Mental Health Volunteer Roles

Do you want to make a difference to a child or young person's life? Do you have 2 - 5 hours per month to spare? Are you 18+?

We require volunteers to mentor/befriend a child or young person in care.

Have fun, take a young people on outings and maybe share a hobby, sport or interest.  Offer support and a listening ear and be a positive influence in a young person's life and help build self-esteem and confidence.

We provide training and on going support and pay expenses to a set limit.

Please contact for more details

We’re looking to recruit volunteers to join our existing multidisciplinary management committee. Do you have experience in any of the following areas and want to help make a difference:

• Lived experience
• Academics
• Corporate
• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Counselling
• Social work
• Mental health nursing
• Occupational therapy
   

Yes? We’d like to hear from you.

Overview of committee:

knus Multidisciplinary Management Committee (MDMC)

The committee will be responsible for directing the activities of knus, ensuring growth and efficiency and achieving the objectives for which it was set up. 

The committee will:

• Set the strategic direction to guide and direct the activities of knus - ensuring growth and positive impact;
• Ensure the effective management of knus and it’s activities; and
• Monitor the activities of knus to ensure they are in keeping with the founding principles, objectives and values

The team will be multidisciplinary incorporating volunteer committee members from all backgrounds. For example, those with lived experience, academics, corporate, psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, social workers, mental health nurses, occupational therapists, etc.

The committee members can bring in their own ideas and wealth of experience to shape the way knus moves forward.

Please note - all successful volunteers are required to pay the cost price of £20.60 for an Enhanced DBS check.  If you've got a current Enhanced DBS on the update service, this cost will not apply.

You must be a UK resident to apply for this role.

What will you be doing? 
 
We are currently looking for a new, dynamic, creative and inspiring Chair of Trustees who can bring their energy and expertise to the organisation. We’re looking for someone with lived experience of emotional distress or maybe helping someone else through a tough time. We want to hear from people who like to think outside the box, brave enough to consider new ways of doing things and want to help bring around a new wave of support to our communities. Consider yourself a bit of a maverick, we want to hear from you!

We are particularly keen to recruit a Chair who is experienced in the following areas: 

• At least one year of being Chair for another small Charity 

• Excellent knowledge and understanding of Charity governance 

• Lived experience of mental health challenges/suicidal thoughts/attempts or experience of supporting others with these issues 

• Qualified counsellor/therapist is desirable

Do you enjoying talking with people and helping them based on your life experiences?

Are you able to volunteer a few hours a week?

Yes? We’d love to hear from you.

What is knus?

knus is the UK’s first free, confidential, mental health peer support and coaching online chat service. knus offers mental health educational plans, relaxation experiences and live workshops.

What does knus mean? 'hug' in Danish.

Here’s some further information on what’s needed:

Are you over 18 and living in the UK?

You must be over the 18 years of age and live permanently in the UK.

Do you have a laptop?

A laptop and a quiet space to volunteer is essential.

How much time can you give?

A minimum of 3+ hours per week is required. We are flexible and like to work around you.

Do you like to learn?

We provide training for all volunteers that join us. Our peer support training is CPD accredited.  20-25 hours of volunteering training is required and is self led online.

If you’re interested head over to our website and we can have a chat or apply here.

Please note - all successful volunteers are required to pay the cost price of £20.60 for an Enhanced DBS check.  If you've got a current Enhanced DBS on the update service, this cost will not apply.

You must be a UK resident to apply for this role.

Job Description

Volunteer monitoring work with the IMB gives you the opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives. You will listen to prisoners and people in immigration detention, talk to staff and see for yourself what is actually happening behind the walls.

The IMB is recruiting for new members at numerous prisons and at immigration detention centres across England and Wales, and at short term holding facilities across the UK.  We are looking for people who live within approximately 30 miles (or one hour) of their closest establishment and can commit the time to make 2 to 3 visits per month, although this may be slightly higher during the first year of training and this can be flexible depending on the needs of the Board and the individual. Please visit the IMB website for a full list of all locations we are recruiting to.

Who are the IMB?

We’re a group of ordinary members of the public, doing an extraordinary job. As a passionate, personable individual, you could join us in making a difference. In this unpaid role, you’ll volunteer your talent and time towards securing a decent day-to-day life for every prisoner and detainee. Under the guidance of dedicated mentors and an extensive training programme, you’ll commit to a flexible schedule of visits to a local establishment each month.  Although this is an unpaid role, we pay travel and subsistence expenses, childcare or carer costs and, in certain circumstances, contributions towards loss of earnings.  Your observations will have an impact as your Board reports its findings to Ministers in His Majesty’s Government. 

