Mental health volunteer volunteer roles in manchester, greater manchester

Chatterbox Befrienders offer one-to-one telephone support and will call a client once a week offering companionship and a listening ear for an individual who might otherwise go unheard. Chatterbox volunteers befriend a variety of people including carers, socially isolated individuals who are struggling with loneliness, people with ill health and those that have been bereaved.

This role could be for you, if you:

• Would like to make a real difference in someone’s life
• Want to challenge loneliness and can commit to a weekly phone call
• Are a good listener
• Are empathetic, patient and of a caring nature
• Have good verbal and inter-personal communication skills
• Recognise the importance of confidentiality and can uphold this in practice
• Are committed to inclusion and treating people with dignity and respect

Requirements of a Befriender include:

• Calling your client once a week for a chat of up to 45 minutes; this is a 26 week initial commitment, at the end of which each client’s needs are reviewed
• Completing an online call log record promptly after each phone call
• Ensuring immediate contact with the Chatterbox Coordinators if you feel that the client might be a risk to themselves or others
• Liaising with the Chatterbox Coordinator on a regular basis regarding the service, as well as discussing personal learning and development needs
• Respecting service standards, appropriate boundaries and recognising the range of policies and procedures that impact on befriending vulnerable adults

Benefits of this role may include:

• Knowing you are making a difference to someone’s life
• Joining the Omega Team who are taking action against loneliness and isolation
• An opportunity to enhance your CV or learn new skills
• An opportunity to engage with your community

Support and training provided:

• Omega Chatterbox induction program
• Safeguarding training
• Ongoing support from Chatterbox Coordinators for all questions, concerns, and support
• Out of pocket expenses are reimbursed and a mobile phone can be provided if appropriate
• Monthly Befriender group support meetings via the Zoom app

Location of the role:

• Home-based

When are you needed:

• Provided on enquiry

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check is required for this role. If you have a criminal record this does not automatically prevent you from being considered as an Omega Chatterbox Befriender. We will take into account the nature of the offence, when it happened and whether it is relevant to the voluntary role. If you are shortlisted, this will be discussed with you during the recruitment process.

About Us

My Black Dog is a charity that offers anonymous, peer to peer mental health support through our web-chat service. We are committed to making a positive impact on mental health in the UK as we tackle an epidemic that millions of people face.

We were founded on the motto "talk to someone who gets it". We want to connect people who share lived experiences to provide an empathetic, non-judgmental space where everybody understands how it feels to experience mental health struggles.

Position Overview

Our web-chat service is run by our Volunteer Pack, each of whom have their own lived experience of mental health challenges. In addition, each shift has a 'Leader' and a 'Mentor'. These are Volunteers who carry out specific roles during the shift and, together, ensure its success:

• Leaders - Managers of the shift. There to ensure the shift runs as it should. They support and guide Volunteers through chats and follow safeguarding processes when an alert is raised. They escalate safeguarding alerts to the shift’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (a trained professional). They also complete a 'Shift Handover' document once the shift is completed.
• Mentors - There to support and guide Volunteers through chats. Will take over from the Leader if there are safeguarding issues that need the Leader's attention and/or if the Leader needs a break.

As My Black Dog looks to expand our opening hours, we are looking to recruit additional Leaders who can run shifts and provide cover when necessary.

Leaders will be assigned a shift based on your availability and preference. The expectation is that Leaders and Mentors will form a ‘pair’ and, together, will do one shift at the same time each week. This is to provide stability, predictability and to encourage community-building between Volunteers. Shifts are usually 3 hours long. We may ask you to cover another shift when we are short, but you will never do more than 6 hours per week.

Training will be provided and you will be supported on shift by a Designated Safeguarding Lead, who will manage all safeguarding issues.

