Mental Health Lead

Position: Mental Health Lead

Report to: Advocacy Director

Hours: 40

Schedule: Monday through Thursday (8:00am-5:00pm) and Friday (8:00am-2:30pm)

FSLA Status: Hourly, Non-Exempt

Location: Onsite 4 ½ days per week; offsite ½ day per week (after 90 days)

Join a small and social justice-oriented team environment! Rose Haven has provided over 25 years of compassionate service as the only day shelter for women, children and gender expansive people. We are a femme-centered, gender-specific community that serves those most impacted by gender oppression. Our holistic approach includes meeting essential needs such as food, clothing, showers, laundry, and safety while bolstering long term empowerment through emotional support, wellness activities, and connection to resources and community. We offer low-barrier services in a trauma-informed space to guests who trust us and value their relationships with our community of staff, interns and volunteers.

The Mental Health Lead plays a vital role at Rose Haven, responsible for coordinating and delivering accessible mental health triage, including crisis intervention, de-escalation, safety planning, and connection to longer-term mental healthcare resources for guests. Rose Haven is already a trusted resource center for our guests, and the Mental Health team aims to remove barriers faced by guests when accessing care offsite and help bridge gaps to existing systems of mental health care.

Primary Responsibilities:

Program Coordination

• Supervision of staff Mental Health Advocates
• Coordinate daily mental health services and decision-making
• Lead the Mental Health team in coordinating services for guests including scheduling, data reporting, relationship-building, and resource connection
• Work collaboratively with Advocacy Lead to coordinate support between Advocacy and Mental Health teams
• Respond to inquiries about Rose Haven mental health services
• Serve as Field/Task Instructor for social work interns
• Coordinate staff and intern training in collaboration with the Advocacy Director
• Seek ongoing knowledge of local resources, trauma-informed care, and serving people with barriers related to housing, employment, physical/mental health, domestic violence/sexual assault, legal services, disabilities, LGBTQIA+, substance use, etc.

Mental Health Triage

Crisis Stabilization

• Provide onsite crisis intervention and stabilization for adults experiencing mental health and/or substance use crises
• Utilize verbal de-escalation skills to resolve heightened emotional situations or triage as needed
• Conduct mental health risk assessments related to PTSD, suicidal ideation, interpersonal/sexual trauma, substance use/self-medication, dissociation, etc. 
• Develop person-centered stabilization/safety plans
• Provide short-term emotional support as follow-up to stabilization/safety planning with the goal of establishing continuity of care with emergency services and/or long-term providers.
• Maintain accurate daily documentation of guest interactions

Navigation of Care

• Facilitate connection to resources (identify goals and barriers to care; secure or navigate insurance; refer to longer-term community mental health/substance treatment providers)
• Build and maintain positive relationships with community resources and providers to facilitate appropriate referral services
• Consult with staff team and community providers regarding guest mental health and substance use/recovery issues (with necessary releases)

Collective Care

Community Cultivation

• Plan monthly community celebrations with Mental Health team that promote positive mental health through relationship-building and shared joy
• Collaborate with Mental Health team to develop rotating weekly and/or support group offerings that encourage the development of healthy coping skills (i.e. yoga, meditation, sensory-friendly space, etc)
• Coordinate and/or facilitate occasional training for staff and volunteers related to mental health, substance use, de-escalation, trauma informed care, etc.
• Cultivate a regular personal practice of self-care that strengthens the team’s ability to show up for the Rose Haven Community

Other:

• Set and hold professional boundaries and agency policies compassionately
• Participate in staff meetings and trainings
• Support organizational special events, including guest events during service hours, approximately 3 evening events for supporters, and annual fundraiser on Mother’s Day
• Other duties as assigned

Required Qualifications:  

• 2 years experience working with direct service including crisis intervention and emotional support for adults with mental health and/or substance use issues
• Experience and training in psychotherapy
• Experience supervising a team of staff and/or volunteers.
• Knowledge of mental health and related resources to serve women, children and marginalized genders, including but not limited to: substance abuse, domestic violence/sexual assault, disabilities, LGBTQIA+, etc.
• Ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously
• Crisis intervention skills, including non-violent crisis intervention or de-escalation skills/ experience
• Support of the mission, values, principles and community agreements of Rose Haven
• Demonstration of cultural humility toward diversity of human experience including race, religion, ethnicity, mental and physical abilities, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, education and cultural heritage
• Strong interpersonal and decision-making skills
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a team-based environment
• Attention to detail and accuracy related to documentation, reporting, and record keeping
• Initiative, dependability, flexibility and strong organizational skills
• Effective communication skills
• Functional knowledge of Microsoft Office and Google Workspace

Preferred Skills: 

• Experience coordinating or guiding the work of others
• Bilingual (American Sign Language, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese language skills are particularly valued)
• Ability to lift 20+ pounds, stand, walk, sit and bend, occasionally for a few hours at a time
• Lived experience related to mental health, substance use, housing insecurity, and/or being part of a marginalized community

Work Space Accessibility:

Rose Haven operates services on the main floor. Entrances vary from 0-3 stairs, with one staircase between the main floor and basement (where guest supplies are stored). Noise level in the building often fluctuates with direct service delivery. Lifting of 0-20 pounds and moving supplies or furniture may occasionally be requested. Parking pass provided.