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Flexible Schedule
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Virtual Opportunity
Lifeboat by NOMV Mental Health Consultant (MHC) Position Did you know that veterinary professionals are at elevated risk for suicide and other painful mental health outcomes? If you are interested in joining a team focused on improving wellness in the veterinary profession, we are inviting licensed mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors) to volunteer as mental health consultants for Lifeboat by Not One More Vet (NOMV). This provides licensed mental professionals an opportunity to: Learn novel ways of helping people experiencing psychological distress Understand the unique pain points veterinary professionals experience in their work Let go of the burden of being the only professional responsible for someone in distress Be connected to a community of forward thinking mental health professionals who are raising the bar on how to humanely embrace people experiencing suicidal thoughts Help within a team that share responsibility so no one is ever over burdened Lifeboat is an anonymous, asynchronous, web-based app that connects distressed veterinary professionals with trained veterinary companions who provide peer-to-peer support. Our approach to peer support is based on several evidence-based models (i.e. the Recovery to Practice Project and the Wellness Recovery Action Plan) as well as emergent and innovative techniques to humanely embrace individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts and significant emotional distress. NOMV is a 501(c)(3) public charity, the app is free to use, and any data generated by the app are only used for program evaluation and academic research. Mental Health Consultants do not directly engage with the individuals seeking support (i.e. this is not direct mental health service provision); instead, they offer asynchronous consultation through the app to the team of veterinary companion volunteers. This includes identifying appropriate resources, addressing issues of self care with the companions, and offering advice about how best to help distressed users of the app. Please note: At this time, the volunteer Mental Health Consultant role is restricted to mental health professionals with a current license in the United States of America. Tasks Complete the Lifeboat Asynchronous Training Course Become familiarized with the resource database Construct a weekly schedule of availability and do a handoff to the next MHC Regular review of Pod chat, Pack chat, and Pod notes during shift Attend Monthly Supervision and debriefing on high-risk peers Review and address Pack Temperature Checks. We will create ad hoc forums for MHC consultations with individual companions; otherwise they would have access to previous chats with other companions Make note of any tech requests or bug reports on the Lifeboat Trello Board Skills Excellent online communication skills, including the ability to convey active, non judgemental listening to someone in distress in a text environment Regular review of Pod chat, Pack chat, and Pod notes during shift Attend Monthly Supervision and debriefing on high-risk peers Review and address Pack Temperature Check Assessments to monitor volunteer wellbeing Setting Custom online app developed specifically for Lifeboat by NOMV. Schedule/Commitment Training - most volunteers complete the training in 10-15 hours Approximately 5 hours per month engaging with the app Approximately 1-2 hours per month attending MHC team meetings via Zoom Training/Supervision Lifeboat by NOMV’s online training module is self directed. Volunteers are asked to complete the training at their own pace within 14 days. However, more time is allotted if necessary. Most volunteers complete the training in approximately 10-15 hours. Direct supervision is provided by NOMV’s Programs Administrator as well as other volunteers serving as Mental Health Consultants in the Lifeboat program. Volunteers are expected to collaborate and cooperate with NOMV staff and other volunteers to promote the values of the Lifeboat program and NOMV’s mission
Date Posted: 2024-03-25
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Flexible Schedule
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Virtual Opportunity
Position Since 2014, NOMV pioneered online peer-to-peer support and mentorship in the veterinary community across our Facebook forums. Lifeboat extends this model further by providing anonymity for users as they are paired with a team of veterinary professionals trained in peer support who will accompany and mentor these individuals through their crisis. The program modifies the concept of a "warm line" where individuals can expect to receive an asynchronous response from their peers once per day at a minimum (i.e. this is not a synchronous chat service). The Lifeboat volunteers are supported by partnerships with the Veterinary Social Work program at University of Tennessee and the Department of Psychological Sciences at Auburn University. Lifeboat relies on a community of trained volunteers who help provide reciprocal accountability to their peers seeking support. Through Lifeboat, veterinary professionals help each other by listening to and validating each other’s experiences. Interactions are anonymous. We made this decision deliberately to facilitate a sense of safety. We want people to feel they can share what is bothering them without fear of repercussions. Tasks Complete Lifeboat by NOMV asynchronous training program (approximately 10-15 hours) Complete background check, per NOMV policy for volunteers with access to sensitive information Collaborate with other volunteer companions to provide support to peer users through Lifeboat by NOMV proprietary application Through cooperation with other companions, ensure that all messages from peers are responded to within 24 hours Review updates from NOMV staff regularly. Respond within 7 days if