Training to become a volunteer

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.

We run both evening and day time courses to suit your availability. There is a small charge for attending each part of the course, which at the time of publishing is only £30 (£15 for those on benefits) for each part. 

After successful completion of the course, you will be introduced to a team. You will work with this team at a regular time, listening in to the calls taken by the more experienced counsellors. This will give you practical and invaluable experience. When you are ready, you will start to take calls on your own (with a mentor listening in). Your mentor and the team will provide support, feedback and coaching before you graduate to "blue” status.

Blue status is recognition that you are able to take calls unsupervised, it is also time to celebrate. You will feel good about yourself, about your new skills and about Careline. You are now able to choose different shifts.

Training does not stop once you graduate to blue status. You will receive an annual appraisal, during which you may be offered additional training that will develop new skills. In addition, Careline will provide continuous professional development (CPD) throughout your voluntary service.

In addition to formal training plus access to a support network, you will also be encouraged to see a clinical supervisor (a highly experienced counsellor). When meeting with your clinical supervisor, you are free to discuss personal issues and concerns that arise as a volunteer (supervision is confidential and not disclosed to us).

Future opportunities

Having gained valuable experience, you may wish to develop new skills such as seeing clients face to face, hypnosis and hypnotherapy. You may wish to mentor new volunteers, join the Trustees as the Volunteer representative or have ideas of your own. Either way, as a developing and expanding charity, opportunities abound.