Lead Phone Counselor

The Santé Group Companies is a leader in community-based behavioral and mental health services, known for innovation and delivering diverse, highly individualized care. We are passionate about providing empathetic, potentially life-saving support to help individuals heal, recover, and thrive while fully integrating into the community. Our organization values collaboration, innovation, creativity, and inclusiveness, ensuring all members feel secure, welcome, and respected.

About the role

Santé is seeking a Lead Phone Counselor (in office) to join our frontline crisis intervention team in Timonium, MD. The primary goal of this position is to provide oversight of call center operations during scheduled shifts, ensuring smooth workflow and policy adherence, while also serving as a Call Center Counselor. The Lead Phone Counselor will provide regular updates to the call center manager/director.

As a Call Center Counselor, you will deliver services for both the local hotline and the GBRICS call center, covering Baltimore city, Baltimore County, Howard County, and Carroll County. Services include supportive counseling, information and referrals, crisis intervention, suicide prevention, and intake screening for Mobile Teams, In Home Intervention Teams, Urgent Care Center, and other BCCRS service components. You will also dispatch appropriate services, provide goal-directed counseling, crisis planning, and follow-up for clients.

Responsibilities

• Work in a highly stressful environment handling frequent suicidal callers.
• Assess each caller’s presenting problem, support systems, coping skills, and level of emergency to determine appropriate intervention.
• Document all information in the appropriate client case.
• Effectively de-escalate clients in crisis over the phone while maintaining objectivity and professional demeanor.
• Develop rapport with clients and triage calls to the appropriate level of care.
• Conduct lethality assessments and dispatch appropriate resources (police, EMT, MCT, MRT) when necessary.
• Complete environmental risk and safety assessments, relaying information to MCT/patrol as needed.
• Access bed registry and other resources to connect callers to services.
• Comply with GBRICS Crisis Standards, Lifeline Standards, Crisis Now Standards, and accrediting bodies' best practices.
• Participate in regular peer support sessions if self-identified as a peer.
• Adhere to the organization’s Secondary Trauma Prevention policy and annual training requirements.
• Develop appropriate and realistic crisis plans and follow-up tasks based on client symptoms.
• Demonstrate knowledge and familiarity with community resources, both mental health and non-mental health.
• Actively participate in the ongoing development of the program database.
• Effectively communicate client needs for internal agency referrals.
• Complete documentation accurately, thoroughly, and in a timely manner.
• Ensure all case-related tasks are completed during each shift.
• Recognize the need for consultation with available supervisors or team leads.
• Participate in all required trainings.
• Work with families and involved persons to de-escalate crises.
• Abide by all federal, state, and local confidentiality and reporting regulations.
• Comply with all program contractual and operational guidelines as outlined by your manager.
• Check work email according to agency protocol.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Lead Counselor Responsibilities

• Ensure call center operations flow smoothly during scheduled shifts.
• Consult with staff who need additional support.
• Review documentation, call logs, and client boards for errors.
• Oversee staff shift changes and ensure effective communication between shifts.
• Assist with immediate issues in the call center and provide updates to the call center manager/director.
• Participate in regularly scheduled supervision and debriefing sessions.
• Assist in on-site training for new staff.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling, Social Work, or a related field of study required. 15 years of demonstrated crisis hotline work may substitute for the education requirement.
• Call center and behavioral health experience required.
• Knowledge of Internet and Microsoft Office software (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Outlook).
• Ability to be trained on Electronic Consumer Record Software.

Benefits

• Hourly pay range: $26.50 to $28.50 (depending on experience).
• Financial assistance for licensure fees (if applicable) and no-cost supervision for clinical licensure.
• Robust Retirement Plan – 403(b) with company match.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous paid time off and parental leave.
• Birthday off every year.
• Ongoing development programs and career advancement opportunities.
• Inclusive and welcoming work environment.
• Tuition reimbursement for continuing education.
• Employee Assistance Program for confidential support.
• Annual wellness initiatives and access to the Calm App.
• Recognition and rewards through the Awardco platform and referral program.
• Exclusive discounts through FunEx and other partners.
• No-cost life and AD&D insurance.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Optional legal assistance and transferable life insurance.
• Pet insurance for furry family members.
• Ancillary plans including critical illness, accident, and hospital indemnity.
• Flexible spending accounts (FSA) for healthcare and dependent care expenses.

Schedule

Alternating weeks: 1st week 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, 2nd week 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM.