Lifeboat by NOMV Volunteer Mental Health Consultant

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