Patient support volunteer volunteer volunteer roles in Belfast

Behçet’s Disease is an auto-immune disorder which is incurable but can be managed by specialist consultants. It is very rare and can affect any part of the body. It often takes years to diagnose and can be debilitating to the patient. 

Behçet’s Patients Centres (BPC), a charitable company, was formed in 2011 to provide the specialist, multi disciplinary care for patients.

We are seeking to recruit a Finance Director to our Board in order to both increase our experience and skills base and to facilitate effective succession management. This is a volunteer role that offers rewarding experience and the chance to make a difference in the lives of those who are affected by this rare condition.

This is a highly autonomous role that will make a big difference to the Board of Directors and their purpose to provide a service to one of the rarest patient groups in England. We’re looking for someone who can come in and help us build on our achievements and do things even better. You will be responsible for the financial management of the charitable company to ensure we successfully deliver our contractual commitments and thus influence the future of our funding, (we have a contract which runs until March 2028). You will play an important role as a member of the Board of Directors, ensuring they are guided by your financial expertise. This will involve preparing budgets; paying salaries and finances owing to HMRC and invoicing the NHS. We also work collaboratively with Behçet’s UK, the registered charity for patients with Behçet’s Disease and you’ll be building relationships with that charity. 

The time commitment for this role is around 2 to 3 days per month on average, with extra time needed around budgeting and year end accounts. 

Experience Required:

• Proven management and leadership skills
• Proven financial skills in budget preparation and management
• Proven communication skills
• Awareness of both Charity and Data Protection Law
• Computer literate in use of Microsoft products
• Experience of contract performance management
• Flexibility of working hours to attend quarterly Director meetings and the Behçet’s UK Annual Conference

Qualifications Required:

• Educated to degree level or equivalent financial experience. 
• Preferably a qualification with CIMA, ACA or ACCA (or working towards) 
• A UK driving licence and the ability to travel 
• A clean Disclosure & Barring Services check will be undertaken 

· Do you have liver disease or had a liver transplant?

· Have you attended either our virtual or face to face support groups?

·  Do you have some free time to support a someone at the beginning of their journey?

· Are you a good listener and empathetic to others affected by liver disease.

· Are you passionate about making a difference to liver health?

If so, we would love to hear from you.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Working alongside your allocated outreach development officer in the facilitation of British Liver Trust patient support groups

2. Setting up and facilitating both online and face to face support groups as agreed with your allocated outreach development officer.

3. Act as a point of contact for patients attending your allocated support groups.

4. Engaging with patients and families affected by liver disease through peer mentoring to inspire hope, build confidence and help people self- manage their condition.

5. Acting as a peer mentor supporting new individuals who are joining our support services.

Do you live within 10 miles of Antrim Area Hospital?

We’re currently looking for Companion Volunteers at Antrim Area Hospital. You don’t need medical experience or all the answers, just a kind heart, a listening ear, and a little time to give. Be there when it matters most and make a real difference by supporting patients who may simply need someone by their side.

Availability: Up to 3 hours per week - flexible to suit

Time: Mornings, afternoons or evenings

Criteria: Minimum 18 years or older

What you’ll do: 

• Visit different patients at Antrim Area Hospital, Bush Road, Antrim BT41 2RL
• Each visit may be with a different person, offering variety and new conversations
• Share a cup of tea, a chat, or simply quiet companionship to patients who are anxious or offer a break for families
• Be there when family members cannot, outside of normal visiting hours

You’d be a great fit if you’re:

• Caring and compassionate nature
• Patience and good listening skills
• Comfortable with sensitive topics, such as death, dying and bereavement
• Comfortable with email and completing a brief visit report
• Respectful of boundaries and confidentiality

What you’ll gain:

• A sense of meaning and purpose
• Thorough training and continued support
• A friendly network of volunteers
• Recognition for your time
• Travel expenses covered

Kindness doesn’t have to be big to be life changing.

Are you interested in communication? Have you got experience of using Mailchimp? Help us engage our charity's audience by creating compelling email and newsletter content so that we can support more people affected by a complex, debilitating chronic condition as well as raise awareness of this rare disease. This is a great opportunity to assist a small but mighty charity.

Description

Our small charity delivers awareness campaigns and a range of support services to patients, relatives, partners and carers who have been affected by a debilitating chronic condition; Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). We are urgently looking for 2 experienced email marketing volunteers to join our communications team.

You will be a big link to our charity's clients who are vulnerable and isolated, to them learning more about events, our latest articles, fundraising events as well as ensuring they are aware of the services that we offer that be of help to them. You will also be helping us to raise awareness of this devastating chronic condition.