The work you will do as Leaders will ensure we provide the best possible service to our Guests. You will also be helping our Volunteer Pack to do what we do best: helping those in need by speaking to someone who 'gets it'.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for people who have experienced their own journey with mental health and are in a strong position to support others. We ask that our Leaders:

• Are strongly committed to helping others
• Have experienced mental health issues in order to relate to those seeking help
• Are collaborative and enjoy working with others
• Are encouraging and supportive
• Are organised and can monitor several things at once
• Can remain calm and focused during busy times and when safeguarding alerts are raised
• Are 18 years and over 
• Can commit the time to a regular weekly shift

We are particularly interested in hearing from people who are available to run a shift on the following days/hours:

• Monday to Sunday, 5pm-7pm
• Thursday to Saturday, 7pm-10pm

Role Responsibilities

1. Supervise and support Volunteers whilst on shift with general enquiries, positive feedback and signposting.
2. Assist with general volunteering enquiries whilst on shift. Provide time for guidance, instruction and de-briefing for Volunteers if required.
3. Follow Leaders processes including unexpected absence reporting, Volunteer check-in and check-out, and completing Shift Handovers.
4. Monitor web-chat conversations and ensure all chats are tagged.
5. Maintain ability to listen, remain calm and provide intervention if necessary.
6. Be able to have difficult and often complex conversations about mental health, including Guests experiencing crisis and first-stage intervention support.
7. Work alongside the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) when safeguarding risks are identified.
8. Exercise discretion in handling confidential situations and information, conveying sensitive information in a timely manner to necessary individuals.
9. Provide written follow up of shifts via handover, ensuring all necessary information is handed over at the end of the shift.
10. Adhere to all standards, policies and procedures of My Black Dog.

Please note: An Enhanced DBS Certificate is required for this role. If you do not have one, My Black Dog will arrange the DBS Check for you.

www.myblackdog.co

Are you interested in facilitating a peer support group for people who are struggling with their mental health? We are looking for passionate volunteers to facilitate a weekly online or face-to-face group, to discuss topics relating to mental health. We are hoping to find someone who has either ‘lived experience’ of mental health issues and is now at a positive place with their own recovery or someone who has good knowledge of mental health and looking to support others.

We work with people who need support with their mental health across London and the South East. Our support ranges from registered accommodation services for people with severe mental health conditions to drop-in community and crisis services.

In the last year, 9,499 adults accessed Hestia’s mental health support.

We help people to feel safe, develop hope for a better future, and achieve their personal goals. These goals may include rebuilding relationships with family members and friends or connecting more with their local community.

What you will be doing

• Facilitating weekly peer support groups, covering topics related to mental health.
• To encourage participation and to provide focus and guidance for discussions within the group
• To negotiate/facilitate conflicts or disagreements that may arise during group meetings

The skills you need

• Strong listening and communication skills
• Ability to create and maintain a safe environment where the participants' thoughts and feelings are valued, and group members are treated with fairness, equity and respect
• Lived experience of mental health or desire to learn

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards, outings, celebration, and social events for our volunteers to get together and have some fun; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering.

We are seeking a creative and results-driven Social Media Volunteer to join our new community interest company. The ideal candidate will be responsible for developing and implementing effective social media strategies to enhance our online presence, engage with our audience, and promote our brand. This role requires a strong understanding of social media management and public relations, as well as the ability to create compelling content that resonates with our target market. We are also looking for someone who has a genuine interest in counselling, therapy or mental health.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and manage social media strategies across various platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
• Create engaging content tailored to different audiences and platforms, ensuring alignment with brand messaging.
• Monitor social media channels for trends, customer feedback, and engagement opportunities.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to integrate social media efforts with broader marketing campaigns.
• Analyse performance metrics to assess the effectiveness of social media initiatives and adjust strategies accordingly.
• Engage with followers by responding to comments and messages in a timely manner.
• Stay updated on industry trends and best practices in social media management and public relations.
• Assist in the development of public relations strategies that align with social media efforts.

Requirements

• Experience in social media management or a similar role is not essential, but we are looking for someone with genuine interest in developing their skills and abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with an eye for detail.
• Proficiency in using social media management tools and analytics platforms.
• Ability to work independently as well as collaboratively within a team environment.
• Creative thinking skills with the ability to generate innovative ideas for content creation.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines.

If you are passionate about social media and eager to make an impact through engaging content, we would love to hear from you!

We are looking for volunteers who can spend time with our clients  in and around Central London.  Meetings are  regular over a period of 6 months; weekly or fortnightly.  Many volunteers stay involved for much longer but only because they enjoy what they do! 

