Mental Health Volunteer Roles in North East

Borderline Support UK CIC are a small non-profit organisation made up entirely of volunteers. We work to support people with borderline personality disorder through peer support groups, signposting, and more.

Lived experience isn’t necessary for this post, but it would be an advantage.

We are currently looking for enthusiastic and passionate Research Assistants who can dedicate a few hours a month to work on projects with Borderline Support UK. We aren’t looking for people with buckets of experience (although please apply if you do!), so no matter your experience we’d like to hear from you. The more Lived Experience voices we have on our team, the better!

Some of the projects we’re running at the moment are as follows:

• Under 18’s Resource Creation
• 18+ Resource Creation
• Social Media Content
• Support Services across the UK
• Lived Experience data collection

There will be scope to work on larger scale research projects in the future.

We are a volunteer-run organisation whose aim is to ensure that everybody impacted by borderline personality disorder is supported in their recovery. 

Peer support is about sharing your lived experience of mental health struggles with other people with the hope of providing, support, encouragement, and validation that you understand what they are going through, that they are not alone in their feelings and circumstance. We believe that peer support is an important part of the recovery journey, as it provides a space for support, shared understanding, helps reduce stigma and fosters motivation and hope. 

We run several online peer support groups each month for people living with borderline personality disorder and are seeking compassionate and empathetic people to co-facilitate the groups. All groups are facilitated by two peer support workers, and follow a semi-structured pattern. Our groups include:

• Women-only
• Men-only
• 18 to 25s
• LGBTQIA+
• Mixed
• Family

As a volunteer, you will receive comprehensive training, accessible online. We also provide ongoing supervision, support to ensure that you can effectively support others while prioritizing your own recovery. The training covers various areas such as peer support, communication, safeguarding, and facilitation skills.

Role description

• to co-facilitate a support group of 10-15 people on a fortnightly/monthly basis
• to provide support in a group peer support setting
• to share own experiences without taking away from the others persons current feelings and situation
• to use active listening and personal experiences to reassure and validate group members
• to enable and encourage service users to find out resources and local services
• to encourage wellbeing and recovery

Person specification

• Lived experience of mental health 
• Able to use own experiences openly while maintaining strong boundaries
• Access to a reliable internet connection, a computer with webcam, and a confidential space.
• Commitment to our aims and mission

Availability and Committment

We ask that you have availability 2-3 hours per month for a minimum of 6 months. Our groups are held on mid-week evenings and Sunday evenings. 

How to apply

Please submit a cover letter with your application, detailing your relevant experience. Please also indicate which specific group you are interested in co-facilitating if you have a preference. 

Diversity Statement

We are committed to building a team with a variety of backgrounds, skills and views. The more inclusive we are, the more people we can support. We welcome and encourage applications from all backgrounds. 

Please note that you must be a UK resident with the right to live and work in the UK. This role is subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check

TRUSTEES REQUIRED!

At TOP UK we know how distressing and overwhelming OCD and phobias can be. Nearly 40 years of experience tells us that both conditions have a hugely negative impact on people’s lives. Fear and anxiety are incredibly unpleasant emotions and to frequently experience these emotions on a large scale is traumatic and debilitating. No one deserves that.

At TOP UK we also know that OCD and phobias are poorly understood, under-funded and stigmatised despite affecting millions of people. OCD and phobia sufferers often tell us how misunderstanding of their conditions leaves them feeling isolated, alone and afraid to seek help. At TOP UK, we believe no one should feel alone in facing their fears 

It is an exciting but testing time at TOP UK and we have just launched an ambitious three-year strategy. While we are eager to embark on this new stage of development for our organisation it comes with an acknowledgment that we are working in particularly uncertain and stressful times and there is a greater need to grow our service than ever before. Demand for our service is at an all-time high and continues to grow, currently dramatically outstripping our capacity. Mental health services are at breaking point leaving those with OCD and Phobias often finding it impossible to find help and dealing with debilitating conditions alone.

Meeting this demand will be a challenge, but it is a challenge we are ready and willing to push for but in order to grow and build our organisation we are keen to evolve, enhance and diversify our Board of Trustees

The role is open to those from the public, private and voluntary sectors. You should be someone with a genuine interest in mental health and we are ideally looking for individuals with any of the following experience: Charity Governance; IT & Digital;Marketing, Communications and Brand; Fundraising: Diversity and Inclusion. 

TOP UK also particularly welcomes applications from black and minority ethnic candidates and candidates from the LGBTQ+ community as they are currently under represented in our organisation.

 All board meetings are virtual and take place every other month.

