Healthy Relationship Coach (Mental Health)

The Department of Mental Health is seeking a full-time Healthy Relationship Coach. We are looking for someone comfortable discussing relationships, trauma, and sexual health with Black or African American women. Healthy Relationship Coaches will provide support to Black or African American women enrolled in a clinical trial(s) to improve access to HIV prevention. Healthy Relationship Coaches are defined as “role models who share similar experiences and community membership, and who are trained to provide effective services that will increase the

linkage, retention, and adherence of the people they serve.” Upon training, Healthy Relationship Coaches will facilitate access to care through navigation services, peer support, community outreach, and will help clients assess barriers to accessing HIV prevention. The Healthy Relationship Coaches will be available to escort clients to appointments, including helping with off-site services. The Healthy Relationship Coaches will check in with clients regularly to ensure support and engagement around care via one-on-one peer education and weekly self-management skills-building sessions. The Healthy Relationship Coaches will also facilitate psychoeducation weekly group sessions with a Licensed Clinical Therapist. The Coaches will also assist with transportation and help develop support and engagement for Black or African American women, as well as help with data management and collection as needed.

This is a full-time position, offers a five-day work week, generally Monday through Friday. The schedule may include some periodic weekend support/planning of program activities, but will otherwise consist of a weekday schedule determined in conjunction with the Supervisor. This position will support recruitment and enrollment activities for the study and thus will be expected to attend community outreach activities (e.g., tabling fairs, canvassing) to recruit potential participants in the community. Staff members will be expected to travel to attend and engage in these community outreach events.

Specific Duties & Responsibilities

• Serve as an empathic, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and reliable resource for the client’s HIV prevention care.
• Lead outreach events, one-on-one sessions with clients, and recruitment events.
• Establish rapport with clients and provide project information to the community.
• Assist the study team with data collection, make outreach and data collection reminder calls, emails, and prepare outreach and follow-up data materials.
• Engaging in client outreach to contact clients who have missed weekly sessions.
• Provide oral and written reports to the study team during regular team meetings. Timely data entry is necessary for tracking program goals, outcomes, assessments, referrals, and other information as necessary.
• Assist clients with short-term access to program and community services and access to referrals and other resources available in the target area.
• Helping clients acquire transportation, and, as necessary, to appointments for medical, behavioral health, benefits, or other necessary services.
• Record and track client information securely and confidentially. Monitor recruitment and retention of clients.
• File, retrieve, and maintain client records. Attend meetings and trainings.
• Build and support clients’ skills in HIV systems navigation, patient-provider communication, and HIV prevention compliance.
• Other research-related tasks to support the study will be required as needed.
• Helping clients acquire transportation, and, as necessary, to appointments for medical, behavioral health, benefits, or other necessary services.
• Must have a valid MD driver’s license and acceptable driving record or have access to reliable transportation.
• Other duties as assigned.

• High School Diploma or graduation equivalent.
• Two years of related experience.
• Additional education may substitute for required experience and additional related experience may substitute for required education beyond a high school diploma/graduation equivalent, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.

• One year of working with culturally diverse environments, including working with racial and ethnic minority women.
• One year of professional-level experience providing technical assistance in-person, by phone, or by computer.
• Knowledge of how to deliver educational programs in various settings. Experience (volunteer or paid) providing HIV peer navigation or HIV care, or prevention services at a community-based organization, HIV clinic, sexual health clinic, or health department.
• Experience using business software systems in the completion of work assignments (i.e., Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Experience with and ability to comfortably use a computer and technology (including internet applications).
• Experience recruiting high-risk populations and street smarts.

• Prior peer mentoring experience with racial and ethnic minority women experiencing violence, trauma, and related challenges.
• Ability to manage conflict, mitigate/respond to stressful situations, and engage traumatic stories.
• Ability to understand and maintain professional boundaries.
• Ability to listen with care, treat clients with respect and dignity, and respond to each individual’s unique needs.
• Willingness to participate in ongoing institutional and other trainings to complement the Peer Navigator’s skills and abilities and provide Peer Navigation services in a trauma-informed manner that is consistent across the entire cohort.

Classified Title: Community Outreach Specialist 
Job Posting Title (Working Title): Healthy Relationship Coach (Mental Health)   
Role/Level/Range: ACRO37.5/02/CC  
Starting Salary Range: $15.70 - $26.25 HRLY (Commensurate4 w/exp.) 
Employee group: Full Time 
Schedule: Typically Monday – Friday: 9am – 5pm, with some evening work (after 5pm) and weekends (Saturday and Sunday) 
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt 
Location: Hybrid/School of Public Health  
Department name: Mental Health Research Projects   
Personnel area: School of Public Health