Respite Worker - Per Diem

Overview

The CRC is a peer staffed and trauma-informed alternative to psychiatric hospitalization. We offer guests short-term respite care and peer support in a friendly and home-like environment. The CRC offers individuals experiencing mental health or emotional crisis a short-term residential alternative while supporting them in continuing their established daily activities within a COVID compliant environment. 

Participants, referred to as guests, receive recovery-oriented services 24-hours a day, including peer support, self-advocacy, education, coping skills development, and self-help training. Located close to Union Square, the CRC supports guests to manage their crisis in a supportive and nurturing environment while retaining their individuality and freedom. Peers are integral in supporting people during a personal crisis, helping individuals learn how to view crises differently and how to use wellness tools to help decrease the intensity of or prevent future crises. 

A primary role of Respite Workers is to create a respite from extreme emotional distress through the promotion of a non-judgmental, supportive, friendly, and engaging environment. Designed to promote self-determination and hope, peer-delivered services and supports include peer support, wellness education and skill-building opportunities, identification and engagement in community-based resources including health care services.

Core Principles

The job responsibilities of all staff extend to understanding and incorporating certain principles into their work and into their relationships with program participants.  These principles are:

• Program participants’ right to self-determination
• Respectful communication
• Services that support recovery and healing consistent with and nurturing each participant’s cultural background, experience, identity, and values
• Clear professional boundaries to support the limits and possibilities of services

Essential Job Functions

• Develops a partnership with guests experiencing crisis utilizing trauma-informed, recovery-oriented, intentional peer support. 
• Promotes the provision of a safe, comfortable, secure, and trusting environment where guests are listened to and respected by staff.
• Practices the Need Adapted Treatment Model (NATM) and Intentional Peer Support (IPS) after completing training provided as part of the Parachute NYC grant.
• Draws on knowledge and skills acquired from personal experience with the mental health system with a focus on guest's personal recovery process.
• Creates a sense of community through the mutual sharing of lived experiences and offering encouragement and support to participate in daily activities within the CRC and community.
• Assists with the pre-registration process for both individuals referred from NA-MCT (Need Adapted Mobile Crisis Team) and those who self-refer (respite-only guests). 
• Assists with intake and registration of new guests, including an explanation of services and expectations, a tour of the premises, introduction to other staff and guests.
• Assists and collaborates with coworkers when appropriate to help guests identify, plan for, and realize short-term personal goals and priorities while in the CRC. 
• Facilitates individual and group-based educational, recovery, wellness and skill-building opportunities including wellness self-management; WRAP; peer support; harm reduction; and other social or leisure activities.
• Assists guests to identify interesting and needed community-based resources, to make informed decisions about participation, and engage in meetings, appointments and activities through linking, supporting and accompaniment.
• Advocates for and facilitate access to needed health care services, proactively addressing potential barriers such as missed appointments, transportation, fear and stigma, and communication with professional staff. 
• Assists guests with steps required to prepare their own meals, manage their own medication, take care of their physical needs, and participate in the maintenance of a clean-living environment.
• Provides Warm Line services including supportive peer counseling, friendly and understanding conversation, referral and transfer to crisis lines and other services, access to language lines and TTY information to discharged guests.
• Provides household upkeep duties as needed.
• Serves daily cold breakfast for guests and assist guests with accessing snacks, when needed.
• Provides flexible evening, night, weekend, and holiday coverage
• Performs other duties as assigned.

This job description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.

Job Qualifications

• Graduate of core peer specialist training program, preferred.
• Minimum of high school diploma or equivalent (GED).
• Have lived experience with the mental health system and willingness to share personal experience appropriately and respectfully. 
• A respect for, and high level of comfort around people experiencing psychiatric crisis. 
• Ability to be mindfully present with a person in crisis.
• Exceptional oral communication skills including empathic listening, responding. 
• Ability to utilize critical thinking, problem-solving and de-escalation skills to assist with creating and maintaining an environment that promotes recovery. 
• Resourceful and knowledgeable of community resources and services.
• Willingness and ability to participate in Parachute NYC Training including NATM, IPS, Health Navigator, and other required training.
• Successful completion of all required training and ability to integrate skills, knowledge and approach into their work with guests.
• Work experience in a behavioral health or related setting, preferably using the recovery model.
• Must be fingerprinted and cleared by the Office of Mental Health (OMH).
• Commitment to recovery-oriented practice.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to set priorities and manage multiple and competing tasks.
• Good writing skills.
• Ability to utilize various computer programs, specifically. Microsoft Word and Excel.
• Show initiative and be responsible for follow-through.
• Ability to maintain confidential information, as related to the position.
• Ability to walk up several flights of stairs.
• Ability to work in the field (using public transportation).
• Ability to work overnight hours, preferred 

Position location: 315 Second Avenue, NY, NY 10003 - Crisis Respite Center 

Position Type: Per-Diem flexible schedule (day, evening, night)

Position Salary: $ 22.70/hourly

Benefits

• Time Off Benefits: 3 weeks of vacation, 5 personal days, 12 sick days, 11 paid holidays, Work Anniversary Day 
• Summer Flex Hours
• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental plans 
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)  
• 403(b) Retirement Plan, with Employer Match after 1 year of service 
• $500 Annual Employee Wellness Fund for eligible employees 
• Pre-tax savings plan (including Flexible Spending Accounts and TransitChek) 
• College savings plan 
• Paid Family Leave, Short-Term Disability insurance