About the position

The Crisis Hotline Professional works directly under the supervision of the Manager–Crisis Hotline and Front Desk. The Resource and Crisis Hotline Professional provides immediate, compassionate support to individuals experiencing emotional distress, mental health crises, or seeking behavioral health resources. This role involves responding to calls, texts, and chats with professionalism and empathy, conducting risk assessments, and coordinating appropriate interventions. The professional ensures accurate documentation, follows agency protocols, and collaborates with team members to deliver trauma‑informed, person‑centered care. This position plays a vital role in promoting safety, stability, and access to services for individuals in need.

Responsibilities

• Respond to crisis calls, texts, and chats with empathy, professionalism, and urgency.
• Conduct suicide and safety risk assessments using approved tools and protocols.
• Provide immediate emotional support, crisis de-escalation, and short-term counseling.
• Offer referrals to local mental health, substance use, and social service resources.
• Develop and implement crisis-related safety plans in collaboration with the individual.
• Engage emergency services (e.g., 911, mobile crisis teams) when necessary for safety.
• Document all interactions accurately in the electronic health record (EHR) or call system.
• Maintain caller confidentiality and adhere to HIPAA and agency privacy policies.
• Participate in regular supervision, team meetings, and ongoing training.
• Monitor for high-risk situations such as suicidal ideation, abuse, or frequent callers.
• Provide follow-up support and ensure warm hand-offs to appropriate services.
• Support and mentor volunteers or new staff as needed.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of crisis intervention techniques and community resources.
• Communicate effectively with team members to ensure continuity of care.
• Uphold ethical standards and demonstrate cultural sensitivity in all interactions.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support crisis response operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a human service-related field (social work, psychology, counseling, family services, sociology, criminal justice).
• BLS
• Recipient Right’s
• Clinical License
• Minimum two years of experience working in a human or medical service environment (school, hospital, crisis center, call center, community mental health agency).
• Interpersonal Skills
• Strong Organizational Skills
• Strong time management
• Strong written and oral communication
• De-escalation and conflict resolution
• Experience in working with electronic health records
• Experience in customer service
• Experience with data entry
• Experience in crisis de-escalation
• Clinical knowledge of mental health and suicide prevention
• Experience working with adults with severe mental illness, substance use disorder or intellectual/developmental disabilities
• Experience working with children with serious emotional disturbance
• HIPPA
• Microsoft 365
• Recipient Right’s
• Mental Health Code
• Medicaid Manual
• Must reside in Southeast Michigan and be within driving distance to Troy, MI.
• Must be available for meetings and events which may occur outside of standard office hours.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience in working with electronic health records
• Experience in customer service
• Experience with data entry
• Experience in crisis de-escalation
• Experience working with adults with severe mental illness, substance use disorder or intellectual/developmental disabilities
• Experience working with children with serious emotional disturbance