Volunteer therapist volunteer volunteer roles

Membership and Community Lay trustee

The Membership and Community Lay Trustee provides strategic oversight and expert guidance on membership growth, engagement and community development. Workingalongside fellow trustees, you will support the organisation to build a vibrant, inclusive and sustainable professional community, that reflects its values and supports its charitable purpose. Acting as a critical friend to management, you will help shape policy, identify opportunities and risks, and support strategies that strengthen member value, retention and participation.

We’re seeking a senior professional with experience in membership strategy, stakeholder engagement or community development, ideally with board-level experience or experience advising boards or working at a similar strategic level.
You will bring insight into how professional communities thrive, how member needs evolve, and how digital and
data-driven approaches can support engagement and growth. Experience developing and evaluating membership models, including subscription-based approaches, is highly desirable. Experience within a regulated, professional or charitable membership environment is also desirable.

A collaborative approach, high integrity, and alignment with the organisation’s vision and values are essential.

To view the role profile please click on this Membership and Community Lay Trustee| RCOT 

To apply, please submit a CV and suitability statement aligned with the role profile with no more than 600 words, via this Membership and Community Lay Trustee| RCOT by Sunday 15 February 2026.

1. WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS
Release Therapy for Women provides safe, therapeutic spaces for women across Sussex. Our groups are the heart of what we do, and our Therapeutic Group Support Assistants play a crucial role in ensuring these sessions run smoothly.
You will work alongside a Lead Facilitator to create a warm, inclusive, and physically comfortable environment.
2. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Creating a Welcoming Space
* Environment Setup: Arrive early to set up the therapeutic space, ensuring it is tidy, welcoming, and comfortable.
* Sensory Awareness: Pay attention to lighting, noise levels, and seating arrangements to support our neurodivergent participants and those with social anxiety.
* The "Warm Welcome": Greet participants as they arrive, particularly focused on making new members feel at ease and helping to serve drinks.
Supporting the Session
* Facilitation Assistance: Support the Lead Facilitator with practical tasks (handing out materials, managing refreshments, or keeping time).
* Participant Support: Provide a calm, grounded presence. While you are not the primary therapist, you may offer one-to-one emotional support (e.g., sitting with someone who needs a moment outside the circle).
* Closing the Space: Assist in packing away and briefly debriefing with the Facilitator after participants have left.
Inclusion & Data
Actively model inclusive behaviour, ensuring women of all ages, faiths, and sexual orientations feel safe.
* Equality Monitoring: Assist in the distribution of our anonymous Equalities Monitoring forms. In line with our 2026 vision, you will help explain to participants that their data helps us secure the funding needed to keep our groups free for everyone.

3. PERSON SPECIFICATION
Knowledge and Experience
* Counselling Foundation: You have previous counselling experience or have undertaken introductory counselling training.
* Therapeutic Understanding: An understanding of (or a strong interest in) the group therapeutic process and the importance of boundaries and confidentiality.
* Inclusive Values: A deep commitment to equality and a passion for making therapeutic spaces accessible to marginalised groups.
Skills and Abilities
* Empathy & Presence: A calm, grounded, and non-judgemental approach to supporting women in distress.
* Reliability: The ability to commit to a full 6–10 week group cycle to provide continuity of care for our participants.
* Communication: Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with a Lead Facilitator.
* Local Insight: Ideally, you will live in or have strong ties to Brighton, Worthing, or Shoreham/Southwick.

* This post is only open to female applicants as being female is deemed to be a genuine occupational requirement under Schedule 9, Paragraph 1 of the Equality Act 2010.

The successful candidate will join a highly regarded women-led, women-centred, and trauma-informed charity.

4. WHAT WE OFFER YOU

* Professional Growth: Gain hands-on experience in a therapeutic community setting.
* Support & Supervision: Access to optional clinical supervision when needed to discuss your experiences and wellbeing.
* Inclusive Culture: Be part of a diverse volunteer team (19% neurodiverse and 25% ethnically diverse).
* Training: Induction into our therapeutic model, safeguarding, and cultural competency.
* Expenses: Reimbursement of local travel costs.
5. RECRUITMENT & ONBOARDING
* Trial Period: Participation in one session as an observer/assistant before a full commitment.
* Safeguarding: This role is subject to an enhanced DBS check and a requirement to attend our annual safeguarding training.

Are you based in the West or East Midlands and looking for an opportunity to create positive social change, meet new people and learn new things? Music Therapy Works is looking for three-to-four committed, motivated people to join the Board as Trustees, enabling even more people to benefit from Music Therapy.

We are looking, in particular, for one or more of the following skills/experience to complement our existing Trustees:

• Finance
• Digital
• Safeguarding
• Fundraising
• Company Secretary
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
• Environmental sustainability

If you don't have any of these skills or experience please consider applying anyway! We're keen to hear from people with time and energy to commit to the valuable work of our charity.

We also want our Board to reflect the diverse community that Music Therapy Works supports.

We would really like to hear from you if you:

• Have a background in social care and/or safeguarding     
• Have a background in Music Therapy or a related field 
• Reflect MTW’s beneficiaries. For example: are you a disabled person? Do you have mental health needs? Are you a parent or teacher of a young disabled person, or a young person with mental health needs? Are you part of an adoptive family or do you work with children in care? Are you a carer for a person with dementia?