Befriending is a simple way to make a positive difference to someone who is lonely or socially isolated and your gift of time, will give them, and you, something to look forward to. As one of our volunteers once told us, “this is an easy, very meaningful way to help someone and is immensely rewarding and fun!”  

Your meetings could be in the local community, having chats in a coffee shop, visiting places of interest, or in our client’s home; all activities are risk assessed so what you do together will depend on the results of this, and / orour clients abilities and interests. Most of our clients are older 1st and 2nd generation Scots living in London who simply want to do the activities that most of us take for granted but have no-one to do them with.

ScotsCare works across London and beyond so we're looking for volunteers who live in the area or can travel to the following areas; Lambeth, Islington, Camden, central London and Broxbourne EN10. We may have clients in more locations so please contact us to learn more if you want to be involved in this rewarding and impactful activity. 

We provide training before you start, ongoing support once you are matched, out of pocket expenses, references, social events and newsletters to keep you informed.

This could be the ideal opportunity to gain practical experience of working with adults in a health and social care setting, or for anyone who enjoys meeting new people and making their lives a little brighter. 

Please note, this is an unpaid voluntary role and applicants must be living in or around the London area. 

Please contact us for more information, and a very warm welcome!

Skills & Characteristics Required for Befriending are:

• English spoken, good communication skills for listening and talking 
• Friendly, warm, non-judgemental 
• Honesty, reliable and committment to helping others
• Empathy and patience
• An ability to follow policies and procedures

We will process a DBS check for all successful applicants and request two references.

We are seeking a finance volunteer to support our charity’s financial operations. This role offers an excellent opportunity to gain experience in charity finance while contributing to a meaningful cause.

We’re a small charity with an income of around £140,000, which comes from individual donations and grants. While we currently have a part-time bookkeeper and a volunteer finance director, we’d love to have some support with some or all of the following tasks.

What impact will they have?

Your support will help us reach more women seeking mental health support via our 1-1 counselling services.

About the volunteer

Description

We are looking for a volunteer who can support us in creating:

· Monthly management accounts (essential)

· Budget for the year, including forecasting

· Prepping for grants, such as answering questions for elements of grant applications

· Preparing quarterly board reports

· Planning for different financial scenarios and forecasting

· Costing charitable activities

· Has good communication and organisation skills

· Understands the resource constraints of a small charity and is able to work with these.

Skills

· Financial management skills, as listed in the description

· Has relevant charity experience and recognised training qualification, with professional bodies such as ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant) or ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).

We are seeking a finance volunteer to support our charity’s financial operations. This role offers an excellent opportunity to gain experience in charity finance while contributing to a meaningful cause.

We’re a small charity with an income of around £140,000, which comes from individual donations and grants. While we currently have a part-time bookkeeper and a volunteer finance director, we’d love to have some support with some or all of the following tasks.

What impact will they have?

Your support will help us reach more women seeking mental health support via our 1-1 counselling services.

About the volunteer

Description

We are looking for a volunteer who can support us in creating:

· Monthly management accounts (essential)

· Budget for the year, including forecasting

· Prepping for grants, such as answering questions for elements of grant applications

· Preparing quarterly board reports

· Planning for different financial scenarios and forecasting

· Costing charitable activities

· Has good communication and organisation skills

· Understands the resource constraints of a small charity and is able to work with these.

Skills

· Financial management skills, as listed in the description

· Has relevant charity experience and recognised training qualification, with professional bodies such as ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant) or ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).

Are you a Ukrainian speaker looking for a meaningful way to give back to your community?
We invite you to become a volunteer for our Talking Bubble Project!

Many older adults and vulnerable individuals in the UK’s Ukrainian-speaking community experience loneliness and isolation. By offering just a small amount of your time each week, you can make a big difference—providing companionship and a friendly voice in their native language.

What is the Talking Bubble Project?

☎︎ A phone-based service that connects volunteers with individuals who may feel isolated or lonely. Through regular phone calls, you’ll have the opportunity to build friendships, brighten someone’s day, and provide emotional support—especially for those who feel more at ease speaking Ukrainian.

Why volunteer with us?

✔ Support members of the Ukrainian-speaking community in the UK
✔ Make a meaningful impact on someone’s life
✔ Enjoy flexible volunteering hours
✔ Receive training, ongoing support, and a reference upon completion
✔ Enhance your own sense of fulfilment and purpose

What’s required?