For further details please click on the attached Trustee Application pack below. Application is by letter and CV, please click on the apply button to submit these.

HeadsOut Imago group: Trans, Non-Binary Support Group – Volunteer Co-Facilitator

Imago is a peer support group for trans, non-binary and non-cisgender people offering a safe, identity affirming space for support to improve their mental health, emotional and social well-being and through community connection. Imago aims to support members with shared struggles and challenges that they may commonly face as non-cis people, to help them find and celebrate genuine joy and self-confidence. It meets every Wednesday between 7pm and 8:30 pm, currently online via Microsoft Teams.

This role includes:

· Working alongside a member of the HeadsOut Team

· Co-facilitating the weekly group

· Contributing to planned activities

· Participating in training and reflective practice sessions

Person Specification

· Ability to commit to 6 months of 2 hours a week on Wednesdays from 6.45pm-8.45pm (for the session and a team debrief)

· Experience of supporting people who are experiencing mental distress

· Good active listening skills and empathic engagement

· A non-judgemental approach

· Willingness to take initiative and facilitate a group of diverse individuals

 

Mental Health Volunteers for elop’s HeadsOut Service

HeadsOut is a strengths-based crisis prevention, intervention and wellbeing LGBT+ support service.

Our aim is to enhance people’s wellbeing and functioning by focusing on their strengths and resources, reinforcing resilience and enhancing protective external factors, including creating safe spaces, community connection, a sense of belonging, empowerment and affirmation. 

By joining the HeadsOut Team you will:

· Support people who experience mental distress

· Make a positive contribution to the LGBT+ community

· Be given relevant training and support

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.

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.

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.

Listening Volunteer - the Wren Project

Remote

Unpaid

Hours - 3 hour voluntary commitment per fortnight, flexible across the working week (shifts are available mornings, afternoons and evenings, Monday - Friday).

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP

The Wren Project offers free, one-to-one listening support for people in distress as a result of their autoimmune disease diagnosis. The service we provide would not be possible without the commitment, empathy and support of our volunteers.

Volunteers at the Wren Project provide emotional listening support to people living with autoimmune disease (our Wrens). We offer a safe, non-judgmental space for Wrens to talk about how autoimmune disease is impacting their life, without giving advice or offering solutions. Volunteers hold and hear distress in each session and through regular, ongoing appointments, build rapport with Wrens.

Volunteers do not need to have any knowledge of experience of autoimmune disease. What we look for is warmth and empathy.

We are the only charity in the UK who provide support for all autoimmune diseases. Our vision is to build support and community for all four million people in the UK diagnosed with autoimmune disease.

WHAT VOLUNTEERING FOR US INVOLVES:

Application and training process:

• Send an application form via our website;

• Attend an online one-to-one interview to discuss why you want to volunteer with the Wren Project;

• We assess an applicant’s suitability for the role;

• If successful, applicants participate in a remote, 4-week training programme focusing on listening skills, holding and hearing distress and living with autoimmune disease;

• A final one-to-one assessment of readiness before being matched with a Wren.

The role:

• Join a regular fortnightly shift, whereby you will support two Wrens in two separate, one-to-one sessions of 50 minutes via telephone/video call/online.

• A self-reflective approach to learning and development supported by staff-led reflective practice sessions. Monthly attendance required for the initial six months.

• Attend three additional modules of skill-building training in the first 12 months;

• Access to ongoing support from other volunteers and the Operations team;

• Opportunities to support the charity in a variety of additional roles.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN VOLUNTEERS:

• A desire to support people in times of distress;

• An empathetic and understanding attitude;

• A commitment to offering ongoing support to Wrens and to reflect upon the experience;

• A quiet and private space to conduct appointments;

• Access to a computer, telephone and a reliable internet connection;

• Confidentiality, professionalism and reliability;

• The commitment to volunteer at the Wren Project for at least one year.

WHAT WE OFFER OUR VOLUNTEERS:

• Lifelong skills in deep listening;

• Extensive training in empathetic listening and supporting distress;

• An excellent opportunity to engage in ongoing personal reflection and development in a supportive charity environment;

• A self-reflective approach to learning and development;

• An insight into life with autoimmune disease.

We are seeking passionate and empathetic individuals to join our team as a volunteer Been There mentor. In this online chat-based role, you will have the unique opportunity to make a positive impact on the lives of people struggling with body image issues.

