Volunteer Crisis Counselor
Victim Services Toronto has over 200 extensively trained volunteer crisis counselors who work alongside our professional crisis counselors and provide over 20,000 hours of direct client services per year. As a volunteer crisis counselor you will:
- Take referrals from police, agencies, and individuals
- Provide emotional support and crisis intervention over the phone
- Provide referrals and linkages to victims and their families
- Have the opportunity to provide interpretation services if you speak additional languages
- When appropriate, attend on scene with a Crisis Counsellor to provide support to victims and their families*
- Assist in community and fundraising events
*The majority of our work is done over the phone line, volunteers will attend on scene at the discretion of the Crisis Counsellors
Once you have completed a volunteer crisis counselor application, it will be reviewed for the next upcoming volunteer recruitment. Volunteers are recruited semi-annually and students are recruited once per year. Should your résumé, interview and security clearance be successful, you will be invited to our September or April training.
Volunteer training is mandatory and includes: 11 weeks in class training, (one night per week for 3 hours) and 16 hours of hands-on training in the office by a volunteer mentor. We ask for a one year commitment at a rate of 2 (3 or 4 hour) shifts per month. Throughout the duration of the training process, you are provided with the skills and knowledge to be an effective volunteer crisis counselor.
Volunteer applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. We recruit twice yearly for Spring and Fall classes. Recruitment open: May 20th 2022 – June 3rd 2022.