Even though we are a small organisation we have big ideas and having regular contact through emails and newsletters will show consistency and know they can rely on us to be there for them.

We would like the volunteer to help with:

• Email content: Develop our communication & marketing content calendar, write compelling regular email content, including calls for donations & support, that is relevant and has clear a call-to-action and high click through rates;
• Email content (membership): Create a regular email newsletter for our membership scheme
• Create a number of automated email series - for donors, members, fundraisers and more
• Newsletter strategy: Help us plan and articulate how we can use emails and newsletters to strengthen our organisation, motivate our supporters and communicate with our sponsors;
• Design and implement campaigns and promotional activity

What are you looking for in a volunteer?

We are looking for 2 volunteers who have:

• Strong writing and editing skills
• Good communicator
• Good computer skills and a willingness to be contacted via email and/or video chat
• Experience using email marketing software - specifically Mailchimp
• Marketing skills
• Experience of working on marketing strategies
• Ability to quickly understand the needs of our team, organisation and our services users (we are not expecting you to know about the condition we support)
• Can ask key questions to enable us to clarify requirements
• Understands the resource constraints of a small charity and is able to work with these
• Open to feedback
• A passion for marketing and email marketing
• Ability to work flexibly on your own or as part of a team with enthusiasm and commitment
• Ability to create email campaigns with little supervision (after initial support)

Skills

• Digital: Email Marketing
• Marketing and communications: Copywriting/Journalism

Making a difference

What impact will the opportunity have?

You will be joining a small charity during a challenging period and your expert knowledge and experience will be invaluable to our success. You will have a key role in ensuring we reach the patients, relatives, partners and carers who are in need of our support and inclusion on a regular basis. With your help we will expand our readership to ensure more people are aware of this condition, which will help those affected by it when they see a health professional.

What's in it for the volunteer?

You would be a part of our small, friendly, forward-thinking charity team, focused on reaching more people affected by this rare condition who may not know that we exist to support them. You would have a key role in developing a strategy to complement our awareness campaigns. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a real difference in someone’s life which is already isolated and painful, but who may not know there is support out there and to then realise they’re not alone.

About the location

Where will the volunteer be working?

The volunteer will be working remotely, online and entirely from your own home.

Travel Limit

This role will be completely remote.

When will the volunteer be working?

Volunteer availability

• Either in or office hours - however we are flexible

Estimate the time commitment

• 3-6 hours / week - but this is flexible however ideally it would be 4 hours or over to ensure email campaigns are going out at the right time

To apply for the email marketing volunteer please send by email your CV together with a covering letter saying why you think you would be a good candidate for this position, via the Charity Job 'Apply Online' 

Will you share your counselling or psychotherapy skills as a counsellor or therapist to join an online counselling service for patients and families affected by a chronic pain condition (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome)?

We're looking for 3 qualified counsellors, psychotherapists or psychologists volunteers ideally with some experience of working with chronic pain patients or lived experience of chronic illness, who may want to volunteer their skills supporting our adult service users (aged 18 & over) and help us to continue developing a mental health support service. 

As a Volunteer Counsellor/Therapist you’ll be providing remote counselling/therapy support services to adults aged 18 and over many of whom are isolated and in need of mental health services. You’ll be providing one-to-one counselling/therapy sessions online via Zoom or by phone. With your recognised counselling qualifications and experience you will be an asset to our small charity and to our services users.  

Depending on your qualifications, skills and experience, our volunteer counsellors / therapists provide person centred counselling (general talking counselling) or integrative counselling, or specialist services such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), ACT, CFT and EMDR for CRPS patients, or their families & close relatives.

People will be referred both by health or legal professionals as well as having patients and carers themselves referring into to the service.

In this role you’ll be able to develop your counselling and therapy skills, organisation, communication and team working skills.

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 client assessments following triage by Clinical Lead, followed by counselling / therapy (via Zoom or phone) to our clients, offering up to 20 sessions for each client plus a check in and 4 psychometric assessments

• Providing one-to-one counselling sessions to clients aged 18 & over

• Update our database with the client’s information, sessional notes and session attendance

• Maintain succinct, relevant session notes and store these confidentially and securely in acccordahce with GDPR

• Attending and participating in monthly group supervision support of 1.5 hours a month

• Attend CPD training to ensure your knowledge stays current

• Participating in volunteer meetings
• Maintaining client confidentiality, upholding data protection and equal opportunities principles

We can support you to develop the skills you need for this role, including a full induction. You will have a chance to discuss your role and any additional needs with us. We can offer you a supervisor as well as expenses for annual insurance and an external supervisor if required.

