Why volunteer at Response
Our volunteers enjoy the warm feeling that comes with giving the best part of themselves. They love hearing someone in need say "thank you" and really mean it. They find a caring family at Response that holds potluck parties, movie nights and other events that get everyone together to have fun. And for college students and grads, there's the added bonus of earning school credit and having an experience that makes their resumes shine.

Crisis Intervention Counselor
On the hotline, our volunteer crisis intervention counselors speak with people of all ages and backgrounds — the woman struggling to escape an abusive relationship, the teen who runs away from home, the exhausted new mother, the teacher worried about a student, the recently divorced single father. Volunteer counselors become highly skilled at engaging callers who are in crisis, building trust, handling emergency situations (e.g. calls regarding suicide, domestic violence, runaways, etc.), and making referrals to community resources. To do this they first learn the skills of active listening, assessment, and exploration of options.

Anyone at least 18 years old may attend Part 1 of Response's training, which includes at least 18 hours of classroom lecture and roleplaying exercises. Those who are accepted for Part 2 participate in many workshops, roleplaying exercises, and individual and group supervision over several months. Anyone interested in volunteering who has recently experienced a significant loss is asked to seek a volunteer position other than counselor, e.g. Friends of Response.

There are generally four training dates offered each year. Click here to apply online or to obtain training dates.

Support Line Counselor
Volunteer support line counselors provide telephone "visits" to callers who are homebound or have limited social contacts due to a physical disability or mental illness. These callers both phone the support line and receive calls from it, discussing with the counselors plans for their week, the high and low points of their day. Unlike hotline callers, they are not anonymous and consequently support line counselors come to know them.

The training requirements are exactly the same for support line counselors as they are for the hotline counselors. Anyone at least 18 years old may attend Part 1 of Response's training, which includes at least 18 hours of classroom lecture and roleplaying exercises. Those who are accepted for Part 2 participate in many hours of workshops, roleplaying, and individual and group supervision. Anyone interested in volunteering who has recently experienced a significant loss is asked to seek a volunteer position other than counselor, e.g. Friends of Response.

There are generally four training dates offered each year. Click here to apply online or to obtain upcoming training.

Intern
For undergraduate students, interning at Response is a wonderful opportunity to see if this kind of work is to their liking while receiving college credit for community service or psychology. Although the internship is demanding and challenging, the environment at Response is very warm and supportive. This may be why so many of our interns have subsequently pursued graduate degrees in social work and psychology. Click here to apply online or to obtain upcoming training.

Friends of Response
Friends of Response is a group of volunteers with a wide range of interests and skills, and they make an invaluable contribution to the agency, including researching community referrals, website design, special event planning, and community outreach.

All Friends participate in Part 1 of Response's training to become familiar with the agency's philosophy and practices. Click here to apply online or to obtain upcoming training dates.

Click here for the online Volunteer Application

Call 631-751-7500 for information!