Counsellor Volunteer Roles

RNIB's Sight Loss Counselling Team is an established team of telephone counsellors. Accredited by the BACP, we offer free and confidential counselling and emotional support to people affected by sight loss. Volunteers will either be qualified counsellors/psychotherapists; having completed a BACP accredited training or equivalent OR be students in the final stages of counselling or psychotherapy.

How often will I be needed?

• 4 Hours per Week

Key requirements

• This role requires 2 references and a criminal record check: DBS Enhanced PVG Scotland Adults Access NI Enhanced

Are you looking for a fresh challenge that makes a positive difference to the lives of Young People throughout the UK?

At Childline we are actively recruiting new Volunteers. 

What will I be doing?

• Your shift will consist of 3hrs30mns counselling, sandwiched between a 15mns brief before your shift and a 30mns debrief post shift. This is to ensure that you can start and finish your shift with any support you require from your Practitioners.
• On shift you will take contacts from Young People who rely on the service that Childline offers. Childline is not there to solve problems, we are a listening service for Young People and in each contact your role is to engage the Young Person, explore their situation and to support them in deciding their next steps.
• The contacts you would take from Young People can come in 3 ways. Traditional phone call contacts, live chats via instant response typed messaging or less commonly via 'PIBS' which are essentially emails sent by Young People in the knowledge the response will not be 'live' and instant.

What impact will this have?

• Childline is a unique service, valued greatly by the Young People who contact us.
• It provides a safe place for Young People to talk confidentially to our Volunteer Counsellors, an option that many of them do not have elsewhere.
• Young People rely on us being there for them 24/7. In an average month, Childline London takes approx. 1,500 live chats, 900 voice calls and 300 PIBs.
• However, the demand for the service often outstrips the supply as Young People who desperately need our service cannot always get through.
• That is why we are actively recruiting new Volunteers to be able to meet the need of all Young People who are in distress and need the support that Childline provides.

Training

• Childline offers a full 12 week online training programme to new Volunteers. This consists of one 4 hour session per week.
• During the training, you will meet other Volunteers in your cohort and have access to your 2 dedicated Childline Trainers.
• As part of the training, you will also go in person to the London Base for observation and mentored shifts which give you a face to face insight into how the Counselling Room works.
• You will also have access to a dedicated Volunteer Engagement Lead to give you a London Base tour (optional) and generally be on hand to answer any questions or queries you may have - big or small, if they matter to you they matter because you are giving your time to volunteer and Childline wants to offer you every level of support.
• Once you pass through training and become a qualified Childline Volunteer Counsellor, the development opportunities do not stop there. You will have access to a multitude of mandatory and optional training courses that are accredited and 100% free to all Volunteers.

Bletchingley Village Primary School is a caring and warm environment, dedicated to developing our pupils emotionally and socially, and maximising their potential to learn. We are looking for two volunteer counsellors to join us.

 What can you gain from volunteering with us?

• You’ll gain valuable experience of counselling primary age children in a school setting.
• You will receive group supervision with a suitably qualified CYP clinical supervisor.
• You’ll have the opportunity to work towards the clinical hours required for further CYP training/accreditation
• We will complete any necessary paperwork and reports needed for placement records.

Working Arrangement: School-based, in a fully equipped play therapy room within a friendly and supportive positive working environment. Free onsite parking. 

Requirements:

●You will be a qualified integrative or person-centred therapist (qualified to minimum L4) with at least 30 hours of clinical experience of working with adults or older children or in your second or third year of a specific child counselling course from a reputable provider.

●You will attend group supervision sessions provided.

●You will be willing to complete a DBS disclosure form.

●You must be able to provide a minimum of three direct contact counselling hours per week (sessions last for 45 minutes).

●You are intending to work with the counselling service until the end of the academic year but at least two terms (and give one term’s notice if leaving early).

●You will avoid absence during termtime.

Expectations

●Good knowledge of and commitment to the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (or equivalent professional body’s ethical framework), and the BACP Supplementary Good Practice in Action: 046: Working with Children and Young People.

●You must be able to maintain BACP (or other appropriate professional body) membership throughout the term of the placement.

●You must have your own professional indemnity insurance, and you are adequately insured for the duration of your placement.

●You agree to abide by the ethics and policies of the school.

●You have experience of operating clear and effective boundaries within all areas of work.

●You must have a good understanding of confidentiality, safeguarding and legal implications of working with children and young people in a school setting.

