Crisis Support Specialist

Thresholds•Chicago, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Living Room offers a community crisis center that serves as an alternative to emergency departments for individuals experiencing a mental health crisis. As a Crisis Support Specialist, you will leverage your personal experience with mental health recovery to provide advocacy, information, and peer support to guests. Your role involves engaging guests in conversation to understand their stories, interests, and strengths, and respectfully encouraging them in their recovery journey. You will model coping strategies, assist guests in developing their own crisis recovery plans, and connect them with supportive services for post-crisis care. A key aspect of the role is fostering a welcoming environment by greeting guests and learning their names, empowering them to lead their recovery path. Additionally, you will be responsible for preparing food for guests and maintaining a neat and tidy space. The position requires staying current with mental health trends and deepening knowledge of evidence-based practices through training opportunities. You can also receive supervision for Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) certification, with reimbursement for testing and application fees.

Requirements

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: Sunday - Monday 7am-3:30pm, Tuesday - Thursday 3pm-11:30pm.
High school diploma or GED certificate required.

Nice To Haves

Higher education in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling or related field preferred.
Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS) preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide advocacy, information, and peer support to Living Room guests.
Use personal experience with mental health recovery to support and educate Living Room guests on managing crisis.
Engage guests in conversation to hear their stories, learn about their interests and strengths.
Respectfully encourage guests to take steps in their recovery process.
Model coping strategies.
Help guests develop their own crisis recovery plans.
Link guests with supportive services for after their crisis.
Greet guests and learn their names as part of inviting them to take the lead in determining their recovery path.
Prepare food for guests.
Ensure that the space is neat and tidy.
Keep up to date on current trends in the mental health field.
Deepen your knowledge of evidence-based practices through ample training opportunities to enhance Living Room services.