Crisis Line Counselor

If you are mission-driven and want to help the lives of people in your community, we have a place for you on our Team!  

The Crisis Line Counselor serves as the initial contact for the community and clients in the New Vista healthcare system. This position is responsible for screening incoming calls, chats, and texts for risk, notifying appropriate staff in the event of an emergency, and arranging appointments between clients and staff when indicated.  The Crisis Line Counselor acts as a liaison between clients and local/state law enforcement and hospitals in emergency situations.  They will also act as a liaison between New Vista staff and other agencies as determined by various agency contracts and agreements. The Crisis Line Counselor responds to calls, chats, and texts from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Crisis Line, and all services are provided 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. A positive team player, the Crisis Line Counselor thinks outside the box and finds a way to connect clients to the right care, promoting a culture of inclusion and participation. The Crisis Line Counselor ensures a critical “no wrong door” approach—that any client is provided a universal gateway to enter any New Vista service.

Required Education and Experience

• High School graduate or equivalent
• Ability to work a flexible schedule
• Valid driver’s license, reliable operating transportation, and proof of current auto insurance

Preferred Education and Experience

• Experience/education related to mental health, suicide, and/or substance use
• Bachelor’s degree in a behavioral health field (psychology, social work, counseling, etc.) or in a customer-service-related field (communications, marketing, customer service management, public/customer relations, etc.)
• Experience with customer service, particularly interactions with customers by phone

Essential Functions

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Function as the initial point-of-contact for the agency’s customers, including scheduling and/or connecting customers to services, providing resources, risk assessment, and/or community linkages
• Triage all contacts, connecting them to appropriate on-call staff or emergency services and completing documentation
• As indicated by various contracts and/or agreements held by New Vista, the Crisis Line Counselor will serve as an after-hours contact, taking action steps as defined, which could include contact with service providers from other agencies, providing information/forms as applicable, and notating documentation appropriately

• Maintain on-call schedules for various New Vista programs and outside agencies as obligated to assist clients, community, and staff in after-hours issues
• Maintain familiarity with New Vista programs and community resources to provide the best possible service to contacts and clients
• Provide crisis counseling as the need requires, practicing the least invasive intervention strategy as set forth in the agency's Imminent Risk Policy
• Initiate Active Rescue when circumstances have been determined to require emergency intervention.
• Will answer all 988/Lifeline calls, texts, and chat and Helpline crisis calls.  Crisis call counselors will provide follow-up response as requested/needed -  This includes, but is not limited to:
  • Connecting to the appropriate level of care based on risk
  • Provide safety planning for callers as needed
  • Provide follow-up calls per policy and procedures

While we welcome all to apply, there are some position-specific background stipulations that must be met to comply with various regulatory and contractual requirements.

New Vista prohibits discrimination and harassment against any applicant, employee, or contractor based on sex, race, color, age, national or ethnic origin, religion, physical disability, mental disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, citizenship, pregnancy or maternity, protected veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state or local law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, working conditions, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, wage and salary administration, employee benefits, and training. It is also the company’s policy to prohibit all forms of retaliation against any individual who has complained of harassing or discriminatory conduct, encouraged another to complain, participated in an investigation into such complaints, or opposed unlawful discrimination.