Abilities/Skills

●To hold and manage a clinical caseload of at least 3 clients per week and to offer therapeutic sessions of 45 minutes each.

●You can provide both short-term and long-term counselling.

●You can communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing, and be able to demonstrate good interpersonal skills.

●Be able to work in a culturally sensitive and inclusive way.

●You have some experience of working with children or young people, even if it is unrelated to counselling.

●To see clients on a weekly basis for a duration of 8 sessions or longer based on clinical need and in agreement with the Clinical Supervisor/Lead Counsellor.

●To ensure the safety of self and client within the counselling setting.

●To identify any clients that may require referral to other specialist services in consultation with the Clinical Supervisor/Lead Counsellor and the school.

●To ensure that all clients are treated with dignity and respect.

●To maintain appropriate records in line with the counselling service requirements.

●To understand and adhere to the school’s safeguarding policy.

●To be responsible for identifying any shortfalls in knowledge surrounding working with children and young people and attend training as appropriate.

Application Process

Please request, complete and return an application form 

(CVs will not be accepted) 

Are you looking for a fulfilling opportunity to volunteer in East or West Kent local or nearby to where you live, directly supporting those who may be lonely or struggling to cope with daily tasks while living with Cancer?

With over 10 years' experience in supporting connections between volunteers and those living with cancer (and over 40 years' experience as a charity), the Crossroads Macmillan Volunteer Service can offer flexible, rewarding volunteering avenues for you to explore; get in touch today and make an immediate, positive impact on someone's life - a little bit of time can truly make a huge difference.

HOURS: Minimum 1 - 2 hours / week, Flexible

LOCATION: Opportunities across East & West Kent & Medway, flexible / based on volunteer’s home location.

DESCRIPTION: 

Available volunteer opportunities include;

Regular visits to a person or couple navigating cancer to offer company and a friendly, listening ear at a difficult time.

Providing transport to a person or couple navigating cancer from their home to healthcare appointments including but not limited to Chemotherapy / Radiology sessions and GP appointments.

Light gardening support.

Subject to the volunteers wishes, some volunteer placements can include support with light housework, shopping support, accompanying a client on a walk or short external trips, and enjoying shared hobbies that bring both the client and volunteer a great sense of wellbeing.

PLEASE NOTE: All volunteer roles listed above involve visiting a client at their home in some capacity. We currently do not have any volunteer roles that involve working from your home / online.

SKILLS REQUIRED: Good communication, empathy, and the ability to be non-judgmental.

Full Training provided by Crossroads Care Kent.

WHAT WE OFFER: An enormous sense of wellbeing and purpose and an increased understanding of those living with cancer and comparable conditions; just giving an hour or more a week’s companionship and practical help can make a huge difference to an unpaid carer and who they care for.

Travel expenses from volunteers’ home to clients home reimbursed.

Other Travel expenses reimbursed where applicable.

Other volunteering expenses, such as costs of shopping, also reimbursed.

Volunteer References also available where applicable.

Additional CPD accredited Training opportunities available including but not limited to First Aid, Cancer awareness, Dementia awareness, Mental Health.

Are you looking for a fulfilling opportunity to volunteer in the Sittingbourne or Miadstone areas, directly supporting young unpaid carers (ages 5-18) and those they care for?

Crossroads care Kent is Kent’s leading Charity for Carers and the people they care for, celebrating over 40 years offering emotional support, hands-on practical help and access to much needed breaks.

Our Young Carers Project, and the volunteers who kindly support it, help to provide young carers under the age of 18, some as young as 5, the chance to step away from their caring role; to enjoy time and experiences with others their age who understand the challenges of their caring responsibilities.

DESCRIPTION: Offering regular support at Young Carer Clubs as part of a small, friendly team with external respite day trips to various locations involving a wide selection of fun activities, inclusive but not limited to local attraction Days, activity days, cinema trips etc. - all dependent on the Volunteers availability and personal wishes.

Opportunities are also available to provide transport weekly to a young carer from their home to a varied selection of local activities.

SKILLS REQUIRED:

• Ability to communicate with and listen effectively to children and young people

• Enthusiastic, outgoing, fit, and energetic

• Able to interact with the group, happy to participate in all activities

• Friendly, caring, compassionate, sensitive with a non-judgmental approach

• Able to act as a role model to young people, with professional boundaries

• Reliable and able to make a regular time commitment

• Able to follow policies and procedures

• Willing and able to travel to local clubs

Trustee

About the role

We are looking for 2 lay Trustees who are passionate about mental health service provision and public protection to join the Board of Trustees. You will become a charity trustee (company director) and ensure that the public interest and charitable objectives run through all that we do. By lay we mean individuals who are not a current member or employee and who are not from a health or psychological profession.