About the role

With unrestricted access to these unique environments, you’ll gain a rare insight into all aspects of life in custody. Impartial and highly influential, you can decide what shape your visits should take. As an independent monitor, you may spend time in a specific part of the establishment and choose to have your conversations with prisoners or detainees out of sight or hearing of a member of staff. As well as keeping a close eye on daily operations, you’ll play a crucial role in dealing with problems that arise. This could be in response to a confidential request to see a member of the IMB, or to observe the management of the more serious incidents that occur.

Why join us?

More than anything else, this is a rewarding opportunity that makes a real and meaningful difference to the lives of prisoners, detainees and our wider society. Ministers are obliged to respond to the issues raised in your Board’s report.  The environment may seem intimidating at first, but you will be fully supported through your training and accompanied during your visits until you feel ready to manage independently. This highly recognised and respected role could provide the experience that opens doors into other careers within the justice system.

Who are we looking for?

There is no one type of person who could be right for the IMB because it’s not about background or skillset. It’s about having the dedication and passion to ensure all people are being treated fairly. For that reason, we’re looking for individuals from all walks of life who will approach the role with no preconceptions. You will need to be willing to work within a challenging environment and have the confidence to report your findings to senior figures. Most importantly, you will be able to talk to people in a way that makes each prisoner or detainee feel respected and reassured.

Closing date for completed applications is 29 April 2024.

Visit our website for more information and to complete the online application form.   

Job Description

Volunteer monitoring work with the IMB gives you the opportunity to make a real difference to people’s lives. You will listen to prisoners and people in immigration detention, talk to staff and see for yourself what is actually happening behind the walls.

The IMB is recruiting for new members at numerous prisons and at immigration detention centres across England and Wales, and at short term holding facilities across the UK.  We are looking for people who live within approximately 30 miles (or one hour) of their closest establishment and can commit the time to make 2 to 3 visits per month, although this may be slightly higher during the first year of training and this can be flexible depending on the needs of the Board and the individual. Please visit the IMB website for a full list of all locations we are recruiting to.

Who are the IMB?

We’re a group of ordinary members of the public, doing an extraordinary job. As a passionate, personable individual, you could join us in making a difference. In this unpaid role, you’ll volunteer your talent and time towards securing a decent day-to-day life for every prisoner and detainee. Under the guidance of dedicated mentors and an extensive training programme, you’ll commit to a flexible schedule of visits to a local establishment each month.  Although this is an unpaid role, we pay travel and subsistence expenses, childcare or carer costs and, in certain circumstances, contributions towards loss of earnings.  Your observations will have an impact as your Board reports its findings to Ministers in His Majesty’s Government. 

About the role

With unrestricted access to these unique environments, you’ll gain a rare insight into all aspects of life in custody. Impartial and highly influential, you can decide what shape your visits should take. As an independent monitor, you may spend time in a specific part of the establishment and choose to have your conversations with prisoners or detainees out of sight or hearing of a member of staff. As well as keeping a close eye on daily operations, you’ll play a crucial role in dealing with problems that arise. This could be in response to a confidential request to see a member of the IMB, or to observe the management of the more serious incidents that occur.

Why join us?

More than anything else, this is a rewarding opportunity that makes a real and meaningful difference to the lives of prisoners, detainees and our wider society. Ministers are obliged to respond to the issues raised in your Board’s report.  The environment may seem intimidating at first, but you will be fully supported through your training and accompanied during your visits until you feel ready to manage independently. This highly recognised and respected role could provide the experience that opens doors into other careers within the justice system.

Who are we looking for?

There is no one type of person who could be right for the IMB because it’s not about background or skillset. It’s about having the dedication and passion to ensure all people are being treated fairly. For that reason, we’re looking for individuals from all walks of life who will approach the role with no preconceptions. You will need to be willing to work within a challenging environment and have the confidence to report your findings to senior figures. Most importantly, you will be able to talk to people in a way that makes each prisoner or detainee feel respected and reassured.

Closing date for completed applications is 29 April 2024.

Visit our website for more information and to complete the online application form.   

 Do you want to make a difference to a child or young person's life? Do you have 2 - 6 hours per month to spare? Are you 18+?