What you need for this role

Essential

• Be a member (including student membership) of one of the recognised membership organisations (see below)
• Level 4 Diploma level qualifications as a minimum (unfortunately no students at this time), Degree or Masters in Counselling, Counselling/Clinical Psychology, Psychotherapy, Art Therapy, EMDR 
• 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 3 clients a week, being three hours of your time for therapy sessions plus time for administration and attending group supervision for 1.5 hours a month. We ideally hope you to offer the charity a minimum commitment of six months.

Desirable

• Knowledge of chronic pain or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
• Previous experience as a chronic pain or CRPS 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

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 You Must Be A Member of:

• British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP)
• British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapists (BABCP)
• EMDR Association UK
• Complimentary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC)
• British Psychological Society
• 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 where referrals are on the rise 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 our clients but also ensure we provide counselling services and mental health support to our CRPS patients & their families 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 rapidly expanding, you would have a key role in developing our counselling and psychotherapy programme and to complement our support services that we offer. This is a fantastic opportunity for you to make a real difference in our clients' life which is already isolated and painful, who may not have received any psychological support.

Befriending Volunteer 

Would you like to offer companionship to someone who feels lonely, help them rebuild confidence, reconnect with their community, or simply brighten their week with a friendly chat? 

What do Befriending Volunteers do?

Our volunteers support older people (50+) who may be feeling lonely, isolated, or cut off from their usual activities. Volunteers help clients rebuild confidence, reconnect socially, and enjoy meaningful conversation. 

Support can take different forms depending on the client’s needs: 

Short-term Face-to-Face Support (up to 6 months) 

• Visiting someone regularly to help them work towards personal goals 

• Encouraging confidence to get out and about again 

• Supporting them to re-engage with interests, community groups, or social activities 

Long-term Befriending (for those most isolated) 

• Providing stable, ongoing social support 

• Regular facetoface or telephone companionship 

• Building a consistent and trusting relationship 

National Telephone Befriending 

• Offering friendly conversation over the phone 

• Providing regular social contact for people unable to meet in person 

This is a rewarding and varied volunteer role where every person you meet will be different — and you’ll have the chance to make a meaningful difference to their wellbeing. 

What you will get out of it

• A chance to support older people and make a real positive impact 

• A meaningful role where relationships grow and confidence returns 

• Opportunities to meet new people and experience new things 

• Being part of Age UK Buckinghamshire’s volunteer team 

• Full training, ongoing support, and guidance from your Outreach Support Worker 

Our volunteers tell us they find befriending incredibly fulfilling and often get as much from the relationship as the client does 

What is expected of me?

• We will talk you through each potential match before you decide to take it on 

• Most volunteers commit around 1–2 hours a week 

• Shortterm matches typically last up to 6 months; longterm befriending is ongoing 

• Time may be spent visiting someone at home, accompanying them to a local activity, or chatting with them by phone 

• Volunteers complete a short online training program and provide references 

• A DBS check will be required (provided at no cost) 

Who can volunteer?

If you are warm, friendly, patient, and enjoy chatting with people, this could be the role for you. You do not need any formal qualifications, just a desire to support someone who is feeling vulnerable or alone. 

At One Degree, our mentors, ambassadors, and teachers are more than just volunteers—they’re lifelines for students often overlooked in their schools and communities. By offering direction, encouragement, and a sense of possibility, our volunteers transform lives while experiencing the profound reward of making a real, tangible impact.

Most of our mentors are young professionals, bringing passion, patience, and empathy to help GCSE/Year 11 students (ages 15–16) navigate their challenges. These volunteers serve as role models, guiding students who might otherwise feel left behind toward brighter futures.

To foster meaningful connections and provide continuity, we ask volunteers to commit to at least three in-person or online sessions per year. This ensures students build trust and form bonds with the people dedicated to helping them succeed.

Join us and be the difference that changes a life.

What time commitments are required?

Preparation

1. Mentor registration (2 minutes)
2. Online mentor training course (30 minutes)
3. Online safeguarding course (30 minutes)
4. Online DBS/CRB (Criminal Records Bureau) check (15 minutes)
5. Online personalised 1-on-1 mentor training (2 x 30 minutes)

Total time needed to become a mentor – approximately 2.5 hours

Mentoring

1. Choose availability that fits your schedule – whether it’s 5 hours a week or just 30 minutes a month.
2. Mentor online from anywhere in the world.
3. Adjust your availability as your circumstances change.
4. Focus on mentoring subjects you’re confident in.
5. Access support from our experienced teachers and tutors.