This is a particularly exciting time to join the organisation as we will be launching our three-year strategy “psychotherapy in a changing world” in the Autumn of 2024. We want to work with you to craft an achievable delivery plan to sit alongside this strategy; the plan will include developing the member experience, a governance review, and preparing for the new employment rights legislation.

Contributing to the Board’s oversight of charitable funds, you will be pivotal in ensuring the organisation demonstrates excellent stewardship of resources, develops its public relations, works in an agile way, and is sustainable for the future. Your background in corporate governance, employment law, or PR would be ideal to help steer the Board and the executive through the new strategy.

Expected time commitment

Five Board meetings per year and one annual general meeting

About you

These are roles for individuals who are open to new ideas and embrace innovation, are motivational and pragmatic, and demonstrate sound commercial and business acumen.

You will enjoy the opportunity to support an important cause where there is a growing demand in society for greater choices of high-quality mental health service provision. You’ll work alongside colleagues from diverse backgrounds and collaborate with staff and practitioners. There’ll be scope for professional development as well as personal reward in running the charity and mentoring the executive. In short, it is an opportunity to make a real difference.

About the organisation

The organisation is the leading professional body for psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. We represent training organisations and over 9,000 individual therapists - working privately or in the NHS or voluntary sector - offering a wide variety of psychotherapeutic approaches or modalities.

Our charitable objectives are to promote:

• the art and science of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling for the public benefit

• research in psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling and to disseminate the results of any such research

• high standards of education and training and practice in psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling

• the wider provision of psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling for all sections of the public

Closing date: 5pm on 10 January 2025

An exciting opportunity has arisen to work closely with the counselling administrative team and the counselling manager.

About the role

The Ascent Counselling Service is a specialist therapeutic support service for women and girls aged 16 and over, who have experienced domestic and/or sexual abuse by an intimate partner or family member. This can include physical, emotional, psychological, sexual and financial abuse, coercive control, harassment, stalking and other harmful practices, such as FGM and honour-based violence.

Our counselling service is delivered as part of the Ascent Advice and Counselling partnership. Our counsellors create a safe space for survivors to explore the impact of abuse on their lives, help them to recover from the long-term impact and support them to make positive changes for themselves.

This opportunity is ideal for someone looking to gain experience in administration within a busy counselling team. The role will involve a range of administrative tasks such as:

• Data entry in our case management system
• Booking assessments/sessions appointments
• Sending appointment reminders to clients
• Gathering feedback, as well as other tasks as and when required.

Who are we looking for?

No formal qualifications are required for this role. We are looking for volunteers who have:

• Good administrative skills, including proficient use of Zoom/Microsoft Teams, Microsoft packages and Outlook
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Good organisational skills
• Good understanding of confidentiality and professional boundaries.
• An understanding of the issues faced by survivors and a desire to build on this.
• An understanding of professional boundaries and confidentiality
• Good listening skills and an empathic, non-judgemental approach.

What can you gain from this opportunity?

As part of this role, you will have the opportunity to:

• Gaining experience and understanding the administrative side of running a counselling service
• Expanding your understanding of domestic abuse, sexual violence and all forms of VAWG and its effect on women and children.
• Contribute and support to a very busy counselling team and supporting the team in working with survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse
• Play a pivotal role in delivering services.
• Gain hands on experience in a dynamic charity working in the Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) sector.
• Work as part of a feminist organisation

We offer great volunteer induction training, where you will be fully supported to understand and carry put every aspect of the role. Training includes CPD accredited courses, and the opportunity to apply to complete the Tackling and Preventing Domestic Abuse Award (DAPA), which is recognized by the Home Office.

Please note that our volunteer opportunities are open to women only (exempt under the Equality Act 2010, Schedule 9, Part 1), and that these volunteer roles are exempt from the rehabilitation of offenders act 1974 and subject to enhanced DBS checks where applicable.

We are seeking Trustees to join our Trustee Board who wish to make a positive difference to the health and well being of women in the Borough. Successful applicants will contribute to the overall strategy of the charity and oversee its governance, to ensure it is well managed and administered with resources being used appropriately.