Crisis Phone Counselor

Crisis Phone Counselor (Part Time) San Mateo Suicide Prevention Adult Division Required Shifts

Tuesdays: 10:45am– 6:45pm

Wednesdays: 10:45am –2:45pm

Felton Institute responds to the needs of our community by providing innovative, evidence-informed social services that transform lives. Our organization offers 60+ programs that address mental health, the unhoused, early care and education, those impacted by the justice system, transitional age youth, as well as aging adults. Our programs combine the latest scientific research with cultural sensitivity and a deep commitment to supporting and reflecting the communities we serve.

Felton offers a dynamic, challenging, and supportive work environment where we encourage the use of professional development, that staff can utilize throughout their career.

Founded in 1966, Peninsula Suicide Prevention (PSP) was one of the first crisis centers in California. Sincethen PSP has been dedicated to crisis intervention and suicide prevention for over half a century, offering prevention, intervention, and postvention services to youth and adults of San Mateo County. PSP is also accredited by the American Association of Suicidology and belongs to the Suicide Prevention Lifeline national network of crisis centers.

San Mateo Suicide Prevention (PSP) is the only 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline provider and comprehensive Crisis Center in San Mateo County. This telephone-accessed service is staffed
24-hoursa day;365 daysa year through a combination of paid staff, interns, and volunteers. PSP is both a critical first point of contact for people in need of referrals to social services and a last resort for people on the brink of suicide to reach out for help.

Crisis line staff and volunteers serve over 20.000 contacts annually through their breadth of services.

Provide overnight, weekend and various shifts coverage on allPSP’s 24-hour
988hotline. This position reports to and adheres toagency’spolicies/procedures and programs.

• Respond to callers on 24/7 crisis line offering suicide risk assessments, crisis intervention, crisis de‑escalation, resourcenavigationand emotional support to all callers; some evenings, holidays, and weekendsrequiredwith advanced notice.
• Triage multiple calls at once, as needed.
• Assess forsafety, crisis, and suicidality and dispatch mobile crisis response when appropriate.
• Develop in depth knowledge of San Mateo County cities and community resources, provide referrals and resources to callers.
• Maintain strong communicationon and off shift with shift partners, shift supervisor, and program leadership
• Establish effective recording keeping practices on electronic database; enter all call records according to procedure by the end of assigned shift
• Adhere to mandating reporting policy as outlined by state and local laws.
• Provide training and evaluation to incoming phone counselor trainees.
• Attend regularly scheduled supervision
• Participate in allprogramrelated meetings- monthly teammeeting, bi-annual crisis center training, agency-wide events, as well as continuing education opportunities.
• Maintain knowledge and best practices of crisis intervention- suicide prevention, as well as other related topics (trauma informed practices, cultural response, etc.);
  Complete at least 10 hours of ongoing education each year.
• Additional duties as needed and assigned by Hotline Program Manager

• At least 21 years of age
• Must live within San Mateo County (preferred) or connected counties
• Minimum level of education is an undergraduate degree;maybe substituted for comparable work experience.
• One year of related work experience in mental health, counseling, and/or crisis de‑escalation; one year of crisis line phone counseling experience strongly preferred
• Possess strong interpersonal and rapport building skills and can positively interact with others over the phone and in person.
• Ability to pass crisis center onboarding training
• Ability tomaintainregular assigned schedule
• Ability to use sound and ethical judgment duringhigh stakessituations.
• Have open availability to work…