✔ Completion of an online Safeguarding Adults Level 2 training
✔ A DBS check (both fully funded by the organisation)
✔ A kind, compassionate approach and willingness to engage in friendly conversations

How to get involved:

Apply through the CharityJob website—no previous experience needed.
This opportunity is open to UK residents only.

Help us bring connection and kindness to the Ukrainian-speaking community across the UK!

Brave Core Counselling is a values-driven counselling service offering inclusive, trauma-informed support for individuals navigating life's challenges. We are a small, heart-centred organisation committed to promoting emotional wellbeing and mental health awareness.

We are currently seeking a passionate and proactive Volunteer Director of Fundraising to help secure essential funding through grant writing and creative fundraising strategies. This role is key to helping us sustain and expand our therapeutic services.

Responsibilities

• Research and identify suitable grant opportunities, trust funds, and community funding streams.

• Write compelling, values-aligned funding proposals and grant applications.

• Develop and implement a fundraising strategy aligned with Brave Core’s mission and goals.

• Build relationships with potential funders, sponsors, and supporters.

• Explore and implement other fundraising avenues (e.g. crowdfunding campaigns, donor outreach).

• Keep accurate records of applications submitted and track outcomes.

• Stay informed about developments in the mental health charity funding landscape.

Requirements

• Experience in fundraising, bid writing, or grant applications is highly desirable, but not essential—we welcome motivated learners.

• Strong writing and research skills with attention to clarity, tone, and impact.

• Organised, self-motivated, and able to manage deadlines effectively.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a collaborative, mission-driven team.

• Alignment with Brave Core’s values of compassion, inclusivity, and integrity.

• A genuine interest in mental health, counselling, or community-based support work.

Benefits

• Gain valuable experience in nonprofit fundraising and strategy.

• Be part of a supportive and purpose-led organisation.

• Contribute to making mental health support more accessible and sustainable.

• Receive mentorship and a reference for your contribution.

• Work remotely and flexibly.

Shout is the UK’s only free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope. When people text 'Shout' to 85258, they are connected to a Shout Volunteer for a text conversation. Our volunteers provide a safe space for people to share what's causing them distress, while showing warmth and compassion.

Tasks and Responsibilities

If your application is successful, you’ll be enrolled in a training group. New groups start every two weeks.

Shout Volunteers receive 25 hours of free training in communication, listening, managing and assessing risk, and problem solving. The training is self-paced and done online. You’ll learn how to bring people in distress to a place of calm and practice skills that will be useful to you throughout life.

As we are investing in you throughout your time with us, our hope is that you will complete the training in a timely manner and look at this as a longer term commitment. The experience you gain over time is valuable and our goal is to have volunteers commit to 200 hours on the platform, which can take up to two years to complete, as we ask you to take one 2-4 hour shift per week. 

Our Volunteer Training Support team is here to support you, answer any questions and provide feedback during training and throughout your time with Shout. You’ll be joining an incredibly supportive volunteer community and have access to the resources you need to do your role.

As a volunteer, you’ll be supporting people in distress, so it’s important we see the skills required to do that while you are in training. While most trainees complete the training and go on to volunteer, not everyone will pass the training. If this happens, there are other ways you can still support us.

Selection Criteria

A Shout Volunteer is kind and compassionate, a good listener, and has the ability to remain calm when supporting people in crisis. You will also:

• Understand the difference between being friendly and being a friend

• Be aware of your own mental health and wellbeing

• Be open-minded

• Be supportive

• Be reliable

• Be discreet and able to respect confidentiality at all times

• Be accepting and non-judgemental

• Be passionate about contributing some of your time to a cause such as Shout

• Adopt a growth mindset, and be willing to accept feedback

Requirements

• You must live in the United Kingdom or New Zealand while volunteering. 
• You must be over 18 years of age.
• You will need a reliable internet connection and a private place to take your shift.
• All of your volunteering must be done using a laptop or desktop computer and Google Chrome.

It’s worth spending time thinking about the nature of the role, and whether it’s right for you. We support all texters, regardless of race, religion, sexual identity or issue. You will need to be comfortable addressing topics frequently discussed with texters (suicide, self-harm, depression, etc.) without compromising your own mental health. 

