Well-Being Advisor (Part-time On-call)

Ripple Effect; Bethesda (MD); On-site; USD 138,000 - 159,000; Part time

Job summary

Ripple Effect is seeking Well-Being Advisors to support NIH OITE at the NIH Main Campus in Bethesda. The role drives a coordinated wellbeing and resilience program with individualized advising, structured learning, and peer engagement for trainees.

Ideal candidates hold a relevant license (ASWB/LMSW or LPC/LMHC) and bring 10+ years of experience in developmental advising, confidential guidance, and group facilitation.

Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Social Work or related field; additional education may substitute for experience.
• Active licensure to practice social work or counseling (ASWB/LMSW, LPC/LMHC) and/or Clinical Psychology licensure.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in wellbeing, advising, or related fields.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, documentation standards, and professional boundaries.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex trainee-advising programs and evaluate service delivery with evidence-based recommendations.
• Deliver structured, trainee-centered advising including goal setting, action planning, and resource connection.
• Support mentoring relationships, laboratory dynamics, career decisions, work-life balance, and resilience.
• Facilitate small-group discussions to promote respectful dialogue and practical problem-solving.
• Coordinate referrals to NIH/OITE or community resources when needs exceed advising scope.
• Track trainee progress and assist with program evaluation and reporting.

Skills

Developmental advising

Goal setting

Resource navigation

Referral practices

Small-group facilitation

Education

Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW)

ASWB/LMSW licensure

LPC/LMHC licensure

Tools

Microsoft Office

Microsoft Teams

SharePoint

Job description

General Information

Job Code: SHR-NC-05T

Location: NIH Main Campus/Bethesda, MD

Employee Type: Exempt, Part-Time Ad Hoc/On Call

Telework: None

Clearance: Public Trust

Salary Range: $100.00-$115.63 (how we pay and promote)

Position Overview

Are you passionate about connecting people to resources that improve their well-being? Ripple Effect is seeking Well-Being Advisors to support our client, the Office of Intramural Training and Education (OITE) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), who will play a pivotal role in shaping our success on the Ripple Effect support team! Your work will directly impact a coordinated, evidence-informed Well-Being and Resilience Advising Program that includes individualized advising, structured learning opportunities, peer engagement, and targeted well-being strategies for NIH Trainees. You might be a fit for this role if you are a licensed well-being professional who is excited to join a multidisciplinary team composed of those like yourself, program managers, analysts, and operational specialists who are able to provide integrated services.

Key Duties

• Lead complex trainee-advising programs by evaluating service delivery approaches, managing operational challenges, and communicating evidence-based recommendations to stakeholders while serving as a recognized subject matter expert in NIH Trainee support services.
• Deliver structured, trainee-centered advising, tailored to myriad trainees, that include issue clarification, goal setting, action planning, resource connection, and follow-up, as appropriate.
• Help trainees address mentoring relationships, laboratory dynamics, career decisions and transitions, self-confidence, work-life integration, time management, communication, conflict resolution, research setbacks, uncertainty, stress management, and resilience development.
• Facilitate discussion-based shared-learning and peer-engagement sessions in small groups that promote respectful dialogue, guided reflection, peer connection, and practical problem-solving.
• Connect trainees to appropriate NIH, OITE, or community resources when needs exceed the scope of developmental advising, following established referral and escalation protocols.
• Track and report on program and trainee progress while maintaining consistency in confidentiality, documentation, and referral practices, and support internal and client-facing schedule updates in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Other duties as specified.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW), Counseling, Psychology, or related field, additional education substitutes for experience.
• Active Social Work (ASWB/LMSW) and/or Counseling (LPC and/or LMHC) and/or Clinical Psychology licensure.
• 10+ years of relevant experience.

Basic Requirements

• Certification (Counselors only): NBCC/NCC certification.
• Demonstrated skill in developmental advising, goal setting, action planning, resource navigation, referral practices, resilience development, and in small-group and professional development workshop facilitation.
• Knowledge of confidentiality, privacy, documentation boundaries, and non-personal-services requirements in advising or related settings.
• Ability to recognize when participant needs exceed the scope of advising and to follow established referral and escalation pathways.
• Intermediate experience with Microsoft Office productivity software and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams and SharePoint.
• Ability to use government-furnished systems and complete required HHS privacy, information security, and rules-of-behavior training, as applicable.

Skills That Set You Apart

Certifications: Advanced or specialty credentials in clinical social work, counseling, coaching, trauma-informed practice, group facilitation, conflict management, resilience, mindfulness, or related areas.

Social Work Examples: Advanced Generalist certification (LGSW/LASW), Clinical certification (LCSW), NASW Specialty Certification (i.e. Case Manager, Clinical and Behavioral Health, etc.)

Counseling Examples: Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT), NBCC Specialty Certification (i.e. Mental Health, School, Addiction), Advanced Modality (i.e. CCBT, EMDR, RPT), other Specialty (i.e. Rehabilitation, Career, Coach, Trauma, Grief, etc.)

Experience supporting NIH trainees, biomedical researchers, academic medicine, or research-intensive organizations, particularly while working at NIH (federal or contracted employment).

Familiarity with mentoring relationships, research-team dynamics, career transitions, and the pressures of biomedical research environments.

Experience developing participant resources, tracking aggregate utilization trends, or supporting program evaluation and continuous improvement.

Intermediate experience with AI tools, including their limitations and risks, and how they can be applied to support project management tasks.

About Ripple Effect

About Ripple Effect Ripple Effect is an award-w