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Careline receives over 3000 calls every single month, this number
is increasing weekly. Until a counsellor takes the call. As
such we will have no idea of the issues that will be presented, as
such our telephone counsellors need to be highly motivated, very well
trained and supported.
People volunteer for Careline for a number of reasons. Some are training to
become BACP accredited therapists, some on the recommendation of their
college whilst others wish to give something back to society or to
learn new skills. Others simply enjoy counselling.
Either way they have some qualities in common. The qualities we look for when
recruiting voluntary helpline volunteers are:
- a good listener
- there for others
- non-judgemental
- curious about themselves and others
- able and willing to learn new skills?
- available for three hours each week to volunteer
- comitted to the principles of equality and diversity
Before training,
each counsellor is asked to commit to volunteering for a four hour shift
per week, for their first year. Thereafter most remain within
their team. Shifts are mornings and evening and in 2007 we will
re-open our afternoon shifts. This means we have availability to suit
everybody.
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Diversity at Careline
Some volunteers remain with Careline for ten years or more, others for just
two years. Regardless of your tenure, you will find our telephone volunteers
come from a wide range of experiences, ages, cultures and sexualities. This mix
helps to contribute in making the Careline National Telephone Helpline truly
diverse and encompassing.
With such a diverse culture, Careline is progressing away from equal
opportunities towards a more proactive form of inclusion.
Application
To become a volunteer counsellor, you will first need to meet with us, where
we will discuss what vounteering at Careline means. We will talk about
your existing skills, see what training you need and then about you as
a person. We call this an assessment, but in truth it is more of a
group discussion.
After this you will attend our two part training course which is run
over thirteen weeks. The course is run at our East London (Ilford) offices.
For further information you can call our recruitment hotline 08712 10 22
97 or download an application form here. |
