Remote-Based Crisis Counselor

Description

IMPORTANT NOTE: At this time, we are only hiring employees from the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Note: This is a fully remote position. We are seeking full-time, 40 hour employees. All shifts are 8.5 hours in length and weekends are required. 

CONTACT Workplace Expectations

As part of their duties and responsibilities, all CONTACT employees are expected to consistently demonstrate the following:

• Deliver high-quality work within established timelines, maintaining focus and accountability whether working independently or with guidance.
• Engage respectfully and professionally with colleagues, supervisors, community partners, and individuals seeking services.
• Contribute meaningfully to team efforts, embracing collaboration as a core element of CONTACT’s mission and daily operations.
• Operate independently when needed, while maintaining strong communication and coordination with other team members to support shared goals and organizational continuity.
• Uphold a high level of integrity, responsibility, and trustworthiness when working remotely, ensuring confidentiality, appropriate use of time, and adherence to CONTACT’s standards in all settings.

Position Summary

CONTACT Care Line is East Tennessee’s first crisis hotline. Our 988 Crisis Program provides text and phone-based support for individuals experiencing emotional distress or suicidal crisis. Crisis Counselors are responsible for assessing suicide risk, offering compassionate support, ensuring timely documentation, and collaborating with visitors to create safety plans. In addition to responding on the front lines, counselors are expected to engage in follow-ups, maintain communication standards, and adhere to all clinical, legal, and operational guidelines.

CONTACT’s team culture values mutual support, professional growth, and a shared mission to make a difference - every single day.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities 

Crisis Intervention and Support

• Respond to 988 chat, text, and telephone interactions in a timely and compassionate manner
• During chat-focused shifts, manage two concurrent chat interactions in alignment with the two-chat policy, while maintaining accuracy, professionalism, and timely responses.
• Assess and mitigate suicide risk using established protocols and safety planning procedures
• Deliver emotional support utilizing active listening and de-escalation skills
• Provide referrals to appropriate community resources as needed
• Follow all clinical and operational protocols across all shifts, including initiating phone contact in the event of disconnection with a high-risk visitor or during imminent risk (IR) situations
• Initiate and conduct follow-up outreach, when necessary, based on visitor needs and clinical services guidelines
• Participate in and complete training for both chat and phone-based services; maintain readiness to support visitors across all assigned mediums

Clinical Documentation and Communication

• Accurately and thoroughly document all visitor interactions in accordance with organizational procedures
• Complete documentation within 8 minutes per interaction, ensuring clinical details are clear, timely, and aligned with documentation standards
• Engage in SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) consultations for escalated visitor cases and mandatory reporting (MR) conversations
• Maintain an active presence in Slack during scheduled shifts, responding within 3 minutes to messages in designated work channels relevant to your role (e.g., shift chat consults, supervisor DMs, huddles from a supervisor or mentor). Social or general update channels do not require immediate response.
• Participate in meetings and supervision sessions on Microsoft Teams and be prepared to join video calls professionally when requested during scheduled shifts or for pre-arranged meetings
• Read and appropriately engage with all communications and updates from leadership, including the updates and paid-staff-topics channels on Slack
• Attend monthly staff meetings and actively participate in team-wide discussions and initiatives Mandatory Reporting and Compliance
• Be knowledgeable of and adhere to all mandatory reporting requirements, policies, and procedures
• Assist in the completion of reports involving suspected child or vulnerable adult abuse
• Keep current with Title VI training and ensure adherence to non-discrimination and equity standards
• Comply fully with all policies and procedures outlined in the Operations Handbook, Clinical Policy Documents, Clinical Operating Procedures, and Lifeline metrics.

Professional Development and Team Collaboration

• Complete all required continuing education, including clinical refreshers, Mind Meld sessions, and other assigned trainings
• Attend regular clinical supervision sessions and implement feedback from supervisors
• Participate in performance reviews, including probationary and ongoing evaluations
• Meet or exceed performance benchmarks for quality, productivity, attendance, and ethical conduct
• Support the onboarding of new team members through mentoring when requested

Requirements

Experience, Skills, Licenses/Certifications:

• Must be 18 years of age or older
• Must not be a current or recent (within the past 3 years) client of any CONTACT Care Line crisis program
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution with a minimum of 120 college credits in Social Work or a related mental health field, or equivalent experience required
• Minimum of 1 year of experience in mental health, crisis intervention, or a related field
• Strong empathic listening and reflective communication skills
• Ability to remain calm and apply logical reasoning in high-stress or high-risk situations
• Skilled in identifying and responding to imminent risk, with appropriate urgency and clinical awareness
• Demonstrated proficiency in using web-based applications, navigating websites, and troubleshooting basic technical issues
• Growth mindset with a willingness to receive and implement feedback promptly
• Commitment to non-judgmental, compassionate support for all visitors, regardless of personal, political, or philosophical differences
• Resourceful, solution-focused mindset with the ability to make independent decisions under pressure
• Commitment to open, timely, and respectful two-way communication
• All clinical staff at CONTACT Care Line are required to complete CONTACT Crisis Counselor Basic Training within the first two weeks of employment

Physical requirements include the ability to remain in a stationary position for prolonged periods and work continuously from a computer with high speed, secure internet.

A hardwired Ethernet connection is required for this position to ensure consistent call and chat quality.