Before you apply, please consider whether either of the following applies to you:

• Have you recently experienced grief, loss or change issue/s? For example; someone close to you has been ill or has died, you’ve lost your job, your relationship has ended.

• Is your current mental health and wellbeing in a place such that the stress and pressure of listening to the challenges of others would bring additional burden to you personally?

Benefits to Volunteers

The role is rewarding and can save lives. Shout Volunteers tell us they gain a sense of pride, satisfaction and purpose from taking conversations. They also tell us that their own wellbeing increases, they learn valuable skills and gain experience they can use at work and in their personal lives.

Volunteering can also be a great addition to your CV. You do not need to have any past experience in mental health to be a Shout Volunteer - we’ll provide you with all the training and support you need to do the role.

Application Process

You will need to create your account and fill in the application using a laptop or desktop computer and in a Google Chrome browser. This is a standard requirement for all of our systems at Shout, from the application through to the platform.

You should leave up to an hour to complete the form. As Shout is a text based service and we do not conduct in person interviews for our volunteer candidates what you write in your application and the strength of your references are how we get to know you. 

We appreciate when candidates take the time to write thoughtful, considered answers. We recommend you review your application with an eye toward things like spelling, grammar and punctuation. While some of our texters will occasionally reach out using more informal text speak, our volunteers respond in full sentences and double check their messages for accuracy before hitting send. 

Your application will be reviewed once we have received responses from both of your references. We ask for a personal reference and a professional reference. The personal reference can be a friend or colleague but the other must be someone who knows you professionally or has supervised you in some way. 

This could be a manager or supervisor from where you work or a teacher or educator from where you study. We recommend you choose references who are able to speak to your ability to fulfil the selection criteria outlined above.

We do not accept references from family members. This includes your partner or their relatives, your children, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents or godparents. 

Please allow up to a month for us to review your application and return a decision. 

If your application is approved, you can book your place on training. Training groups usually start every two weeks and spaces are available to book a couple of months ahead. While you are in training and before you are allowed on the platform we will carry out a background check.

Are you an enthusiastic and skilled funding grant writer? Be a part of our small but committed team as a pro-active grant writer volunteer for a small national charity supporting people affected by a debilitating pain condition.

We are looking for 2 skilled grant writer volunteers who can take the lead in researching appropriate funds and writing grant bids to help us continue offering our support services and resources and helping us create new programmes and services to support patients and their families who have been affected by a poorly understood chronic condition; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

As our Grant Writer you will be responsible for identifying appropriate grant opportunities, and managing the grant development and proposal process from research to submitting grant applications with any supporting documents.

As our grant writer, you will:

• Identify appropriate sources of funding where we fit their criteria 
• Write appropriately tailored grant/funding bids that meet funders’ interests and requirements and to write any additional documents in support of funding bids
• Help develop a Trusts and Foundations strategy to help create and maintain strong and diverse income that meets Burning Nights CRPS Support’s funding needs
• Create a calendar of grant deadlines and track submitted funding proposals
• Help us develop a case for support 
• Report on grant usage and impact
• Review all grant/bid feedback and ensure knowledge is shared, so that learning informs us for future approaches to grants

If you are an experienced grant writer or you just enjoy researching and persuasive writing then we would love to hear from you.

We are looking for a volunteer who has:

• Experience of being a grant writer, project proposal writer and editing skills
• Excellent writing, analytical, and research skills are essential
• Creative and persuasive written and spoken communication skills 
• Self-motivated and highly-organised
• Ability to work remotely
• Ability to search online databases and other sources to identify appropriate funds
• Ability to understand and appeal to funders’ differing needs
• Ability to organise your own work, track and report back regularly 
• Experience setting up funding email templates (desirable)
• Ability to quickly understand the needs of our organisation  and our service users
• Understands the resource constraints of a small charity and can work with these
• Open to feedback
• Ideally have good network with people, organisations and charities which can help us to support our projects
• Determination to get the job done

Skills

• Project proposal writing
• Grant writing and knowledge of charity grant giving culture
• Good networking skills and contacts with grant giving organisation
• Marketing and communications
• Content writing and story-telling
• Good online fundraising skills
• Good editing and proof reading skills and attention to detail
• Team player who is comfortable working with various volunteers within Burning Nights CRPS Support to collate information required to write funding applications

If you don't have the exact experience, but are interested to volunteer with us, please apply! We would be thrilled to find out about how your interests and experience match with our needs or what we are doing.