We require volunteers to mentor/befriend a child or young person in care.

Have fun, take a young people on outings and maybe share a hobby, sport or interest.  Offer support and a listening ear and be a positive influence in a young person's life and help build self-esteem and confidence.

We provide training and on going support and pay expenses to a set limit.

Please contact for more details

The Role:

With an ambitious development programme up and running, we need to expand our Trustee Board. This is an exciting opportunity to join us at a crucial time of growing demand for our services.

About Us:

Evolve Counselling is a long-established charitable social enterprise, providing low cost, affordable or funded mental health counselling to adults in mainly Cambridgeshire and surrounding counties. Our counselling community is made up of 50 – 60 qualified self-employed practitioners, working part-time. We deliver talking therapies to adults – online and in person. Our service delivers around 500 counselling sessions per month to a broad range of individuals, many of whom would not otherwise be able to access counselling support. Evolve also provides supervision, reflective practice, critical incident support, and mental health awareness and related training, to organisations and businesses large and small.

What We’re Looking For:

Our Trustee Board is currently drawn from the counselling and therapies community, plus commercial and other charity backgrounds. Now, with crucial development of the CIO ahead, we are looking for new members to expand the Board to its maximum ten places and to gain skills and insight from an equal, diverse and inclusive group that takes in business skills, knowledge of charities, and experience of not-for-profit finances to make growth plans a reality.

The Board will keep us on track with good governance through oversight of our work, and will also help our keen new CEO to secure a sound financial base from which to grow our operations to meet the ever-increasing demand for our services.

We welcome applications from individuals with backgrounds in any of the following areas:

• Business strategy and planning
• Commerce/industry
• Governance
• Working within the charity/CIO sector
• Financial management
• Legal expertise
• Data protection/GDPR knowledge
• Adherence to the Nolan Principles of Public Life

Do you enjoy organising things and making this happen?

Are you able to volunteer a few hours a week?

Yes? We’d love to hear from you.

We’re looking for a further 12 admin volunteers to help with our daily operations.  We have a variety of ways you can get involved:

• Responding to client requests and enquiries
• Managing and updating company databases
• Keeping track of partnership enquiries
• Maintaining internal, volunteer, and client records
• Drafting and mailing client correspondence and newsletters
• Organising events, scheduling meetings, and making travel arrangements
• Providing administrative support to other departments or projects as needed
• Performing other duties as agreed in advance

We’ve designed our volunteering programme to be flexible and adaptive to you.  All volunteering is 100% remote and you’re supported fully by our team.  You control what you do and how many hours per week you want to volunteer.  Some roles may require an Enhanced DBS check. If your application is successful, we will ask for a donation towards the cost of your enhanced DBS check if it's required for your role. This cost is £20.60.

Here’s some further information on what’s needed:

Are you over 18 and living in the UK?

You must be over the 18 years of age and live permanently in the UK.  You must be a UK resident to apply for this role.

Do you have a laptop?

A laptop and a quiet space to volunteer is essential.

How much time can you give?

A minimum of 3 hours per week is required. We are flexible and like to work around you.

Training

We provide CPD accredited training with 3 short courses needing to be completed prior starting your volunteer role.  After, you’ll have access to over 90 CPD accredited courses should you want to study further.

Amazing, giving, inspiring and awesome are just a few of the words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

We are looking for Peer Support Volunteers to support our East Kent Peer Support service. You will be based at Ashford and, ideally, you will be able to commit 3 hours per week to volunteering.

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. You can read more about the benefits of volunteering on the full advert on our website.

About the service and role

The East Kent Peer Support Service currently run group sessions for service users in Ashford, Dover and Folkestone.

The role of the Peer Support Volunteer is to provide additional support at our Peer Support group sessions.  This could be, for example, by empathising with potential clients about the difficulties that having a mental health problem can create, helping to set up the room, explaining the services that are on offer and how these can be accessed, putting people who are anxious at ease by welcoming them.

Our team is dedicated to delivering a high-quality service that focuses on supporting individuals to achieve their recovery goals. The aim is to improve the lives and support independence for those living with a mental illness. The team will engage with other local providers to ensure a clear and seamless pathway for those that require support from multiple providers.

What you will be doing as a Peer Support Volunteer

Peer Volunteering is an opportunity for people who have themselves used mental health services, to volunteer and support other people currently using mental health services. 