requested Attend recommended debrief meetings with the mental health consultants quarterly. They are offered monthly and companions may attend as many as desired Be prepared to engage as a companion for 12 months unless you encounter extenuating circumstances. If a leave of absence is needed, volunteers should communicate and coordinate with NOMV’s Programs Administrator Maintain anonymity with peer users Always act with compassion and understanding toward yourself, your fellow companions, and the peers you are supporting Share in NOMV’s mission to transform the status of mental wellness within the profession so veterinary professionals can survive and thrive though, education, resources, and support Skills Excellent online communication skills, including the ability to convey active, non-judgemental listening to someone in distress in a text environment. Must be a current or recent veterinary professional. Recent is defined as having attended veterinary/tech school, having an active license, or being currently employed in some aspect of the field. All team members in areas of veterinary medicine are welcome, but as this is a peer based program, you must have worked in veterinary medicine in some capacity. A commitment to personal growth and self care. Setting Custom online app developed specifically for Lifeboat by NOMV. Schedule/Commitment The exact scheduling will be left up to the carepods to determine. We will ask that the inbox be monitored daily. On average volunteers can expect 1 hour of volunteering, 2-3 days a week. The chat is asynchronous, so continual monitoring and communication is not expected nor encouraged. Training/Supervision Lifeboat by NOMV’s online training module is self directed. Volunteers are asked to complete the training at their own pace within 14 days. However, more time is allotted if necessary. Most volunteers complete the training in approximately 10-15 hours. Direct supervision is provided by NOMV’s Programs Administrator as well as other volunteers serving as Mental Health Consultants in the Lifeboat program. Volunteers are expected to collaborate and cooperate with NOMV staff and other volunteers to promote the values of the Lifeboat program and NOMV’s mission.
Date Posted: 2024-02-15
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Flexible Schedule
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Virtual Opportunity
Since 2014, NOMV pioneered online peer-to-peer support and mentorship in the veterinary community across our Facebook forums. Lifeboat extends this model further by providing anonymity for users as they are paired with a team of veterinary professionals trained in peer support who will accompany and mentor these individuals through their crisis. The program modifies the concept of a "warm line" where individuals can expect to receive an asynchronous response from their peers once per day at a minimum (i.e. this is not a synchronous chat service). The Lifeboat volunteers are supported by partnerships with the Veterinary Social Work program at University of Tennessee and the Department of Psychological Sciences at Auburn University. Lifeboat relies on a community of trained volunteers who help provide reciprocal accountability to their peers seeking support. Through Lifeboat, veterinary professionals help each other by listening to and validating each other’s experiences. Interactions are anonymous. We made this decision deliberately to facilitate a sense of safety. We want people to feel they can share what is bothering them without fear of repercussions. Learn more in this video ! Tasks Complete Lifeboat by NOMV asynchronous training program (approximately 10-15 hours) Complete background check, per NOMV policy for volunteers with access to sensitive information Collaborate with other Lifeboat admins, MHCs, and Companion users to develop a schedule of coverage that ensures we are able to assign new peers within 24 hours of registration Volunteer weekend administrators would cover weekends specifically When on call, ensure that all peers are assigned to a pack to within 24 hours of sign-up Notify companion volunteers through the Pack Chat if a peer has gone >30 hours without a companion reply Review updates from NOMV staff regularly. Respond within 7 days if requested Be prepared to engage as an admin for at least several months. Maintain anonymity with Peer and Companion users Always act with compassion and understanding toward yourself, your fellow volunteers, and the peers we are supporting Share in NOMV’s mission to transform the status of mental wellness within the profession so veterinary professionals can survive and thrive though, education, resources, and support Skills Excellent online communication skills, including the ability to convey active, non judgemental listening to someone in distress in a text environment. Must have basic technology skills and the ability to troubleshoot Setting Custom online app developed specifically for Lifeboat by NOMV. Schedule/Commitment We specifically ask for weekend availability on Saturday and Sunday. We ask for the inbox to be monitored for Lifeboat notification emails and action taken as needed. Exact schedule availability can be decided amongst volunteer administrators, so long as there is coverage for every weekend each month. On average volunteer administrators can expect 1-2 hours of volunteering, 2 days a week. Training/Supervision Lifeboat by NOMV’s online training module is self directed. Volunteers are asked to complete the training at their own pace within 14 days. However, more time is allotted if necessary. Most volunteers complete the training in approximately 10-15 hours. Direct supervision is provided by NOMV’s Programs Administrator as well as other volunteers serving as Mental Health Consultants in the Lifeboat program. Volunteers are expected to collaborate and cooperate with NOMV staff and other volunteers to promote the values of the Lifeboat program and NOMV’s mission.
Date Posted: 2024-03-25
