Family Advocate

Do you have lived experience supporting a loved one with a mental health condition and want to use your journey to help other families? The Family Education and Resource Center (FERC) is seeking compassionate, organized, and family-centered individuals who believe that no family should navigate mental health challenges alone. As a Family Advocate, you will provide education, emotional support, resource navigation, and advocacy to caregivers throughout Alameda County while helping families build hope, resilience, and connections to community resources.

We offer:

• Competitive salary - no college degree required and open to unlicensed professionals
• Eligible for first pay increase after successful completion of 3-month introductory period
• Some positions offer Bilingual Pay Differential for fluency in an Alameda County threshold language
• 100% paid medical and dental coverage for the employee
• Generous time off benefits: 14 paid Holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Years
• Vacation leave 2 weeks per year, increases to 4 weeks by year four of employment
• Reimbursement for work travel
• Paid volunteer time-off
• Tuition reimbursement
• On the job training
• Opportunities to attend local and state-wide workshops and conferences
• Paid training to become a Certified Peer Support Specialist
• Family to Family facilitator training through NAMI CA
• Wellness Recovery Action Plan facilitator training
• Mental Health First Aid instructor training
• ....and more!

The Mental Health Association of Alameda County (MHAAC) is a well-established non-profit organization with long term staff that assists and advocates for people with mental illness and their family members through programs including the Family Education and Resource Center, the Family Partnership Program, the African American Family Outreach Project, and Patients' Rights Advocacy. Together, these programs assist thousands of people with serious mental illness and their family members every year. We envision a world without stigma where people with mental health challenges and their family members are free to live their best lives. MHAAC's current budget is around $5 million.

FERC is a program of the Mental Health Association of Alameda County funded through Behavioral Health Services Act and operated under contract with Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services

WE are:

The Family Education and Resource Center (FERC) is a family-centered program that provides free education, advocacy, and support to family caregivers of a loved one living with mental health conditions and resides in all regions of Alameda County.

What makes FERC unique is that all of our staff have family or loved ones with mental health issues.

FERC's programmatic components include: a warm-line; education, training and support for family/caregivers; a resource center; assistance with AB1424 Historical Information Forms; support for the development of family leadership; and collaboration with other MHSA funded programs.

"We've been there, and we can help."

YOU are:

• A compassionate family member of a loved one who has a mental health challenge
• Experienced in navigating the behavioral health system for your loved one to access and receive services
• Empathetic; you can understand the challenges other families are going through trying to advocate for their family member(s)
• You've always told by your friends that, "You're such a good listener."
• Ready to learn about family advocacy and what it takes to represent the voices of family caregivers in Alameda County

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES:

The Family Advocate provides peer-based support, education, advocacy, and resource navigation to family caregivers of loved ones living with mental health conditions or serious mental illness. The Advocate conducts intakes and assessments, develops support and safety plans, facilitates support groups and educational activities, maintains timely documentation, and collaborates with community partners and internal staff to connect families with services and resources that promote wellness, recovery, and family empowerment.

Under the supervision and guidance of the Program Supervisor, the Family Advocate's duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Provide individualized support, advocacy, and guidance to family caregivers navigating behavioral health, educational, and community support systems
• Assist clients in identifying needs, developing goals, and accessing appropriate services and resources within Alameda County and surrounding communities
• Conduct client engagement and support through in-person meetings, phone communication, virtual platforms, community visits, and outreach activities
• Deliver information, education, emotional support, encouragement, and referrals to promote self-advocacy and informed decision-making
• Collaborate with behavioral health providers, schools, social service agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders to coordinate care and improve outcomes for clients and families
• Facilitate support groups, workshops, educational presentations, and community discussions focused on mental health awareness, family support, and resource navigation
• Maintain accurate, timely, and confidential client records, service documentation, and program data in accordance with agency and funding requirements

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Direct lived experience as a family caregiver of a loved one who has a mental health challenge or serious mental illness NOTE professional experience and/or education does NOT replace the personal lived experience that is required
• High school diploma or GED required
• Must successfully pass a fingerprint background check by CADOJ and FBI
• Must have proficiency in Microsoft Office - Outlook (email) and Word (documents)
• Some positions require a valid CA Drivers License, daily access to a working motor vehicle. Must maintain legally required car insurance

ADDITIONAL DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Associates or Bachelor's degree
• Experience navigating behavioral health, educational, healthcare, or social service systems
• Certification as a Family Partner, Peer Support Specialist, or related credential
• Experience facilitating support groups, psychoeducational workshops, or community presentations
• Experience using video-based platforms such as Teams and/or Zoom
• Experience working with diverse populations in underserved communities
• Knowledge of Alameda County behavioral health systems and community resources
• Bilingual in one of Alameda County's threshold languages: Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin), Farsi, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, or Vietnamese

HOURS OF WORK: Mon - Fri: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM. May require some evening and weekend work on occasion.

WORK LOCATION: 7677 Oakport Street, Oakland, CA 94621.

SALARY: $27.51 per hour. (Approximately $51,500 annually) Eligible for first pay increase after successful completion of 3-month introductory period

The Mental Health Association of Alameda County is an equal opportunity employer to all, regardless of age, ancestry, color, (mental and physical), exercising the right to family care and medical leave, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religious creed, sex (includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions), and sexual orientation.

We are also committed to offering an inclusive and accessible experience for all job seekers, including individuals with disabilities. Our goal is to foster an inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone has the opportunity to be successful. If you need a reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening, apply for a position, or participate in the interview process, connect with us and describe the specific accommodation requested for a disability-related limitation.