As a Peer Volunteer you will have lived experience of mental health and support service users on a wide range of non-complex issues that can be easily and quickly resolved. You will bring added skills and experience to our service and add real value to our team.

You will support the following people and teams:

• Potential clients
• Rethink Peer Support Workers
• Volunteers
• Members of the public
• Visitors and other organisations

The role will include the following:

• Support the Peer Support Workers to run the group sessions e.g. by helping to set up the room and by welcoming people
• Help to create a safe space where people can share as much or as little as they wish to about their experiences
• Foster the principles of co-production
• Work with other volunteers who support the service
• Signpost people to services in the local area that meets their needs
• Describe and explain services that are on offer from Rethink Mental Illness and other local community assets that can provide help and advice relevant to people's needs

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• As a Peer Volunteer you will have lived experience of mental health
• Able to support service users on a wide range of non-complex issues that can be easily and quickly resolved.
• You will bring added skills and experience to our service and add real value to our team.
• Ability to empathise with others
• Good communication skills
• Reliable and punctual

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”

Amazing, giving, inspiring and awesome are just a few of the words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

We are looking for Digital Mapping Volunteers to support our Derbyshire Recovery and Peer Support & Living Well services and network.  You will be residing within Derbyshire community or surrounding area and, ideally, you will be able to commit up to 3 hours per week to volunteering.

The aim of our Community Mapping project is to provide easily accessible information on locations of other services, groups and community resources / assets available to our wider network.

You will work closely with a network of'nomad' volunteers across Derbyshire.  Nomad volunteers collect local grass roots information on support, points of interest and community assets available in the community were they live.  

As a Digital Mapping Volunteer, you will support other 'nomad' volunteers by updating the local information they collect on our digital Community Mental Health Support Map.

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role.

About the service

Our Derbyshire services support people who are having difficulties with their mental health by offering targeted goal-focused support, developing peer support and volunteer opportunities across Derbyshire, and also peer support groups.

You can also find out more about our service on facebook  

What you will be doing as a Nomad Community Mapping Volunteer

The aim of our service Digital Mapping Volunteers is to update and maintain the Digital Mental Health Support Map.  As part of the team you will support:

• Liaising with Group Development Workers and Community Mapping Nomad Volunteers for mapping information

• Inputting up-to-date information into our digital online Community Map

• Network with other local services for updates and changes to community support

• Workshop and network ideas for improvement to the mapping service and user experience

• Source and identify online collaborations for expansion and improvements to the project

• Liaising with Group Development Workers, providing updates

• Organise and file information updates into our system

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• Excellent communication skills 
• Basic IT Knowledge
• Able to relate to people from all backgrounds and the ability to remain non-judgmental
• Understanding the importance of confidentiality
• Organisational skills
• Ability to provide feedback and work enthusiastically within a team
• Good local knowledge of mental health support

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”

We welcome applications from everyone, applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning+ (LGBTQ+), people with a disability, or those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are actively encouraged to apply. We are proud to have also been awarded Disability Confident employer status. We have an ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation and we recognise there is more to do in ensuring our recruitment is fair and inclusive, which is why we are recruiting new roles in helping us to achieve this.

Amazing, giving, inspiring and awesome are just a few of the words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

We are looking for Peer Group Facilitators (Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities) to support our Community Services in Bristol.

You will be based at St Pauls and, ideally will be able to commit one and a half hours per week to volunteering (14:30 to 16:00 on Wednesday's)

This role is dedicated to providing a safe space for people to discuss the impact of racism. You will be allowing the participants to lead the group and discuss change that could come about through different organisations - for example, how can organisations (mental health organisations/charities) change things to better support people.

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. You can read more about the benefits of volunteering on the full advert on our website.

About the service

Our service is dedicated to delivering a high-quality service that focuses on supporting individuals to achieve goals. The aim is to improve the lives and support independence for those living with a mental illness. The Bristol Services team includes a Service Manager, Recovery Coaches, a Digital Officer, a Group Development Coordinator, a Community Development Worker and a Peer and Volunteer Coordinator.

What you will be doing as a Peer Group Facilitator

• Engaging with group members
• Keeping the group focused
• Welcoming people into the space
• Facilitating the space and allowing participants to lead

What will make you a great fit for this role?