Other Information

This role is done remotely using Zoom, Slack and email. You would be working closely with the charity’s Chair and with other trustees. However we would have regular updates and remote meetings as needed so we know you are getting the support you need.

We have an induction process that will help successful applicant to understand how our Charity operates and full support of all our volunteers.

Minimum of 3-6 hours per week for this role

Ideal commitment of 3 months or more (but not specific)

Are you a Pashto speaker looking for a meaningful way to give back to your community?
We invite you to become a volunteer for our Talking Bubble Project!

Many older adults and vulnerable individuals in the UK’s Pashto-speaking community experience loneliness and isolation. By giving just a small amount of your time each week, you can make a big difference — offering companionship and a friendly voice in their native language.

� What is the Talking Bubble Project?

☎️ A phone-based service that connects volunteers with individuals who may feel isolated or lonely. Through regular calls, you’ll help build friendships, brighten someone’s day, and offer emotional support — especially for those more comfortable speaking Pashto.

� Why volunteer with us?

✔ Support members of the Pashto-speaking community in the UK
✔ Make a real difference in someone’s life
✔ Enjoy flexible volunteering hours
✔ Receive training, ongoing support, and a reference upon completion
✔ Boost your own sense of fulfilment and purpose

✅ What’s required?

✔ Completion of online Safeguarding Adults Level 2 training
✔ A DBS check (both fully funded by us)
✔ A kind and compassionate approach, and a willingness to engage in friendly conversations

� How to get involved:

Apply through the CharityJob website — no previous experience needed.
This opportunity is open to UK residents only.

Help us bring connection and kindness to the Pashto-speaking community across the UK!

Meditation can give us a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both our emotional wellbeing and overall health. Do you have experience in delivering meditation sessions and would like to give back your time to support people in crisis?

The hustle and bustle of everyday life can leave us feeling tired and burnt out. People in our services are feeling this more than ever and would benefit from learning mindfulness techniques and strategies. It is important for us to pay more attention to the present moment, our own thoughts, feelings and the world around us as it is known to support and improve our mental wellbeing, sleep, and increase our overall happiness.

What you will be doing

• Facilitate a weekly online meditation session in a small group
• Plan each session and identify any items needed for the Meditation sessions.
• Lead on the logistics and set up of the session alongside the staff team.
• Inspire and motivate people using the services to attend.
• Keep a record of attendees, provide feedback, and report any concerns to the staff team.

The skills you need

• Have an interest in quizzes
• Ability to provide a supportive, and inclusive atmosphere that encourages learning and participation
• Good communication skills
• Calm and patient approach

What's in it for you

• Supporting You - You will have a dedicated volunteer supervisor to support you in your role; Quarterly volunteer forums with the central Volunteering team and volunteers across Hestia; References for job applications
• Developing You - You will gain knowledge and insight into issues that impact Domestic Abuse, Modern Slavery and Mental Health; You will have access to our extensive Learning and Development Programme; 40% of our departed volunteers secured a paid role at Hestia last year!
• Valuing You - We hold annual Volunteer Awards and Celebration events; We reimburse travel expenses and up to £5 for lunch for your volunteering; We hold social events and outings for our volunteers to get together and have some fun

Will you share your counselling or psychotherapy skills as a child & young person's (CYP) counsellor or therapist to join an online counselling service for young patients with a pain condition (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)? We’re supporting patients, relatives, partners and carers affected by a debilitating condition; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).

We're looking for qualified paediatric/child & young person counsellors, psychotherapists or psychologists ideally with some experience of working with chronic pain patients, who may want to volunteer their skills supporting our young service users and help develop a psychological support service. 

As a Volunteer Child/Young Person's Counsellor/Therapist you’ll be providing remote online counselling/therapy support services to young people aged 5 to 18 who are vulnerable, many of whom are isolated and in need of mental health services. You’ll be providing one-to-one counselling sessions online or by phone. With your recognised counselling qualifications and experience you will be an asset to our small charity and to our young services users. We will also consider therapists who are in need of a placement.

