Resource Specialist

Career Opportunities

Position Title: Resource Specialist 

Department Unit: rtor.org, a free service of Laurel House, Inc.

Reports to: Laurel House, Inc. and rtor.org Clinical Director

Essential Functions:

  • Assist families and individuals who visit www.rtor.org (stands for Resources to Recover) and request assistance to develop strategies and identify local resources to cope with challenging mental health and substance use situations. Provide an enhanced level of support to users in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and Westchester County, New York.
  • Coordinate the monitoring, response, follow-up, and reporting of all requests for information, support, or assistance in referrals to treatment and service providers. Survey users for effectiveness of referrals and their satisfaction with rtor.org and the service.
  • Provide community outreach along with other Laurel House team members to engage local town families in need of help dealing with the challenges of a mental health or substance use disorder. Collaborate in relevant community groups/organization events such as NAMI and mental health advocacy initiatives (e.g., on college campuses, in local communities). Provide targeted outreach and support to families in distress, and underserved or marginalized populations including low-income, LGBTQ youth, and BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color).

Scope:

rtor.org is a free service of Laurel House, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) mental health nonprofit organization, located in Stamford, CT. The Resource Specialist reports to the Laurel House and rtor.org Clinical Director and works with the rtor.org Editor in Chief and Laurel House VP to provide personalized mental health information, psychoeducation, support, and provider referrals to users of www.rtor.org who request help. The Resource Specialist is a member of the Laurel House team and participates in organization-wide activities.

Job Criteria

  • Assist rtor.org site visitors who request help with resource information, emotional support, and referrals to mental health service providers via website, email, LiveChat, social media, and phone.
  • Assist visitors in navigating the rtor.org site, directing them to relevant information in the course of routine communications and advising them of helpful blogs, Family-Endorsed Providers (FEP), and expert content on the site.
  • Provide personalized service and follow-up to all families and persons in treatment who are referred to providers listed in www.rtor.org’s online Directory of Family-Endorsed Providers, including but not limited to: personalized assistance with referrals and admissions; psychoeducation; care planning and coordination; facilitated communication between providers, families, and persons in treatment; follow-up to monitor satisfaction and outcome of referrals and quality of care.
  • Document and update contacts and communications with service users in CRM database (SalesForce); track outreach and all other contacts in the outreach application (Excel).
  • Assist the Clinical Director in growing the comprehensive online directory of providers, information, and resources on www.rtor.org, including processing FEP nominations, production of provider profile pages (with the support of IT provider), and maintaining a secondary regional providers’ list who accept private insurance and Medicare/Medicaid.
  • Conduct ongoing community outreach activities by email, phone, in-person and virtual meetings to engage underserved populations in Fairfield County and Connecticut, including LGBTQ youth, people living in poverty, and BIPOC individuals in need.
  • Generate local referrals from rtor.org into Laurel House’s direct service programs for Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) qualifying clients and for private paying non-DMHAS qualifying individuals.
  • Increase local and regional awareness of www.rtor.org and Laurel House services by participating as a member of the team in community events and outreach such as collaboration with other health care providers in local town fairs, on-campus events, community and advocacy (e.g., NAMI) meetings, and mental health conferences.
  • Bachelor’s degree in social work, counseling, or human services. MSW, a plus.
  • Minimum of 2 years’ experience in field related to degree. Work with youth, a plus.
  • Compassionate, with respect and empathy for people living with mental health and substance use conditions and for their families.
  • Understanding and acceptance of working with BIPOC, LGBTQ and young adults in mental health recovery, and their families.
  • Proficient at online research, video conferencing (e.g., Zoom), multimedia messaging apps, email, social media, AI tools, and written communication with attention to detail.
  • Knowledge and demonstrated interest in mental health and related fields, and current best practices.
  • Resourceful, self-starter who also works well as a member of a team.
  • Customer service orientation, with excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills.
  • Able to use SalesForce CRM software (prior knowledge not required).
  • Able to work collaboratively with a diverse team of mental health professionals, administrative and support staff, volunteers, program participants, and their families.
  • Fluency in English. Fluency in conversational Spanish with writing skills, a plus.
  • Must successfully pass pre-employment drug screen and background check.
  • Must possess a valid driver’s license and have and maintain a safe driving record.

Laurel House, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization that helps individuals and families achieve and sustain mental health to lead fulfilling lives in the community. rtor.org is a free service of Laurel House. Our core purpose is social inclusion, early intervention, and recovery. We are an equal opportunity employer, committed to the advancement of social justice and racial equity, and to making mental health services accessible to all.

To apply for this position please send your cover letter and resume to coverlettersandresumes@laurelhouse.net