REMOTE Peer Support Intern WarmlineAt — National Alliance Mental Illness (NAMI) Warmline

We are looking for students who need to complete a 120 hour internship for the 16-week semester from January 2024 to August 2024. The intern will be trained as a Peer Support Intern (PSI) to support the NAMI OC Warmline. 

WarmLines are telephone, chat, and text based non-emergency recovery support services for individuals and families experiencing mental illness or seeking emotional support.  

WarmLines offer immediate access to live help and are a cost-effective alternative to crisis lines.Family members and individuals affected by mental illness, advocates, and/or volunteers/interns often staff Warmlines. WarmLines may provide services in more than one language. It has been stated, “peer support can offer a culture of health and ability as opposed to a culture of illness and disability.”

NAMI Orange County’s mission is to provide emotional support, education, and resources for families and those affected by mental illness. In collaboration with the entire community, we advocate for a life of quality and dignity, one without discrimination, for all those persons affected by this illness.

CSUF OC Warmline Peer Support Intern (PSI)

Peer Support Interns serve callers/live chaters/texters who are struggling with their behavioral health conditions. PSIs provide compassionate care, education, and instill optimism and hope to help callers build resiliency in their recovery journey. PSIs use their own lived experiences to help callers implement meaningful and practical coping strategies for their conditions. PSIs also screen callers for safety concerns using suicidal risk assessment techniques. 

Additionally, PSS Interns collaborate and strategize with OC Warmline Staff to keep the OC Warmline Program operating efficiently. PSS Interns assist with strategic planning, program policy-making, administration, coordination, and increasing organizational effectiveness. 

Finally, PSS Interns encourage help-seeking behavior and help increase community members’ awareness about and access to crisis and non-crisis services.

Tasks:

The intern will be responsible for providing compassionate listening to callers for a duration of 20 minutes and then completing notes about the call on the ICarol system. The support supervisor will evaluate the intern based on their listening skills and the quality of the notes they take. Regular debriefing sessions will also help the intern improve their skills.

Training:

Training will be provided, such as the PSS will have the opportunity to listen to other PSS while they are on live calls.

We will also provide pre-recorded workshops that cover a range of topics such as Anger Management, Boundaries, Sexual Content Support, Crisis Management, Peer Recovery, Holding Space, Warmline Mentorship, NAMI OC Signature Programs, Virtual Training Certification, and Mental Health First Aid. These workshops aim to equip participants with the necessary skills and knowledge to provide effective support to those in need.

Learning Outcome:

1. The goal is to offer a compassionate ear to callers for a duration of 20 minutes.
2. Providing essential resources to the callers during the conversation is also important.
3. Improving the caller's emotional state is a key objective.
4. Mastering skills such as crisis de-escalation, problem-solving, and building rapport with callers is crucial in the onboarding process.