Bilingual Family Advocate

Overview

Do you have lived experience supporting a loved one with a mental health condition and want to use your journey to help other families? The Family Education and Resource Center (FERC) is seeking compassionate, organized, and family-centered individuals who believe that no family should navigate mental health challenges alone. As a Family Advocate, you will provide education, emotional support, resource navigation, and advocacy to caregivers throughout Alameda County while helping families build hope, resilience, and connections to community resources.

• Competitive salary – no college degree required and open to unlicensed professionals
• Eligible for first pay increase after successful completion of 3‑month introductory period
• Bilingual Pay Differential for fluency in an Alameda County threshold language
• 100% paid medical and dental coverage for the employee
• Generous time off benefits: 14 paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Years
• Vacation leave 2 weeks per year, increases to 4 weeks by year four of employment
• Reimbursement for work travel
• Paid volunteer time‑off
• Tuition reimbursement
• On the job training
• Opportunities to attend local and state‑wide workshops and conferences
• Paid training to become a Certified Peer Support Specialist
• Family to Family facilitator training through NAMI CA
• Wellness Recovery Action Plan facilitator training
• Mental Health First Aid instructor training
• …and more!

The Bilingual Family Advocate provides peer‑based support, education, advocacy, and resource navigation to family caregivers of loved ones living with mental health conditions or serious mental illness. The Advocate conducts intakes and assessments, develops support and safety plans, facilitates support groups and educational activities, maintains timely documentation, and collaborates with community partners and internal staff to connect families with services and resources that promote wellness, recovery, and family empowerment.

• Provide individualized support, advocacy, and guidance to family caregivers navigating behavioral health, educational, and community support systems
• Assist clients in identifying needs, developing goals, and accessing appropriate services and resources within Alameda County and surrounding communities
• Conduct client engagement and support through in‑person meetings, phone communication, virtual platforms, community visits, and outreach activities
• Deliver information, education, emotional support, encouragement, and referrals to promote self‑advocacy and informed decision‑making
• Collaborate with behavioral health providers, schools, social service agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders to coordinate care and improve outcomes for clients and families
• Facilitate support groups, workshops, educational presentations, and community discussions focused on mental health awareness, family support, and resource navigation
• Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential client records, service documentation, and program data in accordance with agency and funding requirements

• Direct lived experience as a family caregiver of a loved one who has a mental health challenge or serious mental illness; professional experience and/or education does NOT replace the personal lived experience that is required
• High school diploma or GED required
• Must successfully pass a fingerprint background check by CADOJ and FBI
• Must have proficiency in Microsoft Office – Outlook (email) and Word (documents)
• Some positions require a valid CA Driver’s License, daily access to a working motor vehicle, and maintenance of legally required car insurance
• Bilingual in one of Alameda County’s threshold languages:
  Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, or Vietnamese

• Associates or Bachelor's degree
• Experience navigating behavioral health, educational, healthcare, or social service systems
• Certification as a Family Partner, Peer Support Specialist, or related credential
• Experience facilitating support groups, psycho educational workshops, or community presentations
• Experience using video‑based platforms such as…