Total time needed to be a mentor – flexible

What it takes

Anyone who meets the following criteria is welcome to apply:

• Able to volunteer a minimum of three sessions per programme
• Patient, empathetic and considerate
• Willing to participate in group activities and sports

Important Note! You do NOT need exceptional skills in Maths or English, or previous mentoring or teaching experience to be a One Degree mentor.

What’s in it for you

Our innovative online version of our Saturday programme combines group and 1-on-1 support via our custom-built online network.

We now offer 7-day-a-week mentoring for our GCSE students and programme alumni:

1. This is flexible – with no set days and times, you can make yourself available based on YOUR schedule and you can update availability with our new integrated calendar system (training required here)
2. This is innovative – during our 1-on-1 training we will run through this new addition to our custom-built online mentoring platform where you can a) connect your personal and work calendars b) select provisional availability and c) be booked by One Degree students based on their availability, your availability or by mentor speciality. This also now extends to supporting One Degree alumni.

Age UK Bucks ‘Age Better Bucks’ volunteers will support local older people to achieve personal goals – by helping them navigate and take advantage of a Support Plan devised by as community worker, that is designed to help them meet the challenges of older age.

This could be by phoning them to provide encouragement, explanation and support, and to check on progress, and also to help them with attendance at appointments and going to new groups or activities.

What do Age Better Bucks Volunteers do?

• Work with the Community Support Connector from Age UK Bucks to accept a client and understand their goals and support plan – and which services they have been referred to for support
• Contact the client to introduce yourself, and explain what you can help them with and if that’s OK with them
• Agree how your support is best provided – e.g. weekly calls for progress and encouragement, or help with something specific on their plan. That could be a home visit (if appropriate) to help them make a call or prepare for an appointment; attend a group or activity with them; or help them take a bus etc.
• Report back to the Community Support Connector if there are any issues or concerns and agree when your support can stop
• Ideally, you’d support a few clients each week or month, depending on how much time you have

The role is to support and help the client to access the referrals and support put in place for them – and not to support them with care or specific needs yourself. Referrals might be to local care services, to local groups or clubs, or to an occupational therapist for home adaptations, other voluntary organisations and support groups etc.

Our Age Better Bucks Service

Age Better Bucks supports over 65s who could benefit from extra support to manage their well being and remain independent. It is for older people experiencing challenges or need extra support to stay independent and well – for example increasing loneliness/isolation; bereavement; health/mobility decline; mood change.

Our team of support workers will assess their needs and circumstances specific to them, and develop an action plan with them to ensure more support and help can be arranged. We check in with the client after 6 weeks to see how they are getting on, and after 6 months to see how they are and check if anything has changed, got worse or improved.

The service is designed to give people the tools, contacts and support to make positive changes and especially to tackle the impact of loneliness and isolation.

An action plan, or support plan, will be devised with all clients, identifying their main goals based on their individual needs and challenges, and referring them, with their consent only, to other services and support we agree can help. At this stage we’ll assess if a volunteer like you can help then take full advantage of this support.

What you will get out of it

• Join an enthusiastic team of people who want to make a difference
• It's a great way to support older people making a real difference to their lives
• You'll be giving something back to your community
• You get to be part of Age UK Buckinghamshire's volunteer team
• We will reimburse reasonable, approved out of pocket expenses
• Volunteers tell us they find Volunteering really rewarding and get lots out of it themselves
• You will be fully supported by our Team and wider Age UK Buckinghamshire support.

What is expected of me?

We tell you about each client and ask if you’d like to take it up. You would then arrange and complete the call or visit when convenient. The work you do is conducted in line with guidance we provide and you must comply with necessary procedures including Data Protection/Confidentiality and Personal Safety.

After the visit/contact you will complete and submit a contact form. Volunteers complete relevant training, provide references and complete a DBS check.

Key skills and requirements

• Good listener, clear communicator and able to maintain confidentiality. A good conversationalist!
• Ability to lead the conversation, provide feedback to the team and summarise the conversation.
• Non-judgmental. Able to respect others’ differences and choices
• Patient, flexible and reliable
• Able to work independently with guidance and support
• Ability to travel around the area to visit people
• A regular commitment to give 1-2 hours a week would be appreciated but the role is flexible, you can work from home, do visits, only make calls, whatever works for you.
• An interest in helping older people live the lives they want

Are you a Child and Young Person Clinical Supervisor interested in supporting child and young person counsellors and therapists?

