Become a Distress Line Volunteer

Volunteers are the lifeline of our service! Our volunteers make a difference in the lives of those in our community who are lonely, in crisis, or experiencing emotional stress.

Distress Line volunteer qualifications:

• Good Listener
• Empathetic
• Non-Judgmental
• Patient
• Able to Handle Crisis
• Common Sense
• Respectful
• Responsible and Reliable
• 19 years of age or older
• Able to volunteer 12 hours a month
• Able to obtain a Police Record Check with Vulnerable Sector Screening

Distress Line volunteer responsibilities:

• Provide telephone and online support to clients in accordance with the policies and guidelines learned in training.
• Volunteer 12 hours each month during your first year of volunteering (for a total of 144 hours). 
• Be reliable in fulfilling your shift commitments.
• Attend ongoing training and workshops provided by the Centre.

Our Training and Volunteer experience will:

• Improve your active listening and communications skills.
• Teach you crisis prevention and suicide risk assessment skills.
• Increase your knowledge of community resources, social issues, and mental health issues.
• Develop and improve skills useful in personal and professional situations.
• Provide you with valuable work experience, and once you complete 144 volunteer hours you can request a letter of reference.
• Certify you as a safeTALK Suicide Alertness Helper.

Training

Oakville Location

Volunteer Information Meeting:

7pm Tuesday, Apr 18

7pm Tuesday, Jun 27

Training Dates:

7-10pm Thursdays, May 4 – Jun 22

7-10pm Tuesdays, Jul 11 – Aug 29

Georgetown Location

Volunteer Interviews

Thursday, Apr. 20, 2017

Training Dates

7 – 10 pm Wednesdays

May. 3 – Jun. 21, 2017 inclusive

FEES FOR TRAINING

There is a $50 fee for training. This fee covers the cost of training materials.

Note: Each Training Session has 8 classes and all are mandatory.