Responsible to:

Volunteers are responsible to the Executive Director.

Areas of responsibility:

To provide an empathetic, confidential, and non-judgmental service for callers to the Distress Centre in accordance with policies and guidelines learned in the training course.

To work three, 4 hour shifts per month at the Distress Centre for a period of at least one year following training. You choose the shifts that are most convenient for you.

To be reliable in fulfilling shift commitments.

To attend ongoing training and RAP sessions as required.

What we require of you

The qualities we look for in our volunteers are a    strong sense of:

  Commitment

  Patience

  Maturity

  Non-judgmental

  Common sense

What we do:

We 'befriend' and listen to callers.  Many callers have no one else to whom they can turn to for friendship and support. 

We provide 'crisis prevention' to our long-term callers, some of whom call everyday and for many years.  Many of these callers find it difficult to cope for a variety of reasons.

We help callers explore alternatives and find their own solutions to their situations.

We manage 'crisis calls'.

We DO NOT give advice, but we do listen.

Every call is confidential.

The caller may be:

  very lonely

  depressed

  suffering from mental and/or physical illness

  addicted to alcohol or drugs

  suicidal

  abused and in despair

Our training is designed to help you handle all types of calls and to develop or enhance the skills which will enable you to listen, befriend, make appropriate referrals where necessary and manage crisis situations. We believe in being honest and realistic about what we do.

Things to consider

If you are currently experiencing stress or trauma in your life, or you are in therapy or counseling, distress line volunteering is probably not a good idea for you right now.

The majority of calls, approximately 85%, are considered 'Crisis Prevention' calls.  These calls are are not dramatic but they are a 'lifeline' to many of our callers.  This work can be routine, frustrating, demoralizing, shocking, and nerve racking. It can also be tremendously rewarding and it is a unique opportunity to help others while developing skills that you will find very useful in everyday personal and business situations.

Because we put so much time and effort into our training classes, we require volunteers to commit to three, 4-hour shifts per month after training for a period of one year. You are able to choose the shifts that are convenient and fit your schedule.

There is a fee of $60.00 for training. This includes the training manual. Once volunteers complete their commitment of 36 shifts in the first year, they will be reimbursed a total of $40.00.

Benefits of volunteering

  develop active listening and effective communication skills

  learn crisis prevention and crisis intervention skills

  develop skills useful in personal and business situations

  increase your knowledge of community resources

  learn about social issues

  personal satisfaction of helping and befriending others

  make a difference in your community

  ongoing training and support

  professional letter of reference upon completion of 36 shifts, one

    year of continuous volunteer service

Next training session

Training sessions for new volunteers start in September, January, and April. If you are interested in volunteering or have any questions, please contact the centre.