Since 1964, Crisis Connections has been a trusted nonprofit serving Seattle, King County, and Washington State. Our mission is to foster resilience and well-being for all by connecting people to accessible and compassionate support. Besides our helplines, we support survivors of suicide, provide community outreach, and offer youth suicide prevention education. Our phone lines support more than 150 languages. This is all possible thanks to 250 staff, 450 volunteers, dozens of community partners, and thousands of donors and advocates.

Crisis Connections connects people in physical, emotional and financial crisis to services that will be of help. We do this to reduce immediate emotional distress and defuse crises for individuals, families and the community; to reduce the immediate risk of violence to one’s self and others; and to increase the ability of people to access the safety net, particularly for mental and emotional support services. Crisis Connections serves all people (in physical, emotional and financial crisis)  with an emphasis on serving King County residents.

Students will receive 60-70 hours of comprehensive training of how to utilize micro skills such as active listening, emotional de-escalation, crisis intervention, and suicide intervention when working on the crisis lines. After completing the training, students will take on a 7.5hr shift on any day of the week that permits student to balance academics and field experience. After completion of training, students will work directly on the phone lines with callers of diverse backgrounds that may include but not limited to children, adults, elderly, unsheltered, substance use, LGBTQ+, or chronic mental illness providing emotional support, linkages to resources of those experiencing acute distress. Students will learn and exercise the use of empathy, communication skills, risk reduction, safety planning with the direct supervision and on-going support from their assigned clinical team. Students will learn when and how to respond to callers expressing suicide, homicide, child/elderly/domestic abuse, and other violence threats or ideation. Students will have an opportunity to participate in group supervision and debriefs, observe listening shifts, and review documentation with task supervisors.

Students will engage in the crisis response continuum of care by corresponding with Designated Crisis Responders, the business line, and Patient Placement Coordination. Students will provide appropriate referrals to a variety of resources including (but not limited to) food, rent, utility, legal, health and employment services. Students will support in developing project presentations of relevant topics such as addressing burnout, cultural sensitivity, and self-care for volunteers. Students will have an opportunity to attend community/networking events to enhance exposure and collaboration with the community and agencies servicing WA state residents.

Students will participate have an opportunity to engage in state/countywide meetings to learn about behavioral health initiatives and DEIB work. Students will learn and process behavioral health legislatures and regulations that impact the operations of crisis lines and explore the international helpline accreditation standards. Students will review pertinent policies and procedures related to the job responsibilities.

Must be at least 21 years old
Communication and problem-solving skills, including ability to respond to callers with patience, objectivity and nonjudgmental attitude.
Ability to problem solve.
Ability to work effectively with a multi-disciplinary team of clinical staff and paraprofessionals
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment
Verbal, written, computer, and technical skills including the ability to work in multiple software platforms concurrently

Email Geneveve Matundan, Social Work Practicum Manager, expressing interest in completing field experience at Crisis Connections to receive more information.

CONTACT INFO
Geneveve Matundan, LCSW (She/Her)
Phone: 206-333-8801 ext. 457
Email: gmatundan@crisisconnections.org I crisisconnections.org