living Room guests on managing crisis. You will engage guests in conversation to hear their stories, learn about their interests and strengths, and respectfully encourage them to take steps in their recovery process. Over the course of the day, you may model coping strategies, help guests develop their own crisis recovery plans, and/or link guests with supportive services for after their crisis.

A welcoming environment is key to the success of the Living Room, so you will greet guests and learn their names as part of inviting them to take the lead in determining their recovery path. Crisis Support Specialists will also prepare food for guests and ensure that the space is neat and tidy.

Keep up to date on current trends in the mental health field and deepen your knowledge of evidence-based practices through ample training opportunities to enhance Living Room services. You can also gain supervision for CRSS certification and reimbursement for testing and application fees.

To succeed in this role, you need:

• Lived experience of mental health recovery
• Effective communication and relationship-building
• Good writing skills
• Strong time management and organization
• To be at least 21 years old
• Ability to work assigned schedule: Friday & Saturday 6:45am - 3:15pm, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday 2:45p- 11:15pm

Many education and experience paths are eligible for this role:

• High school diploma or GED certificate required
• Higher education in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling or related field preferred
• Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) preferred

What sets Thresholds apart:

• Competitive pay - Salary Range: $25.50 - $30.58 hourly
  • Based on education, experience, and licensure
• Generous PTO
• Dental insurance, vision insurance,3 medical insurance plans
• 403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match
• Robust employee assistance program (EAP)
• Public service loan forgiveness
• Supervision for clinical licensure at no cost (LSW, LCSW, LPC, LCPC)

Thresholds is a mission-driven agency with a deep commitment to fostering an environment where all feel valued and respected, a place where every employee can be themselves, thrive, and support the agency’s mission.

One of the oldest and largest community mental health organizations in Illinois, we pride ourselves in being a Chicago Tribune Top Workplace and one of Chicago's 101 Best & Brightest Companies to Work For several years in a row.