Burning Nights CRPS Support has a highly skilled counselling and therapy team who provide counselling and psychotherapy to adults and children who have been impacted by a debilitating pain condition, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). This team is expanding rapidly and we are now looking for 1 volunteer Child and Young Person (CYP) Clinical Supervisor to join this team ensuring we can continue the provision of our vital emotional support services to this community specifically for young people. We would ideally like to take on 1 CYP Clinical Supervisor supporting a small group of CYP therapists who specialise in a range of modalities.

All our Counselling and therapy team help to develop our growing mental health support service for patients, families and carers affected by Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). As a volunteer with the CRPS Counselling & Therapy Service, your skills and experience as a CYP Clinical Supervisor will be providing support to therapists who offer therapy to vulnerable children and young people aged 5-18.

Depending on your qualifications, skills and experience, you will provide group and 1-2-1 Supervision support for CYP counsellors or psychotherapists who provide counselling support or specialist services for children and young people. The service currently offers specialist support to anyone over the age of 5 who is affected by CRPS.

Key Tasks and Objectives

• Facilitate Clinical Supervision group sessions on a monthly basis (online) and be able to offer at least 1 or 2 supervisees on 1-2-1 basis mainly trainees

• Administer this supervision from invitation through to record keeping

• Take part in complex case allocation meetings with the Clinical Lead

• Maintain appropriate clinical records of all work and to report, along with any concerns on individuals or their practice to the Clinical Lead

• Commitment to ongoing supervision of supervision practice at Burning Nights CRPS Support as well as engaging in separate own personal supervision

• Work flexibly as part of a small team as necessary to provide maximum coverage for supervision, such as in the event of emergencies

• Abide by all Burning Nights CRPS Support policies and procedures

• Adhere to BACP, BABCP (or other appropriate therapies governing body) Ethical Framework

Key Skills, Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

• Psychotherapy/Counselling qualification with a minimum of 2 years post qualification experience in a similar field

• Qualification in Clinical Supervision - ideally level 7 or above (could also suit experienced counsellors who require a placement during Clinical Supervision placement, or experienced counsellors wishing to gain experience in supervision)

• Had experience of supervising CYP therapists 

• Accreditation/registration (or working at the level of or towards this qualification) as a Supervisor with BACP/HCPC/BABCP or equivalent

• Significant proven experience of supervising individual CYP counsellors/psychotherapists from a range of training backgrounds 

• Appropriate and proven clinical experience of working with young people with a range of difficulties including complex medical health issues, loss and bereavement. Ideally experience of working with children and young people living with or affected by chronic pain or chronic conditions

• Willingness to engage in any Burning Nights CRPS Support training

• Understanding of issues regarding confidentiality and management of risk within a counselling service

• Good administrative skills

• Understanding of the voluntary sector

• Commitment to on-going engagement in personal supervision

• Knowledgeable of and committed to equalities’ provision

Desirable:

• Appropriate and proven clinical experience of working with children and young people living with or affected by chronic pain or chronic conditions

• Being able to supervise CYP therapists in small groups

• Experience of working within a low-cost / free voluntary sector counselling setting

• Experience of working within the voluntary charity sector

Ready to make a difference to a young person's life? Team Up is seeking dynamic volunteers to help transform the lives of disadvantaged pupils by improving their grades and building confidence in their learning.

We are recruiting inspirational role models who will tutor English or Maths once a week on one of our 10-12 week online programmes, starting in September 2026. 

You will be matched to a small group of care-experienced pupils who need extra support to reach their full academic potential. Equipped with full training and detailed lesson plans, you will provide them with the academic support, encouragment and inspiration they need to get back on track. Our tuition programmes aim to build not just academic strength, but confidence and positivity towards learning as well. 

All our volunteer tutors receive full training and support from a programme manager throughout the programme. . 

Practical Considerations:

• Our online programme runs on Tuesday afternoons from 17:00 till 18:00.
• The start date is mid-September (date TBC)
• Sessions are 60 minutes and take place via Teams. Tutors are expected to be online 15 minutes prior to their session. There is a 15-minute debrief with your progarmme manager after each session.
• This role requires you to undergo a free of charge enhanced DBS check, arranged by Team Up.

We are looking for:

• Strong grades in English or Maths
• Experience working with young people
• Committed, organised and patient individuals 
• Good interpersonal skills when dealing with pupils
• Individuals who are passionate about helping to reduce the education attainment gap and improve social mobility

Our volunteers love building a rapport with each pupil, seeing pupil growth, and personal confidence increase across the 12- week programme. By the end of the programme, you will see how the support you give has enabled a young person to not only improve their grades, but also build long term resilience. 

Alongside this meaningful experience, you will also be able to attend our online employability seminars, as well as receiving a personalised reference upon completion of the programme.