• Provide real time oversight and guidance to staff and volunteers.
• Ensure adherence to protocols and communicate updates clearly.
• Conduct coaching, silent monitoring, and contact reviews.
• Respond to calls, and crisis texts and chats as needed to support queue management.
• Training & Development:
• Deliver onboarding and ongoing training for staff and volunteers.
• Provide individualized coaching and performance feedback.

• Provide basic technical support to staff during shifts.
• Track attendance, follow up on missed shifts, and ensure shift accountability.
• Assist with scheduling in coordination with the Associate Director of Crisis Operations & Quality as needed.

• Conduct documentation and contact-quality reviews.
• Support follow-up contacts for 988 crisis services.
• Assist with addressing program participant concerns or grievances.

• Promote a supportive, inclusive, and professional environment.
• Address shift concerns and escalate issues appropriately.
• Attend required meetings and contribute to continuous improvement.

• Provide compassionate, clinically informed crisis support via calls, texts and chats.
• Maintain timely, accurate documentation and uphold confidentiality.
• Respond to after-hours community lines as assigned.

• At least 1 year of crisis intervention experience via calls, texts or chats, including crisis-line training.
• Strong written communication and ability to structure crisis conversations.
• Emotional maturity, personal accountability, and effective teamwork.
• Proficiency with computers and online communication systems.
• Ability to work evening/night/overnight shifts.
• Ability to pass a background check.

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• AAS Individual Crisis Worker Certification.
• Spanish language fluency (written and spoken).
• Availability on evenings, weekends, and holidays.

• Ability to remain seated at a computer workstation for extended periods.
• Continuous use of a computer, keyboard, and headset.
• High-volume written communication with sustained focus.
• Ability to manage emotionally intense conversations.
• On-site work in a 24/7 crisis call center environment.

Location: Walnut Creek, CA — ON-SITE ONLY
Compensation Range: $25.00-$28.00 per hour, Non-Exempt

Full Time Shifts Available:

Tuesday-Saturday, 2:00 PM to 10:30 PM

Sunday-Thursday, 2:00 PM to 10:30 PM

Saturday-Wednesday, 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM

Saturday-Wednesday, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM

Thursday-Monday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM

About Contra Costa Crisis Center

The Contra Costa Crisis Center (www.crisissupport.org) strengthens our community by providing 24/7 services that prevent and reduce the impact of crisis. Through 988, 211, Grief Services, and coordinated partnerships with health and behavioral health systems, we connect people in need with compassionate care and lifesaving support every day.

Position Summary

The Contact Specialist answers calls on our 211, 24-hour crisis lines, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, and After-Hours lines to provide emotional support, crisis counseling, or suicide prevention assistance as well as information and referrals. The Contact Specialist also adheres to the highest possible ethical standards and complies with program policies and procedures. This position is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others and work collaboratively with a team in an innovative and compassionate 24/7 call center environment. The Contact Specialist helps people in distress feel heard, supported, and safely connected to appropriate resources.

The Contact Specialist reports to one of the Shift Supervisors and/or Center Manager and require an on-site presence in Walnut Creek, CA. This position receives 30 minutes of supervision a week during the introductory period of employment, after which they will receive a minimum of 60 minutes of individual supervision per month. In addition, the Contact Specialist will attend two monthly 30-minute individual supervision sessions with the Director of Clinical Programs.

This is a full-time, on-site position.

Key Responsibilities

·               Respond to callers on the 24/7 Crisis Lines and 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline with the program goal of answering 95% of calls within 20 seconds or less.

·               Complete safety assessments, safety planning, de-escalations, and follow-ups with callers.

·               Respond to callers on the After-Hours lines including contacting the on-call social worker for mandated APS and CPS reports.

·               Be familiar with internal resources to provide information and referrals to help callers as appropriate.

·               Maintain accurate, timely, and detailed contact reports for every call and uphold confidentiality standards.

·               Provide compassionate, clinically informed crisis counseling to reduce distress and support caller safety.

·               Build rapport with callers while maintaining professional boundaries.

·               Display confidence and composure in crisis situations.

·               Collaborate with peers, volunteers, and supervisors to ensure high-quality service delivery.

·               Engage in ongoing training, supervision, and certification (including American Association of Suicidology requirements).

·               Support and coach volunteer Contact Specialists from a multicultural and inclusive perspective.