Depending on your qualifications, skills and experience, volunteer child counsellors / therapists provide person centred counselling (general talking counselling), integrative, pluralistic including or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), ACT and EMDR for young CRPS patients.

We are needing to expand this service to support our young clients as it has rapidly received a high number of referrals. People can be referred both by health or legal professionals as well as having parents/guardians referring them to the service.

In this role you’ll be able to develop your paediatric counselling skills, organisation, communication and team working skills. If you have experience in younger children please do get in touch.

Most importantly you’ll be providing essential services that help make sure no one has to face CRPS alone. Be the hope for CRPS.

What the role involves

This role may vary depending on needs, but is likely to include:

• Undertake a child client assessments, followed by therapy (via Zoom or phone) to our clients, offering up to 20 one hour (or 45 mins age dependant) sessions for each client plus 4 assessments

• Providing one-to-one therapy sessions to young patients aged 5-18 (we will consider therapists who can only support primary or secondary school age)

• Update our database with the client’s basic information and session attendance

• Maintain succinct, relevant session notes and store these securely

• Attending and participating in meetings
• Project monitoring, creating, reporting and outcomes evaluation procedures

• Attend CPD training to ensure your knowledge stays current

• Participating in regular meetings with the Clinical Lead
• Maintaining client confidentiality, upholding data protection and equal opportunities principle

• Attend monthly internal group Supervision to ensure safe working practices

We can support you to develop the skills you need for this role, including an induction. You will have a chance to discuss your role and any additional needs with us.

What you need for this role

Essential

• Be a member of one of the recognised organisations (see below)
• Level 4 Diploma level qualifications as a minimum, Degree or Masters in Paediatric Counselling, Counselling/Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, Play Therapy, Dance & Movement Psychotherapy or Art Therapy 
• Minimum of 100 hours supervised
• Proof of professional indemnity insurance annually - we may consider paying this as an expense but commitment to the charity is required
• A valid DBS certificate (enhanced version), which is less than three years old and renewed every three years (the charity can provide where necessary)
• Able to keep people’s personal data safe

• Willing and able to provide counselling via Zoom from a private location with a stable WiFi connection

• Able to support a minimum of 2 child or young clients a week, being two hours of your time for counselling sessions plus time for administration. We ideally hope you to offer the charity a commitment of six months.

Desirable

• Personal or professional Knowledge or experience of chronic pain or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Previous experience as a chronic pain or CRPS paediatric counsellor or psychologist 
• Committed to our values
• Willing to develop skills and experience
• Enjoy working as part of a team
• Effective administration skills, planning and organisation skills
• Approachable, presentable, enthusiastic

We welcome trained paediatric counsellors, child therapists and counselling/clinical psychologists who are willing to give their time to support our valuable work.

Once we’ve assessed your application, you may be invited for interview. If you are successful, we will arrange for you to have an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service DBS or Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check.

Recognised Organisations

• British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP)
• British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (BABCP)
• Complimentary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
• General Hypnotherapy Register (GHR)
• British Society for Clinical Hypnotherapists (BSCH)
• National Council for Hypnotherapists (NCH)
• United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
• The National Hypnotherapy Society (HS)
• National Counselling Society (NCS)
• Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC)
• The Association for Professional Hypnosis and Psychotherapy (APHP)
• National Register of Hypnotherapists & Psychotherapists (NRHP)

Making a difference

What impact will the opportunity have?

You will join the charity during a critical and challenging period as the service is rapidly expanding and your expert knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our success. You will have a key role in not only developing a counselling service for younger clients but also ensure we provide counselling services and mental health support to our young child CRPS patients who are in need of our support and inclusion on a regular basis. With your help we will expand our support and mental health services to ensure our service users receive mental health support that they may not have been offered.

What's in it for you as the volunteer? 

You would be a part of our small, friendly, forward-thinking charity team, focused on reaching people affected by this rare, painful and debilitating chronic pain condition and to provide them with psychological support whether they are patients, their partner, relatives, friends or carers. As this service is continually developing, you would have a key role in developing a young person counselling programme and to complement our support services that we offer. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a real difference in a child's life which is already isolated and painful, who may not have received any psychological support.