In return, you have the chance to:

• Use your experience to benefit and support someone else
• Make a difference in someone’s life and contribute to changing the current epidemic of body image issues in our society
• Deepen your understanding and skill base with our in-house training course, partnered with The Body Image Treatment Clinic 
• Build your communication and interpersonal skills
• Gain confidence and leadership skills
• Share your personal experiences to help others in need
• Flexible working hours
• Attend virtual meetups with other mentors and experts for support and discussion opportunities
• Enjoy being part of the Been There community, and become part of Been There’s incredible journey.

Our requirements:

All mentors must have had personal experience with body image issues, and are now in a position where they feel able to support someone else through their own.

Alongside this, we need you to:

• be over 25 years of age
• be able to complete around 6-8 hours of online training and assessment 
• successfully undergo all necessary safeguarding checks including DBS and personal references
• agree to Been There’s confidentiality and privacy policy guidelines
• be able to commit to a minimum of six months volunteering with Been There
• have access to a quiet and private environment to complete your online training and deliver one-to-one mentoring sessions (for 1-3 hours per week).
• have a secure internet/data connection in order to access the Been There app

If you are interested in joining our amazing and growing family, then you can apply via our app.

You can contact us via our web page or any of our socials if you need more information.

We're looking for a creative social media volunteer to build our audience across social media, keep all platforms up to date with original content and promote our initiatives with on brand messages on a weekly basis. 

The Mental Health Community are a registered charity created out of a passion to improve mental health services and the belief that community is crucial to delivering the means for sustainable recovery for everyone with mental ill-health. 

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

-Ensuring all social media is up to date and has original content on it.

-Maintaining the baseline number of posts through scheduling.

-Supporting the team to be interactive to what is going on in social media and responding in real time when possible

-Keeping up-to-date with the team, staying in regular contact through email/whatsapp/phone and meetings.

-Create varied and original content using the marketing strategy as a guide

-Working with others in the team to grow our networks.

-Analysing the effects of social media and creating a quarterly report on what has worked well and what has not.

-Being creative and developing new ways of communicating with customers/supporters.

-General promotion of our ethos and advocacy of the issues throughout the duration of the role.

Salary: Voluntary position.

Location: Working from home, remotely

Hours: Approximately 3 hours per week fully flexible, however a baseline of posts must be delivered each week.

Skills/attributes/knowledge/experience

Essential:

Some experience in using Instagram and LinkedIn to support cause/charity/events.

Committed to providing the minimum output of posts as agreed with the team.

Creative and imaginative thinking.

Interested in our causes and ethos around mental health

Lived experience of mental ill health

Proven written communication skills

Proven IT skills and an internet connection

Competent with social media and digital communication tools.

Confident to work on own initiative with minimum supervision but knowing when to consult with and inform others

Organised, able to set and meet own targets and goals

Ability to work to fixed timelines

Desirable:

Experience of coordinating others to contribute to projects.

Experience of working in the third sector.

Verbal communication skills.

Equal Opportunities

The Mental Health Community (registered charity number 1184442) are committed to achieving an inclusive environment which provides equality of opportunity and freedom from unlawful discrimination for everyone who works within and accesses our organisation and services. 

We are excited to invite passionate and dedicated individuals to join us as Trustees and contribute to the establishment and development of our charity organisation. Our mission is to inspire humanity through education for change and growth, focusing on adulthood. If you are enthusiastic about shaping the future and making a meaningful impact, we want you on our team!

About believe-IN

At believe-IN, we are committed to being facilitators of change for individuals and organisations in transitions. Our mission is to provide lifelong educational services that empower adults to manage life changes effectively, fostering growth and preventing mental health declines. Grounded in humanistic principles, our values of Knowledge, Education, Leadership, Integrity, and Courage guide us in creating exceptional life outcomes for all.

We operate with a one-stop-shop concept, offering a variety of educational and training programs, activities, and initiatives to help individuals develop essential life skills, enhance personal development, and improve overall well-being during critical life changes.

Our Social Impact

Inspired by lifespan developmental psychology and human rights principles, believe-IN strives to create a brighter, more empowered future. We believe in providing a holistic and inclusive platform accessible to all, fostering a more harmonious and equitable society for everyone.

The Trustee Role

As a Trustee, you will be a key decision-maker, responsible for supporting the organisation's direction, values, and governance structure. Your dedication and leadership will be essential in shaping believe-IN's future. We are specifically seeking individuals for the following roles:

1) Treasurer:

 2) Fundraising Professional

 3) Community Development Professional

 4) Secretary

We are looking for individuals who bring energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to the role, broadening the diversity of thinking on our board.

Application Notes

Applications can be made by sending a conventional CV (2-page max) and a covering letter (2-page max) outlining your interest and suitability for the role.

Join us in creating a world where everyone believes in themselves and can make the life they wish and deserve happen!