Crisis Support Specialist, Living Room - Part Time

Thresholds • Chicago, IL

5d • Onsite

About The Position

When people experience a mental health crisis on the South Side of Chicago, they are faced with the decision to go to the emergency department or to try to manage the crisis themselves. The Living Room McHenry offers an alternative: a community crisis center—a welcoming, accepting, and calm environment where Crisis Support Specialists provide advocacy, information, and peer support. As a Crisis Support Specialist, you will use your personal experience with mental health recovery to support and educate Living Room guests on managing crisis. You will engage guests in conversation to hear their stories, learn about their interests and strengths, and respectfully encourage them to take steps in their recovery process. Over the course of the day, you may model coping strategies, help guests develop their own crisis recovery plans, and/or link guests with supportive services for after their crisis. A welcoming environment is key to the success of the Living Room, so you will greet guests and learn their names as part of inviting them to take the lead in determining their recovery path. Crisis Support Specialists will also prepare food for guests and ensure that the space is neat and tidy. Keep up to date on current trends in the mental health field and deepen your knowledge of evidence-based practices through ample training opportunities to enhance Living Room services. You can also gain supervision for CRSS certification and reimbursement for testing and application fees.

Requirements

• Effective communication and relationship-building skills.
• Good writing skills.
• Strong time management and organization skills.
• Must be at least 21 years old.
• High school diploma or GED certificate required.

Nice To Haves

• Lived experience of mental health recovery.
• Higher education in Psychology, Social Work, Counseling or related field.
• Certified Recovery Support Specialist (CRSS).

Responsibilities

• Support and educate Living Room guests on managing crisis using personal experience with mental health recovery.
• Engage guests in conversation to hear their stories, learn about their interests and strengths, and encourage them 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 to create a welcoming environment.
• Prepare food for guests.
• Ensure the space is neat and tidy.
• Keep up to date on current trends in the mental health field.
• Deepen knowledge of evidence-based practices through training opportunities.
• Gain supervision for CRSS certification.
• Seek reimbursement for CRSS testing and application fees.

Benefits

• Competitive pay - Base Rate: $25.50- $29.13 per hour (Based on education, experience, and licensure)
• Generous PTO
• 403(b) retirement plan with 3% employer match
• Robust employee assistance program (EAP)
• Public service loan forgiveness

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED