[Hiring] Crisis Intervention Specialist @Lines for Life

Role Description

Remote Crisis Intervention Specialists answer incoming crisis contacts to all Lines for Life crisis and referral helplines with care and compassion, and within the scope of each helpline program. They receive extensive clinical skills training in alignment with current best practices in suicide prevention and intervention.

• Demonstrate the culture of Lines for Life by modeling behavior that supports the organization’s goals and philosophies.
• Answer crisis helplines with compassion in accordance with the organization’s training expectations and scope.
• Receive crisis contacts on over 30 different crisis lines including but not limited to:
  • The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
  • Veterans and military crisis lines
  • YouthLine
  • Senior Loneliness Line
  • An alcohol and drug helpline
  • Hospital mental health crisis lines
  • Behavioral health scheduling calls
  • County mental health crisis lines
• Document crisis contacts in an accurate and timely manner with relevant clinical information in an electronic health record system.
• Place follow-up calls to crisis contacts as scheduled by the shift supervisor.
• Assist with placing rescue calls as needed when other crisis lines staff or volunteers are on acute crisis contacts requiring emergency assistance.
• Triage crisis contacts and collaborate with coworkers to manage crisis contact flow and ensure that the lines remain available for contacts in escalated crisis.
• Complete mandatory trainings and workshops to continue learning the latest policies and protocols and stay up to date on crisis intervention tools & techniques.
• Communicate with peers and supervisors via phone and/or chat effectively.
• Perform other duties, such as administrative and organizational tasks as needed.

Qualifications

• Able to meet Qualified Mental Health Associate requirements ( link )
• Crisis intervention knowledge
• Strong empathy, communication, teamwork and interpersonal skills
• Able to handle high levels of stress
• Proficient in web-based computer environment and multi-line phone system
• Understanding of and ability to apply mental health assessment, treatment and service terminology
• Able to implement skill development strategies and to identify, implement and coordinate the services and supports identified in Individual Service and Support Plan (ISSP)
• Able to independently triage crisis contacts so that lines remain available for crisis contacts in escalated crisis
• Strong attendance & punctuality - able to consistently show up on time, work the full scheduled shifts, and provide at least 2 weeks' notice for time off requests or as soon as possible in the event of an emergency

Requirements

• Graduate degree in psychology; social work; or a behavioral science field OR CADC/Bachelor’s degree in psychology; social work; or a behavioral science field AND relevant crisis intervention experience
• Veterans preferred
• ASIST certification
• CADC certification strongly preferred
• Experience in a call center environment

Training

Lines for Life requires extensive Crisis Lines Onboarding training, which can be completed remotely. New hires must attend 5 weeks of paid crisis lines onboarding training. The next training begins January 11th 2027 and consists of 3 weeks between 8:30am - 5:00pm Pacific Time, Monday through Friday, plus 2 weeks of additional precepting training. The schedule for precepting can vary as we are a 24/7, 365 day a year operation, so flexibility in your availability is needed to complete the precepting portion of the training.

Training requires participation, full engagement without distractions, and being on camera over Zoom. Equipment is provided. The provided PC is Windows based. You must have private high speed internet and a confidential place to take crisis contacts to meet security and technical requirements.

Interview

Interviews are conducted via Zoom with a Lines for Life supervisor and HR team members and are recorded so that members of the Hiring Committee who are unable to attend the live interview are able to watch the recording and give feedback afterwards.

Location

Lines for Life is seeking to hire Remote Crisis Intervention Specialists throughout the 50 United States. We currently cannot support outer territories. There is also an option to work directly in our Portland office.

Work Schedule

Our crisis lines are operated 24/7. This position requires working some holidays and working weekends. All full time employees are required to work at least 1 weekend shift per week. We are currently hiring for these shifts which are all in Pacific time.

• Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday 7:30pm - 6:00am Pacific time (40 hours) 10 hr shifts
• Thursday - Monday 9:30pm - 6:00am Pacific time (40 hours) 8 hr shifts
• Thursday - Monday 4:30pm - 1:00am Pacific time (40 hours) 8 hr shifts
• Friday - Tuesday 10:30am - 7:00pm Pacific time (40 hours) 8 hr shifts
• Thursday - Monday 10:30am - 7:00pm Pacific time (40 hours) 8 hr shifts

Physical Requirements

Work is primarily conducted in a home office environment and requires the ability to sit or stand and work on a computer for long periods of time. This position requires high energy, patience and controlling one’s emotions, as well as the ability to think analytically.

Remote Work

Daily tasks require a stable and consistent internet speed of 10 Mbps for both Upload and Download speeds, as well as Jitter below 20. Packet Loss should be 0%. You may test if your network requirements are met by doing a speed test here .

Private high-speed internet is required for a HIPAA compliant workspace. Telecommuting requires passing a clinical and technical evaluation, having a HIPAA compliant workspace at home, and meeting technology requirements.

Quality Assurance

All crisis contacts are recorded – inbound and outbound. We review them regularly to ensure safety and quality assurance and for training and supervisory purposes. This means that you will have crisis contacts randomly picked for review and you will receive clinical feedback on how you are doing. This happens every few weeks and is one way that we ensure professional growth of our team.

Compensation Package

The starting wage for the Remote Crisis Intervention Specialist position is $25.00/hr. for individuals with graduate degrees in a related field and $23.00/hr. for individuals with bachelor's degrees. Employees who live and work from the state of Oregon are eligible for a 2% differential over their base rate of pay for hours worked in Oregon. There is a $2/hr. overnight shift differential when working between the hours of 10 pm – 5 am Pacific Time and time and a half holiday pay when required to work holidays.

• Great benefits package valued at over $14,750 per year
• $11,400 in premium coverage for employee health, vision and dental coverage
• Full coverage of short and long-term disability and life insurance premiums
• A matching 401K plan equivalent to 3% of the annual salary during the first 2 years of employment after passing the match eligibility date
• Flexible spending plan
• Employee assistance program
• Free Fitbit

If you need reasonable accommodations to participate in the application process or interview, including any pre-employment testing, please inform us by contacting [email protected] .

This job description is not meant to be an all-inclusive list of duties and responsibilities but constitutes a general definition of the position's scope and function in the company.

EEO: Lines for Life strives to create a diverse, inclusive environment to better represent the communities that we serve. We are an equal opportunity employer. Lines for Life shall not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.

All Lines for Life employees must be approved to work by the Oregon Department of Human Services’ Background Check Unit. Background checks are completed after a conditional offer of employment has been extended.