·               Other duties as needed.

Required Qualifications

·               Must be able to reliably commute to the Walnut Creek office and work assigned onsite shifts.

·               Possess a high school diploma or equivalent.

·               Ability to accept direction and guidance.

·               Commitment to working within Contra Costa Crisis Center’s Code of Ethics and organizational policies.

·               Experience and demonstrated ability to work effectively with racially, culturally, and economically diverse populations.

·               Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to apply the structure of a crisis call using transitional phrases.

·               Proficiency with computers, databases, and online communication tools.

·               Demonstrated personal accountability, emotional maturity, and team participation.

·               Ability to direct callers to appropriate non–law-enforcement resources.

·               Willingness to develop knowledge in trauma-informed care, grief and loss, mental health conditions, and boundary setting.

Strongly Preferred

·               Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social welfare, counseling, sociology or related field.

·               Spanish language fluency (spoken and written).

Compensation & Benefits

Hourly Rate Range: $25.00-$28.00 per hour.

Opportunities for pay increase following successful completion of training and tenure milestones.

Comprehensive benefits package for eligible employees including medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, LTD, paid vacation, holidays, sick time, and a 403(b) retirement plan.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Contra Costa Crisis Center is an equal opportunity employer committed to treating all people with dignity and respect. We value the diverse experiences and perspectives that strengthen our ability to serve the community.

To Apply

Submit your application, resume, and responses to screening questions through GetHired. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until positions are filled.

• Provide real-time clinical consultation on high-risk calls, complex presentations, and critical incidents 
• Build and run a structured QA process — reviewing calls, chats, and documentation, identifying trends, and turning findings into training and practice improvements 
• Review, revise, and maintain clinical policies and protocols to align with 988, SAMHSA, and AAS standards
• Develop and implement clinical training curricula, from new-hire onboarding through ongoing refresher training 
• Provide clinical oversight for grief services and mobile grief response 
• Coach and develop staff clinical competency in suicide intervention, de-escalation, and crisis documentation 

• Active California clinical license (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, PsyD, or PhD), 3+ years post-licensure 
• 3+ years providing clinical services and supervision in a crisis care, social service, mental health, or substance-use setting 
• Experience in suicide prevention, crisis intervention, trauma, and disaster response ideally including all center experience
• Working knowledge of 988, SAMHSA, and AAS standards and practices 
• Ability to speak concretely about your own clinical work — we're looking for someone who can walk through the specifics of cases they've personally handled, not just describe frameworks 
• A collaborative approach — this role partners closely with operational leadership rather than working in isolation 

• Provide real time oversight and guidance to staff and volunteers.
• Ensure adherence to protocols and communicate updates clearly.
• Conduct coaching, silent monitoring, and contact reviews.
• Respond to crisis texts and chats as needed to support queue management.
• Training & Development:
• Deliver onboarding and ongoing training for staff and volunteers.
• Provide individualized coaching and performance feedback.

• Provide basic technical support to staff during shifts.
• Track attendance, follow up on missed shifts, and ensure shift accountability.
• Assist with scheduling in coordination with the Call Center Manager as needed.

• Conduct documentation and contact-quality reviews.
• Support follow-up contacts for 988 crisis services.
• Approve timesheets for assigned team members.
• Assist with addressing program participant concerns or grievances.

• Promote a supportive, inclusive, and professional environment.
• Address shift concerns and escalate issues appropriately.
• Attend required meetings and contribute to continuous improvement.

• Provide compassionate, clinically informed crisis support via text/chat.
• Maintain timely, accurate documentation and uphold confidentiality.
• Respond to after-hours community lines as assigned.

• At least 1 year of crisis intervention experience via text or chat, including crisis-line training.
• Strong written communication and ability to structure crisis conversations.
• Emotional maturity, personal accountability, and effective teamwork.
• Proficiency with computers and online communication systems.
• Ability to work evening/night/overnight shifts.
• Ability to pass a background check.

• Bachelor’s degree in psychology, social work, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• AAS Individual Crisis Worker Certification.
• Spanish language fluency (written and spoken).
• Availability on evenings, weekends, and holidays.

• Ability to remain seated at a computer workstation for extended periods.
• Continuous use of a computer, keyboard, and headset.
• High-volume written communication with sustained focus.
• Ability to manage emotionally intense conversations.
• On-site work in a 24/7 crisis call center environment.