Crisis Advocate

Summary

The Crisis Advocate I is responsible for providing and coordinating crisis intervention services during office hours and after hours. Position provides hospital advocacy, crisis intervention, and follow up services, information and referrals for anyone seeking sexual assault/abuse support through The Center’s crisis intervention programs: Sexual Assault Resource Service (SARS), 24 hour/7 day bilingual Crisis Line, Accessing Safety (TTY/TTD/Text) Line and Walk-In Services, as applicable.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Provides direct crisis intervention and advocacy to survivors of sexual violence (phone and/or face-to-face):

• Coordinates SARS calls and responds to offsite locations to provide advocacy, crisis intervention, information, and referral services to recent sexual assault/abuse survivors.
• Coordinate services as needed with other members of the crisis services program to ensure continuity of care.
• Provides the following services via the crisis line: crisis intervention, information, referrals, and complete mental health referrals for clients wanting therapy.
• Provides face-to-face crisis intervention.
• Assists with follow-up support services via telephone and in-office to crisis clients requesting a follow-up call, as needed.

Provides ongoing, complex personal advocacy services to ongoing clients via telephone or in person.

Creates plan of action with clients including coordination with and referrals to community resources.

Advocates for clients and accompanies clients to appointments, as needed.

Provides assistance with Victim’s Compensation, orders of protection, and injunctions against harassment, as needed.

Maintains hospital inventory.

Maintains stocks of clothing, personal hygiene products, emergency 911 phones, paperwork, materials and other advocacy items for exam sites.

Coordinates and manages crisis services inventory as needed which includes collaborators, regulatory agencies and/or stakeholders.

Prepares and provides reports as needed to collaborators, regulatory agencies and/or stakeholders.

Provides staff back-up services on a rotating basis, after-hours in support of the On-Call/Relief SARS Crisis Advocates, Supervisors, and English/Spanish/TTY Crisis hotline staff and volunteers.

Assists in the development of materials for survivors and resource manuals for team members.

Must be able to safely and effectively monitor consumer activities, with or without a reasonable accommodation.

Performs integrated health care assessments during intake.

Represent agency at community events while engaging with community members and agency partners.

Performs other related duties in accordance with agency growth and changes

Applicable to Day Office Hours

Coordinates mental health referrals for primary and secondary survivors in conjunction with the Crisis Services Director.

• Oversees the database of clients who have received a pre-screen and who are waiting for mental health services.
• Assigns new mental health services clients to clinicians.
• Coordinates transfer of Referral for Mental Health Services paperwork between Crisis Services staff and Mental Health Services staff.
• Maintains updated referral lists for clients with private insurance.

Applicable to After- Hours

Ensures that Crisis Services department equipment is in working order for day-time coverage.

Skills & Requirements

Education:

• Masters or Bachelor’s degree in a healthcare field and no related experience OR;
• Masters or Bachelor’s degree in a non-healthcare related field and 3 months relevant related experience OR;
• Associates’ degree in a healthcare field and 6 months related experience OR;
• Associate’s degree in a non-healthcare field and 1-year related experience OR;
• Certified Medical Assistant and 1-year related experience OR;
• Certified Peer Support Specialist and 1-year years related experience OR;
• High School diploma or General Education Equivalent (GED and 2 years related experience

Certifications:

• CPR
• First Aid
• Arizona Department of Public Safety Fingerprint Clearance

Additional Requirements:

• Valid Arizona Driver's license, proof of current insurance and willingness to use personal vehicle. Drivers license is an essential requirement for performing duties for this position.
• Clean Motor Vehicle Record - no more than 2 moving violations or a license suspension in past 3 years.

Skills:

• Bilingual a plus.
• Extensive knowledge of community resources.
• Extensive knowledge of behavioral health challenges which include knowledge of the impacts of mental illness, domestic violence, and the dynamics of addictive behavior.
• Familiarity with various ethnic and cultural groups.
• Intermediate to advanced computer skills using MS Office products, Word, Excel, Access, etc., importing/exporting data to/from applications.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing