Crisis Line Counselor-Remote; Texas residents

Brief Description

The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD ("The HARRIS CENTER") is looking for a Crisis Line Counselor to join our team! This is a job where you will gain invaluable skills in the field of mental health and know that every shift you work, you will have made a difference in someone’s life. The Harris Center Crisis Line is dedicated to serving people experiencing a mental health or intellectual/developmental disability crisis in our community 24/7/365.

Crisis Line Counselors provide immediate intervention and de‑scalation to help prevent harm to self or others, work collaboratively with the person in need to create coping and safety strategies, and connect to appropriate levels of care when necessary. Crisis Line Counselors do this work by creating a safe and nonjudgmental space for people in crisis to tell their story, help break down problems into smaller, more manageable components, and offer hope.

The Harris Center Crisis Line answers not only the Harris Center Crisis Line, but also serves as the Crisis Line for several other Local Mental Health Authority’s in the state of Texas and is the regional hub for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

• Be ready and available to take calls during an assigned shift.
• Provide good contact to the caller by building connection, rapport, and being empathetic.
• Utilizes active listening skills and the crisis intervention model.
• Accurately and thoroughly assesses appropriate calls using the Crisis Line Comprehensive Framework tool.
• Works collaboratively with the caller on their problem and providing an opportunity for the caller to explore and brainstorm options.
• Offers thorough and appropriate use and explanation of resources and referrals based on the call type and framework.
• Handling calls and follow‑up calls throughout the shift.
• Completing thorough documentations while on calls and briefly after calls.
• Making timely referrals as needed.

• Bachelor’s degree required.

• Customer service experience, preferably phone related preferred.
• Be able to attend and successfully complete 200 plus hours of training. Training covers telephonic customer service, Crisis Intervention Theory, Listening Skills, Call Management skills, Mental Health Issues, Intellectual Developmental Disability Issues, Suicide and Homicide Risk Assessments, The Harris Center Services and Programs, Community Resources, and Partnership information.

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills.
• Typing at minimum of 40 wpm.
• Ability to navigate several computer systems simultaneously.

• Must have reliable, high‑speed internet that can be directly connected to via ethernet cable.
• Must have a private, quiet space that recreates an office environment free from distractions and members of the household.
• Can not provide family or childcare during work hours.

The Harris Center is the state-designated Local Mental Health Authority and Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability (IDD) Authority serving Harris County, Texas. As the largest behavioral and developmental disability care center in Texas, The Harris Center provides care to over 90,000 people and has an annual budget of over $300 million.

As part of its mission to transform the lives of people with behavioral health and IDD needs in the third largest county in the United States, The Harris Center provides a full continuum of services at 80 different sites across Harris County. In addition, services are provided in more than 40 different languages as well as sign language in order to better serve what is one of the largest communities in the nation.

By utilizing the unique expertise of its more than 2,500 employees, The Harris Center is committed to meeting the behavioral health and IDD needs of Harris County residents and giving them hope to live to their fullest potential.

• This posting is associated with position #s 7824, 7690, 760113, 70081, 7691 & 70077
• Shifts:
  
  evening and late evening shifts that include weekends.

The Harris Center not only offers a competitive salary but also a suite of excellent benefits…