• Being non-judgmental and open minded
• Passionate about tackling racism
• Understanding the importance of confidentiality
• Being able to empathise

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”

We welcome applications from everyone, applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning+ (LGBTQ+), people with a disability, or those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are actively encouraged to apply. We are proud to have also been awarded Disability Confident employer status. We have an ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation and we recognise there is more to do in ensuring our recruitment is fair and inclusive, which is why we are recruiting new roles in helping us to achieve this.

Share Psychotherapy is a long-standing psychotherapy charity providing long term, low cost therapy. We specifically aim to help people who cannot afford or cannot access therapy elsewhere. If you would like to joinn our board and help to guide and grow the charity as we move into our next phase we would like to hear from you!

We are especially interested in hearing from people with clinical, therapeutic or safeguarding experience but are looking for people with experience & skills in any of the following:

• Fundraising 
• Service user involvement 
• Web design and digital marketing
• Management and business systems
• Clinical management - especially in mental health
• High-level psychotherapeutic skills and experience
• Accounting, Budget Management & Financial Risk management  

Share Psychotherapy is one of Sheffield’s leading mental health charities. Established for over 40 years we offer medium to long term therapy at nominal fees, primarily to people on low incomes. This therapy is delivered through a range of psychodynamic & creative modalities. We therefore work at the vital intersection of psychological distress & poverty in the city, providing high quality, long term therapy to people who could not otherwise obtain such help, especially those on low incomes. 

Our clients are often experiencing serious mental and emotional distress, through anxiety, depression, difficulty with relationships or traumatic life events.

We are part way through a change process at Share - developing and strengthening our clinical services, improving our administrative and business systems and strengthening our financial position. We want to build upon our position as a centre of excellence in psychotherapy and make an even bigger contribution to improving mental health in Sheffield.

Would you like to help us in this venture? We are looking for people with specialist skills who are willing to help in a voluntary capacity; either as a trustee on our board, or as a specialist volunteer contributing on a project basis. We are willing to consider a wide range of contributions.

Amazing, giving, inspiring and awesome are just a few of the words we would use to describe our volunteers.

Our volunteers play an integral part in the services we provide and the people we support. If you are looking for a rewarding role where you will really make a difference whilst gaining experience along the way, then join us here at Rethink Mental Illness.

About the role

We are looking for a Criminal Justice Volunteer (BME) to support our Bristol Community Service in Bristol. You will be based at St Pauls and, ideally, you will be able to commit one and a half hours per week to volunteering (14:30 to 16:00 on Tuesday's)

This group is a female only Black, Asian and minority ethnic criminal justice group aimed at women who have had experiences of racism in the criminal justice system. You will be facilitating the group and allowing the members to lead the conversation and speak about their experiences. Through facilitating the group, it is your responsibility to keep the conversation focused. You will also help the group to discuss changes that the members may want to see within the criminal justice system, and how this change can be implemented. Within this role, confidentiality is extremely important so you will be expected to share this value with the group.

You will receive training and regular supervision to ensure you feel confident in your role. You can read more about the benefits of volunteering on the full advert on our website.

About the service

Our service team is dedicated to delivering a high-quality service that focuses on supporting individuals to achieve goals. The aim is to improve the lives and support independence for those living with a mental illness. The Bristol Services team includes a Service Manager, Recovery Coaches, a Digital Officer, a Group Development Coordinator, a Community Development Worker and a Peer and Volunteer Coordinator.

What you will be doing as a Volunteer Group Facilitator Criminal Justice

· Keeping the group focused

· Remaining non-judgmental

· Comfortable engaging with women, provide a welcoming, authentic, and positive experience for all, being inclusive and embracing diversity

· Due to the nature of the group, you must identify as female to volunteer for this role

· Helping to set up the space and welcome people in

· Understand the importance of confidentiality

What will make you a great fit for this role?

· Passionate about the criminal justice system

· Passionate around tackling racism and inequality

· Experience of working in/facilitating a group

Who are we?

We’re Rethink Mental Illness, a leading charity provider of mental health services in England. We support thousands of people through our groups, services, policy, campaigns and advice and information. Our work supports us in delivering on our mission: “A better life for everyone severely affected by mental illness.”

We welcome applications from everyone, applicants with lived experience, those who are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning+ (LGBTQ+), people with a disability, or those from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are actively encouraged to apply. We are proud to have also been awarded Disability Confident employer status. We have an ambition of becoming an anti-racist organisation and we recognise there is more to do in ensuring our recruitment is fair and inclusive, which is why we are recruiting new roles in helping us