HELPline Volunteers
The Importance of Volunteers
HELPline is a 24-hour suicide/crisis intervention & prevention hotline which operates with the dedication of volunteer crisis counselors. These committed individuals keep HELPline up and running.
Responsibilities
Volunteers are responsible for providing crisis intervention and information and referral over the telephone. They are also required to keep accurate, confidential records of calls received in order to supply information for needs assessment and other statistical data to our community.
Qualifications
Volunteers should have the ability to maintain confidentiality, remain calm in a crisis, deal effectively with feelings, be non-judgmental, and assimilate and dispense appropriate referrals.
Time Commitment
Training - 58 hours
Commitment of 180 hours of service
(20 hours per month)
Volunteers that do not meet the commitment of 180 hours of service will be asked to pay $150 for their training.
Training
Counselors undergo 58 hours of training. During the course of the training program, crisis counselors gain the knowledge and skills necessary to focus on the caller, listen effectively, problem solve, gain rapport and then provide the caller with human social service referrals available to them within the community that will address their situation long-term. On-sight supervised work experience makes up 10 hours of training. Crisis counselors receive a Paraprofessional Certificate of Completion upon taking the training course. Letters of recommendation are available after 35 hours of volunteer service. There is a one-time fee of $15 to cover training manual costs.
Taking Calls
Volunteer crisis counselors take calls from either their home or the agency call center. HELPline contracts an answering service, which connects the caller to the counselor in order to maintain confidentiality. Counselors choose their desired shifts, usually four to six hours, according to their preference in scheduling. Calls are taken after business hours, weekends and holidays from the volunteer’s home or during business hours at the agency call center.
Become a HELPline Volunteer
